Proflex Rear Shock ??

[thetyrant]

Anyone tried or heard anything about Proflex rear shocks for the storm ?


CHeers

Ian

[stormy 1]

Out of interest whats wrong with the one fitted as standard?.Im only asking as mine seems very hard but my last bike was a cbr400rr and that was way way to soft.Is this the norm?.

[thetyrant]

The Standard shock is way too hard....and if you are quite light like me at 10 stone its quite harsh especially on the bumpy roads around here. Ive read somewhere that maxton can replace the spring with one more suited to the rider weight has anyone had this done ?


Cheers

Ian

[bugsbunny911]

i had a proflex on mine when i brought it. it was set up soft it felt great till i was 2 up then horrid not complaining . my gripe was it touched the swingarm when i sat on it and it had worn a grove in the swingarm. i wasn't sure if this was going to knacker the linkage or one of the associated bearings if anyone knows anything about this i'd be gratefull ??? so i picket up a standard off fleebay . maxton say it should be set to the softest spring notch with the dampening half a turn away from the max or H . its ok but its not as confidence inspireing as with the proflex

[bigrich]

i have a proflex shock on mine, i personally have never had any problems including have a 17 stone pillion (and im 17 stone too!)

My old storm was a standard shock and I think there is a lot more feel with the proflex and feels a lot more stable over the bumps and more planted when cornering.

[sirch345]

Ian, I was just going to say iirc that Proflex rear shocks were fitted to the anniversary Firestorms. I now see Bigrich has just confirmed this.

The standard spring is way to hard you're right. I fitted a Maxton (body weight related) spring to the standard shock and it does help. For what it cost it's a cheaper alternative than replacing the shock completely for a better quality item.

Out of interest whats wrong with the one fitted as standard?.Im only asking as mine seems very hard but my last bike was a cbr400rr and that was way way to soft.Is this the norm?.

There's nothing wrong with the standard shock if you're really on the heavy side, or carry a pillion passenger most of the time, but anything less the spring is [as Ian (thetyrant) said] on the heavy side, whereas the front forks are undersprung. So it will do the job, just not that well.

Bugsbunny911, somethings definitely not right there if you ended up with a groove in the swingarm. Possible worn linkage or swingarm bearings. Either that or the shock needs some TLC.

This link might be helpful for you:-
http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 31&t=11809

Chris.

[thetyrant]

Crikey a thread brought back from the dead

I ended up with an Ohlins rear unit on my storm and it was much better than OE!...was still a bit hard for me but got it 2nd hand at a good price and was a definitive improvment

Not as big a upgrade as getting my forks down by revolution, that totally transformed the bike!....I heard that Roger who did this has maybe retired now?? which would be a shame, that guy had so much knowledge on Firestorms it was unreal.... had a full day down there while he did forks and a few other bits before running it up on the dyno

Cheers
Ian

[sirch345]

Blimey Ian I missed that, how old this thread is

I agree about having the front forks modified by Roger Ditchfield I haven't heard anything about him retiring myself, but anything is possible I guess.

Chris.

[oldbikeman]

My VTRs got a Proflex on it and you adjust the damping with a screw driver .It has a slow and fast screw for rebound but impossible to make any accurate adjustments.The compression screw on the bottom works best.Also the bloke who rebuilds them near me has gone so when it's worn It means a post job.Performance like stock.Nicely built but I'd buy elsewhere next time.

[bugsbunny911]

hi all im using the proflex shock again . its been serviced with a new hose and 4mm added to its lengh its taken a bit of getting used to but after that . its good back feels much softer it holds on where the standard shock used to skip. it dips an inch or two when i load it on in the corners im not sure if it should ??? . i have progresive springs in the forks that have been raised 10mm if that makes any odds. next i looked at the handle bars and went about making things more comfortable turn the levers down a bit ,clutch fine ,brakelever hoses fowl on top yoke bolts so i cut the cable guide off the end of the master cylinder so the cables can be turned away from the yoke job jobed. next i wanted to try moving the bars forward a bit. the locator lug on the clip on fits in a hole on the yokes so i decided to shave the inside of the lugs down with a dremmel type tool prob took 2 mm of the inside allowing much more adjustment . its realy changed the feel probably due to shifting weight forward .

what im slightly concerned about is what with all the handling mods on the bike and me being a complete novice rider and mechanic am i setting the bike up to handle or to chuck me off ???

could realy do with getting someone who knows a good set up to have wee look any one know a guy ???

[lloydie]

i always set my bikes up to suit my riding style , everyone is different and rides different so find the setting you like and enjoy it