FG Engineering

[Yanosh]

I've got an FG shock on my R1 and was just wondering where I could find some info on it???

Internet search came up with squat!

Anyone else using one??

[R1madness]

Gidday dude. Thats my old R1. I purchased the shock off the net. They are made in italy. The body looks like a copy of a WP unit. So do the clickers.
What info do you want?

[cowpoos]

Gidday dude. Thats my old R1. I purchased the shock off the net. They are made in italy. The body looks like a copy of a WP unit. So do the clickers.
What info do you want?

hope you had a good flight home bro!! Good to see ya again!!

Coz your a all 'ROUND' nice bloke...lol

[Robert Taylor]

I've got an FG shock on my R1 and was just wondering where I could find some info on it???

Internet search came up with squat!

Anyone else using one??

Actually this raises a point generally about importing goods into this in some ways under-regulated country. I know not what the outcome is re this matter but I do wonder aloud about the wisdom of importing goods that have no local backup. By that I am singling out high dollar items that ultimately need service and knowledgable backup to get the best out of them. The most generic rebuild parts in this orphan could well be the same as in other brands of suspension unit, but think of the procurement hassles if they are not? Especially out of Italy where back up is often shall we say ''casual''.
I am also saying this a little tongue in cheek because there are many distributors of product into this country who provide abysmal or no backup for goods that require skill and knowledge to service. There must be some differentiation between such goods and plain expendable non servicable
goods.
An interesting situation occured just before the start of the recent NZ road race nationals. A customer was largely the architect of his own problems because he wanted a full suspension kit for his new racebike at ''five minutes to midnight'' ie right before the start of the nationals with no time to spare. There was no way I could supply in time because of lead times, and in case many have failed to notice the population of this country and therefore the road racing population is very tiny. This means it is just not economically viable to stock huge quantities of goods and supply at very short notice, a fact that many distributors and onsellers get unfairly maligned for.
So, as it transpired the customer bought the goods offshore from some faceless Yankee company who onsold the goods and washed their hands of it, thankyou very much. The problem was that come the Teretonga round ( and probably before )the bike was burning up tyres because the suspension units had not been appropriately sprung and valved for our track surface / temperature and corner exit speed conditions. Cost of spring and my revalve a little over $400.The point is here had the customer allowed a proper timeframe and bought the goods off me as the authorised and LOCAL distributor the shock unit would have been pre-sprung and valved at no extra cost prior to delivery, and backed up accordingly during the meetings. But as I had made no margin on the unit it was appropriately respeced at normal commercial rates, which the customer accepted. Problem fixed.
These offshore parasites only want your money and I cannot see them providing on track service to ensure the goods are performing and readjusted as per a tuning ''setting bank''. If you buy ''grey'' it will inevitably actually cost you more money in the end.

[koba]

So, just out of interest, what does is the price range for the gold gear you do?
I realise there would be alot of variables from bike to bike but for both ends blinged up with mr Ö what would the prices range between? All Mr R. Taylor proper like too.

[Robert Taylor]

So, just out of interest, what does is the price range for the gold gear you do?
I realise there would be alot of variables from bike to bike but for both ends blinged up with mr Ö what would the prices range between? All Mr R. Taylor proper like too.

Its a real shame that a larger number of people think 'to hell with it, it might be unfashionable and not cool to be proper, but I will be so anyway''.
Ohlins list shock specifications specific to each bike, with a few exceptions there is normally one spec. So the price is totally dependent on that and the customer quoting the model and application. Quite proper! If you pm me with the model etc I can quote pricing, it is not a habit to do so on the net due to dutch auction mentality. We make a fair but not by any means exorbitant margin, effectively eroded by a high level of backup service. Refreshingly old fashioned and proper, if you like!

[koba]

Its a real shame that a larger number of people think 'to hell with it, it might be unfashionable and not cool to be proper, but I will be so anyway''.
Ohlins list shock specifications specific to each bike, with a few exceptions there is normally one spec. So the price is totally dependent on that and the customer quoting the model and application. Quite proper! If you pm me with the model etc I can quote pricing, it is not a habit to do so on the net due to dutch auction mentality. We make a fair but not by any means exorbitant margin, effectively eroded by a high level of backup service. Refreshingly old fashioned and proper, if you like!

Good shit and fair enough!

I'm not serious enough about it at this point to waste your time working out prices for things that I proabably wont buy for this bike.
However I will definatley keep the whole thing in mind when I get serious enough to benefit properly from the advandages offered by the quality gear.
Thanks.

[R1madness]

Actually this raises a point generally about importing goods into this in some ways under-regulated country. I know not what the outcome is re this matter but I do wonder aloud about the wisdom of importing goods that have no local backup. By that I am singling out high dollar items that ultimately need service and knowledgable backup to get the best out of them. The most generic rebuild parts in this orphan could well be the same as in other brands of suspension unit, but think of the procurement hassles if they are not? Especially out of Italy where back up is often shall we say ''casual''.
.

