tlartist
Tom Laux
The below information relates to ST1300?s only. I did the best I could with getting information on some of the more popular options for replacement ST1300 rear shocks. If any of the information below is incorrect please let me know and I will fix.
All of the shock vendors said they would/did setup the shock/spring combo based on ST1300 specs/weight. All the vendors EXCEPT Hyperpro said they did actual machine and/or user testing of their shocks to arrive at their ST1300 shock setup. Why the Hyperpro tech admitted this I have no idea.
After all of this research it comes down to Penske for me, either the $1,200 8987 or the $875 8983. The only significant difference is the 8987 has separate low/high compression damping adjustments, where the 8983 has one adjuster that controls both low/high settings.
I settled on Penske because:
Below is the info I gathered on these vendors. If anything is incorrect please let me know.
Shock: OEM ST1300
Price: $700
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: 900 pound, not sure if straight rate or progressive
Comments: Common knowledge is the spring is not enough for the bike/rider, especially for heavier folks or two up riders. If nothing else it would be good to replace the spring with Hyperpro, RaceTech or some other spring. I did not really look into this much because the shock on mine needs work/replacing.
Shock: Stock Shock Rebuild from RaceTech
Price: Less than $400
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: Replaced valving with Gold valves, heavier spring and spacer.
Comments: Ddullin had some problems with price being higher than quoted, rebuild shock came with deflated preload adjuster, preload adjuster hose orientation was 180 degrees wrong, shipping was slower than expected. Other than the above, happy with the new setup.
Shock: Penske 8983
Price: $875
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: High and low are adjusted via one knob, so no separate high/low controls, but was told high/low does exist in the shock.
Low Speed Compression Damping: See above
Ride Height Adjustable: Yes, there is a separate ride height adjustment that will change the height about ? inch.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: The main difference between the 8983 and 8987 is the 8987 has both low and high speed compression damping adjusters. Other than that the internals of these two shocks are the same. I was also told by Penske that the shocks, whether you order direct or via a dealer, are all made by Penske. So, find a local/best price, place the order, and Penske will build it. Also, they have in their system the ST1300 spec (22? hose, long top, generally 1300 pound spring). Some previous people helped them work this out.
Contact Info: 610-375-6180
Shock: Penske 8987
Price: $1,200
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Low Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: Yes, there is a separate ride height adjustment that will change the height about ? inch.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: The main difference between the 8983 and 8987 is the 8987 has both low and high speed compression damping adjusters. Other than that the internals of these two shocks are the same. I was also told by Penske that the shocks, whether you order direct or via a dealer, are all made by Penske. So, find a local/best price, place the order, and Penske will build it. Also, they have in their system the ST1300 spec (22? hose, long top, generally 1300 pound spring). Some previous people helped them work this out.
Contact Info: 610-375-6180
Shock: Works Ultrasport
Price: $985
Preload: Remote hydraulic
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: You don?t get compression damping. For almost $1,000 I don?t see the point in getting this shock.
Contact Info: 818-701-1010
Shock: Progressive 465
Price: $500
Preload: Yes, but not via remote adjuster.
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: Progressive, 850/1200
Comments: Have an option for 1? lower shock which might be of interest to some. So, the base shock would be 1? lower. The progressive spring seems to be a weak point here. I confirmed that this spring is the heaviest weight spring they offer. With a top end of 1200 pounds this won?t work for some/many two up riders. If you go this route you might still find the bike is undersprung.
Contact Info: 714-523-8700
Shock: Progressive 465 with HRH (Hydraulic Ride Height adjuster, which is basically a remote preload adjuster)
Price: $745
Preload: Yes, via HRH-remote preload
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type Progressive, 850/1200
Comments: Have an option for 1? lower shock which might be of interest to some. So, the base shock would be 1? lower. The progressive spring seems to be a weak point here. I confirmed that this spring is the heaviest weight spring they offer. With a top end of 1200 pounds this won?t work for some/many two up riders. If you go this route you might still find the bike is undersprung.
