Rear Shock Replacement Options

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Like many of your bikes, my rear shock is weak and the spring is tired. After the last stint of two-up riding, I think i've killed it, so it's time for a replacement. Progressive rear shocks are rare.

My task: Find an off-the-shelf rear shock that will work, maintain the stock suspension geometry, and come from a bike new enough as not to be worn out.

The stock shock measures 10.75" eye-to-eye. A quick measure from my bike yields the stock geometry for the rear swingarm as follows:

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I will measure some angles this weekend so that I can determine what affect various shock lengths will have on rear geometry.

From research, the following monoshocks are available and similar to the stock shock (I don't know if they'll mount up or if they came for direct action swingarms; I took the photos from PinWall Cycleson EBay as they had measurements with their shocks):

1. Kawasaki Ninja 650R: 11.375" eye to eye
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2. Ducati Monster 620: 11.750" eye to eye (infinately adjustable sachs shock)
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3. Yamaha Vstar 650: 11" eye to eye
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The Vstar shock looks almost identical to the stock shock, appearance wise. I'm not sure on spring weight or actuation though.

The Ducati Monster shock is 1" longer than the stock shock but features screw type preload adjustment and rebound control.

The Ninja shock is a direction actuation shock with preload adjustment similar to the SV650.

I may pick up a Vstar and Ninja shock and see if either is better than the worn out stock one.

So, tell us what you've tried, what's worked and what hasn't. If you post a shock, include the model/year of bike it came from and it's eye-to-eye measurement.

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