Remote Reservoir Shocks from Tec Bike Parts
- Thread starter SaltCityCafe
- Start date
SaltCityCafe
Been Around the Block
Looks like it got lost in the shuffle but like I said I am going to pick some up and be the guinea pig and see how they are and if they suck have them rebuilt. But for the price I am willing to take the chance and who knows they might turn out to be awesome and a great find.
I have another idea. Since I don't have the kind of experience that most of you guys have I wouldn't mind sending the ones I order to one of you guys for some testing and you can determine their quality and let me know if I just need to have them rebuilt right off the bat.
If that sounds like a decent idea for anyone let me know.
I have another idea. Since I don't have the kind of experience that most of you guys have I wouldn't mind sending the ones I order to one of you guys for some testing and you can determine their quality and let me know if I just need to have them rebuilt right off the bat.
If that sounds like a decent idea for anyone let me know.
o1marc
Over 1,000 Posts
I think you are on the right track. I can almost guarantee they are not the same crap RFY Chinese shocks, whether they are any better or not remains to be seen. They don't have any negative feedback on Ebay concerning these shocks but that doesn't mean much as by the time you would determine they are crap it would be too late to leave feedback. Just looking at them side by side with pics of the RFY's they appear to be a better quality and if in fact they are made in the UK they might just be a bargain. Keep us posted.SaltCityCafe said:
I don't have a shock dyno here. We can strip and build shocks but don't do enough to warrant all the special tools. You could strip the shock yourself as long as you reduce the pressure first. You can buy shock/fork oil from race Tech or the OP in that earlier link. Or ask PJ - I'm sure he modified some of the cheap shocks and can probably compare this set to the ones he worked on earlier.
o1marc said:
C'mon Marc. We know the answer to that.
Well like most facts in this thread we don't actually know but we can speculate that they are probably manufactured in China - and that isn't necessarily bad. iPhones are made there after all and they seem to work OK. Chinese manufacturing in many cases has improved in leaps and bounds. What they appear to lack is working knowledge of the application and that makes it harder for them to set damping and spring rates for different applications. Again, that's speculation on my part there. They have an increasingly educated workforce and some really good engineers and production people but not a lot of suspension experts from say Ohlins or MotoGP teams to draw on.
o1marc
Over 1,000 Posts
So what we are waiting on is the true meaning of this :teazer said:C'mon Marc. We know the answer to that.
Chinese manufacturing in many cases has improved in leaps and bounds. What they appear to lack is working knowledge of the application and that makes it harder for them to set damping and spring rates for different applications. Again, that's speculation on my part there. They have an increasingly educated workforce and some really good engineers and production people but not a lot of suspension experts from say Ohlins or MotoGP teams to draw on.
"As with all our parts we design and make these and they are not available from anybody else."
We know that everybody and their brother are making available the RFY shocks.
SaltCityCafe
Been Around the Block
It will be months before my bike is ready to ride and test these so that's why I am making the offer for someone to test them basically on my dime. I am hoping it will be for the good of the community. Maybe Sav0r or someone else who is familiar with rebuilding the RFY ones could check them out?
SaltCityCafe
Been Around the Block
o1marc said:
I have a CB750 K1 shouldn't be hard to find a donor LOL
Kettle One
New Member
Coming in a bit late on this, but for what it's worth I have experience with the UK Company.
http://www.tecbikeparts.com/Home_Page.html
I originally contacted the USA company about a pair of reproduction shocks for a Suzuki GT750 restoration. When they did not have the short shroud version I was looking for they referred me to the UK company. George Milburn ( the owner) was very helpful and was able to provide what I needed. I can't answer any questions about country of origin but the quality was good for what I was looking for. It's been a while since I had dealings with them, but I see their product range has expanded significantly. George was great to deal with and I am sure he would be happy to answer any questions you have if you use the contact form on the UK Company website. Hope this helps.
http://www.tecbikeparts.com/Home_Page.html
I originally contacted the USA company about a pair of reproduction shocks for a Suzuki GT750 restoration. When they did not have the short shroud version I was looking for they referred me to the UK company. George Milburn ( the owner) was very helpful and was able to provide what I needed. I can't answer any questions about country of origin but the quality was good for what I was looking for. It's been a while since I had dealings with them, but I see their product range has expanded significantly. George was great to deal with and I am sure he would be happy to answer any questions you have if you use the contact form on the UK Company website. Hope this helps.
sav0r
Coast to Coast
With the RFY Shocks there is enough shock body accomodate about 10cm of travel. I believe they change the shaft length to accommodate the different length shocks they sell.
Asides from the lack information regarding actual spring rate of the springs, one of the bigger issues is that they appear to send the same spring length no matter the shaft length. This means that the longer shocks are built with very little preload whereas the shorter version can have a fair amount of preload. Preload of course effects sag greatly and is a key component of proper ride quality. As I've said in my other posts, the RFY shock itself is actually quite impressive. It might be cheap, but despite that the components are there to work correctly and reliably. In fact, I believe that they should outperform gas emulsion shocks given a proper rebuild and spring rate.
Asides from the lack information regarding actual spring rate of the springs, one of the bigger issues is that they appear to send the same spring length no matter the shaft length. This means that the longer shocks are built with very little preload whereas the shorter version can have a fair amount of preload. Preload of course effects sag greatly and is a key component of proper ride quality. As I've said in my other posts, the RFY shock itself is actually quite impressive. It might be cheap, but despite that the components are there to work correctly and reliably. In fact, I believe that they should outperform gas emulsion shocks given a proper rebuild and spring rate.
o1marc
Over 1,000 Posts
As mentioned the RFY uses the same spring on all the shocks for different bikes where these are specific springs for different models. That alone shows a bit more time and quality went into these shocks. I am not opposed to parts that are made in China, but as mentioned the Chinese are not educated in shock assembly enough to consider weight differences and such. I betting these are not a bad deal for the money. The Chinese are known for stealing designs and making their own.
SaltCityCafe
Been Around the Block
I am working with Sav0r to get some sent his way and he can take a look at them and rebuild them if needed. I am sure he will be happy to post a full review on what he thinks and maybe we can have a new alternative.
I did decide to just order some and see check them out for the communities sake. I should have them in the next day or two then I will get them sent to Sav0r and we will go from there.
I did decide to just order some and see check them out for the communities sake. I should have them in the next day or two then I will get them sent to Sav0r and we will go from there.