Yep true enough Robert but in this case you have missed the point. This shock cost me under $200 brand new. To my door. 5 days delivery.
In my book that makes it a throw away item. Yes it is a lot better than the stock one. As good as an Ohlins? probibly not. But on the road i doubt there will be too much difference.

[Robert Taylor]

Yep true enough Robert but in this case you have missed the point. This shock cost me under $200 brand new. To my door. 5 days delivery.
In my book that makes it a throw away item. Yes it is a lot better than the stock one. As good as an Ohlins? probibly not. But on the road i doubt there will be too much difference.

Thanks for further info. Its certain though that the Ohlins will perform a lot better on the road, its a HUGE misconception that Ohlins are only race shocks. They are primarily developed for road use. At $200 the FG is not going to have the level of precision, sophistication and exhaustive testing to perform in the same league in terms of abrupt bump compliance, dynamic ride height control, mechanical grip, tyre life improvement, servicability and longevity etc. Mathematics.

[JD Racing]

At $200 the FG is not going to have the level of precision, sophistication and exhaustive testing to perform in the same league in terms of abrupt bump compliance, dynamic ride height control, mechanical grip, tyre life improvement, servicability and longevity etc. Mathematics.

I think it's more of a case that at $200 he got a bloody good deal.

http://www.fgspecialparts.it/

I didn't see Gary McCoy suffering from any of the problems you list at Phlilp Island with his FG shock........

[Robert Taylor]

I think it's more of a case that at $200 he got a bloody good deal.

http://www.fgspecialparts.it/

I didn't see Gary McCoy suffering from any of the problems you list at Phlilp Island with his FG shock........

Cheap shot and you know it. Not the $200 budget special was it? And he still burned up his tyres. Same difference between the very average Sachs offerings seen on a lot of production bikes and the unobtanium first class offerings they made for Michael Scumachers Ferrari. You get what you pay for.

Theres also a marked difference between snipers and those that dont hide to shoot.....Even though ( for example ) I have had battles with Shaun on this forum I do respect the fact that he stands up for who he actually is and doesnt hide behind a pseudonym if he is going to say something contestable.

[JD Racing]

Cheap shot and you know it. Not the $200 budget special was it? And he still burned up his tyres. Same difference between the very average Sachs offerings seen on a lot of production bikes and the unobtanium first class offerings they made for Michael Scumachers Ferrari. You get what you pay for.

Theres also a marked difference between snipers and those that dont hide to shoot.....Even though ( for example ) I have had battles with Shaun on this forum I do respect the fact that he stands up for who he actually is and doesnt hide behind a pseudonym if he is going to say something contestable.

No cheap shot, or sniping involved, it's simply that FG do not make a $200 shock for an R1 they retail at around $1300- $1500 depending upon what model it is, the guy got a bargain.

Just because Ohlins and Showa do it it doesn't mean that all manufacturers have one product for the punters and a completely different item full of unobtanium parts for selected racers.
Ben Bostrom used an FG shock when he rode for Caracchi where it could be argued he had better results than when he swapped to ride for the Ducati factory with an Ohlins shock. If I remember correctly I think Pirovano used one for a while as well, they've been around for a while.

[Shaun]

Cheap shot and you know it. Not the $200 budget special was it? And he still burned up his tyres. Same difference between the very average Sachs offerings seen on a lot of production bikes and the unobtanium first class offerings they made for Michael Scumachers Ferrari. You get what you pay for.

Theres also a marked difference between snipers and those that dont hide to shoot.....Even though ( for example ) I have had battles with Shaun on this forum I do respect the fact that he stands up for who he actually is and doesnt hide behind a pseudonym if he is going to say something contestable.

Robert, classic example of what I was talking to you about last week mate.

Ease the brakes on dude, don't snatch at them

[Robert Taylor]

No cheap shot, or sniping involved, it's simply that FG do not make a $200 shock for an R1 they retail at around $1300- $1500 depending upon what model it is, the guy got a bargain.

Just because Ohlins and Showa do it it doesn't mean that all manufacturers have one product for the punters and a completely different item full of unobtanium parts for selected racers.
Ben Bostrom used an FG shock when he rode for Caracchi where it could be argued he had better results than when he swapped to ride for the Ducati factory with an Ohlins shock. If I remember correctly I think Pirovano used one for a while as well, they've been around for a while.

Indeed he got a bargain, hard to see how it was so much so.

Indeed also ( as you mention it ) Ohlins are somewhat better at supplying product somewhat closer to what the racing gods get. And somewhat better at supplying racetrack service in several countries, thats pretty important.

As for Ben Bostrom its arguable that his roller coaster form was more to do with his head and myriad other factors. FG may have been around for a while but they havent set the world on fire, so to speak.

[Robert Taylor]

Robert, classic example of what I was talking to you about last week mate.

Ease the brakes on dude, don't snatch at them

Okay, Ill take lessons from the ''Shaun Harris school of diplomacy'' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again I re-iterate that its rather easy to snipe from a pseudonym. Thats a credibility issue.