New shocks for the Roadster

[warp9.9]

I have the Hagon Nitros's and have not had a problem with them at all. AAs long as I have been amember of these Rocket sites I have only heard of people having problem with the progressives as IDK has stated. All which were taken care of by progreesive whether it was chrome plating, seals orspring issues. I do not ever remmeber hearing any issues with the Hagons. So al being the same I believe I would ride with the Hagons since you can get a better price on them and don't have to send them back to be repaired. Just my 2.5 cents worth.

 

[Blastedbones]

Nitro's!!! They have a big advantage over Progs ( which are still a good shock tho) in that Nitros have good rebound damping adjustment, so you can play around with the settings & significantly tune the shock for your needs.Also nitro's can be build to any length you like ( in 10mm steps) so on the R3 you can go for as big as 340-350mm( 14") & boost your ground clearance a lot.

 

[zimtuff]

My Roadster has 3000km on it now and I can honestly say the rear shocks are crap and they get worse the more miles I put on them. They wallow in corners, hard to maintain a line in the corners and kick my arse out of the seat every large bump I hit.

I have narrowed my choice down to the Hagon Nitro and the Progressive 440 HD both in standard length. Just not sure which to get.
I am looking for the best quality shock and performance. Anybody had any issues with either shock that may help me make up my mind.
I can get the Hagons slightly cheaper than the progressives.

Cheers

My OEM shocks and springs went the same way. I got the Progressive 440s and couldnt be happier after 2000klms.
Not sure where you are pricing them ,but with the strong aussie dollar they should be around $700 for a kit if you buy direct from the US.
JCS(main triumph dealer) in Perth has some near new Hagons for sale for about $400

 

[Blastedbones]

Outside of ground clearance, is there any real advantage in going with a longer shock, say 10mm longer?

The clearance gives you faster cornering potential ( can lean the bike over further) that's the advantage.

 

[warp9.9]

If you have any exhaust that goes under the swing arm as in triple or Jardines be carful with going over 340mm as it might rub the swing arm. With the 3-1 pipe 350mm is great for diving into the corners but if you 5"10" like me or shorter you will no longer sitting flatfooted on the ground when stopped.

 

[bigdoug]

I got Hagons (standard length) made up for two up with luggage (a tad on the heavy side) and they have transformed the handling of the bike. I also had Hagons on my speedmaster and they were great too. I swapped them when I traded it in for the rocket and now I'm hoping they will fit on the Honda VT1100 I just bought today.

 

[Al Carter]

I've used them all over the years, 13" Progressive 440s with std and HD springs, 13" Hagon Nitros, Std oroginal shocks and the Roadster ones, I sold my 05 Rocket and got a Roadster this year and still wasn't 100% happy with the Hagons.

I just did 2000 miles around Europe with 12 1/2" Fournales fitted and no way will I be fitting any other shock. They are by far the best option I have ever used. Even under-inflated they behaved perfectly, I got them working at the correct sag for all the luggage and passenger, we could not believe the transformation. Not one second of back pain, no harsh bumps, never one slight indication of any wallowing at all and that was around some fierce bends in Spain and France and some really crap roads.

Expensive but after years of looking for a good setup I am thoroughly delighted with them.

The ones I fitted are the black alloy HD ones, not the chrome magnums, the factory said they could make a set of HD alloys for the Rocket and they did, they look good in black with alloy stripes. The 6 alloy lines give a good idea of how much the shock has compressed with load and a guide to correct adjustment.

Fair enough, I did dump the Roadster in a ditch on the first day and broke my leg but the suspension was superb for the rest of the holiday. lol. Yes. I DID keep riding.

 

[barbagris]

I just did 2000 miles around Europe with 12 1/2" Fournales fitted and no way will I be fitting any other shock. They are by far the best option I have ever used. Even under-inflated they behaved perfectly, I got them working at the correct sag for all the luggage and passenger, we could not believe the transformation. Not one second of back pain, no harsh bumps, never one slight indication of any wallowing at all and that was around some fierce bends in Spain and France and some really crap roads.

Expensive but after years of looking for a good setup I am thoroughly delighted with them.

This is really standard feedback from anybody who's tried Fournales on just about anything. I'm saving for my set - interesting to know they did you a set in Alloy. I'm a fan of air anyway.

 

[Buckster]

Fair enough, I did dump the Roadster in a ditch on the first day and broke my leg but the suspension was superb for the rest of the holiday. lol. Yes. I DID keep riding.

Crazy man but well done.