When to re-build rear shocks

[idb]

Someone told me when I got the 888 that I should take the shock off & get it serviced as a matter of course. The bike's done about 34,000ks.
I don't want to do that unless I have to so how would I know if it needs serviced?
I was thinking that if I screwed the compression right up and the back end felt like a rock then it must be OK.
Can anyone offer any advice?
Ta

[ManDownUnder]

I took the RF in to get it serviced and the guys at Colemans listened to it when pumping the back of the bike up and down... it gave a slight hissing/squelchy noise indicating it were rebuild time.

That's it - that's all I know!

MDU

[DEATH_INC.]

It depends on the size of your wallet....
Ideal would be every 20k or so,but most don't do it 'till it stops working properly.
The squishy noise is usually a sign that all the nitrogen has either leaked out,or into the oil...

[DarkNinja]

I knew i needed to rebuild it when only my weight was keeping the rear wheel on the ground.
If you put the bike on the sidestand stand it up by using the pillion grab handles and shake it up and down it should correct itself quickly and it should be smooth and crisp feeling.
Mine was a real shocker and cost me 300 odd $ to rebuild it buts thats a pretty sweet deal compared to brand new
Good luck with it
DN

[scroter]

is it a quality item to start with. most standard rear shocks are past there best before they even get sold. robert taylor at hawera motorcycles is the guy to talk to. his email should be in any of the kiwi rider mags.

[Jackrat]

Just winding up the springs only incresses the spring rate/tension.
It's the dampning that needs attention,springs seldom need much.
I asked a shop about this, an they told me most average Jap shock dampning is stuffed by about 10,000kms,which makes mine history about 50.000kms ago.It would be nice to have shocks that actualy can be rebuilt.
Pity Yamaha didn't buy Ohlins twenty years ago.

[idb]

Cheers Guys
It's a Showa shockie which isn't as good as the Ohlins (I understand) but I think is still pretty good.
Thanks for your input.

[idb]

Just winding up the springs only incresses the spring rate/tension.
It's the dampning that needs attention,springs seldom need much.

Yeah that's right but I wasn't suggesting winding up the spring, I was talking about the compression.
It seems logical to me that if you could wind it up so that it was still hard then the shock should still be OK.

[F5 Dave]

It is always a good idea to change the fork & shock oil semi regularly as they will be pumping debris from the friction surfaces through the shims & potentially damaging the friction surfaces as well. In addition to the oil going off/nitrogen leaking out over time.

[vifferman]

I think you're probably right thinking that as long as the adjustments still bring about a noticeable improvement in ride quality, the shock's probably still OK. However, I've read lots of reports of guys replacing their shocks or having them rebuilt and being absolutely blown away by the improvement and feel it made.

Apart from Hawera M/C, there's a guy here in D'Auckland (Gebbe Bruin?) who rebuilds shocks, including the (supposedly unrebuildable) Showas. It'd be cheaper than buying an aftermarket one, but in the long run another brand might be the way to go.

[F5 Dave]

Mark Patterson at Patterson O’Conor in Rot is good too. Whatever, just make the packaging courier proof.

[idb]

Thanks for your feedback.
I'm new to sports bikes and one of the most noticeable things to me (apart from the pain) is the need to get the set-up right; tyre pressures, compression settings...
When I first got it it took about two days into a South Island tour before I got it handling anywhere near right. Of course as soon as I took off the luggage when I got home I had to start all over again.
Cheers

[Eddieb]

Make sure your front tyre pressure is always at the right pressure as well. I've found they are really susceptable to even a minor loss of pressure.

I'd be surprised if they ever ran out of damping, the things are so damn over done to start with.