Contact Info: 714-523-8700
Shock: Hyperpro 466
Price: $680
Preload: No
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Progressive
Comments: Per the person I called (same tech both times) no testing was done to make sure these shocks work on the ST. They took ST specs and then did valving and other setup based on the specs, not testing.
Contact Info: 877-786-6543
Shock: Hyperpro 461
Price: $900 shock + $270 remote preload adjuster
Preload: Yes, via optional remote preload adjuster
High Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Low Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Progressive
Comments: Per the person I called (same tech both times) no testing was done to make sure these shocks work on the ST. They took ST specs and then did valving and other setup based on the specs, not testing.
Contact Info: 877-786-6543
Shock: RaceTech RSSHO o5IRNN
Price: $750
Preload: No
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments:
Contact Info: 951-279-6655 x301
Shock: RaceTech RSSHO O5IRNR
Price: $1,000
Preload: Remote hydraulic
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: For $1,000 should have compression damping.
Contact Info: 951-279-6655 x301
Shock: Hagon M61085, application type N
Price: $475 + $200 for hydraulic spring adjuster
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: Linked compression and rebound damping? Not sure what that is. Damping adjustment via a bypass control valve via a single adjuster.
Low Speed Compression Damping:
Ride Height Adjustable:
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type:
Comments: Per dduelin, at least two people bought Hagon shocks and had problems. Dduelin had two that failed within 4,000 miles. Honestly, I didn?t spend a lot of time on these. Quite a bit on the internet how these shocks are not real good.
Contact Info:
All of the shock vendors said they would/did setup the shock/spring combo based on ST1300 specs/weight. All the vendors EXCEPT Hyperpro said they did actual machine and/or user testing of their shocks to arrive at their ST1300 shock setup. Why the Hyperpro tech admitted this I have no idea.
After all of this research it comes down to Penske for me, either the $1,200 8987 or the $875 8983. The only significant difference is the 8987 has separate low/high compression damping adjustments, where the 8983 has one adjuster that controls both low/high settings.
I settled on Penske because:
- Reviews by forum members, and the general internet public, are generally positive on Penske shocks. Good reputation.
- It is the only vendor in this list that has separate ride height adjustments. Some claim ride height adjustment, but this is claimed via hydraulic preload adjustment. The ride height change from hydraulic preload adjustment is a byproduct, at least from my perspective, and without a separate adjuster, for me at least, does not count. I put Sonic springs in the front, like many others, and it raised my front height. I like the option at least of raising the rear to be able to play with/compensate for this change.
- Has low/high speed compression damping, not all do.
- Has preload adjustment, not all do.
- Has rebound damping, which all do.
- Has a straight rate spring. Straight rate is more predictable, and easier to know what you are getting when doing suspension tuning, versus progressive. That is the main reason I like straight rate.
- Sounds like they have the setup dialed in now, 22? hose, long shock top, generally 1300 pound spring. Those who came before have already paved the path for how this should be setup on the ST1300.
- At $875 for the Penske 8983 shock/spring versus $700 for the stock ST1300 shock/spring the value is clearly there, at least for me. Update: paid $795 for Penske.
- Some of the other shocks/vendors had issues which are detailed below.
Below is the info I gathered on these vendors. If anything is incorrect please let me know.
Shock: OEM ST1300
Price: $700
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: 900 pound, not sure if straight rate or progressive
Comments: Common knowledge is the spring is not enough for the bike/rider, especially for heavier folks or two up riders. If nothing else it would be good to replace the spring with Hyperpro, RaceTech or some other spring. I did not really look into this much because the shock on mine needs work/replacing.
Shock: Stock Shock Rebuild from RaceTech
Price: Less than $400
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: Replaced valving with Gold valves, heavier spring and spacer.
Comments: Ddullin had some problems with price being higher than quoted, rebuild shock came with deflated preload adjuster, preload adjuster hose orientation was 180 degrees wrong, shipping was slower than expected. Other than the above, happy with the new setup.
Shock: Penske 8983
Price: $875
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: High and low are adjusted via one knob, so no separate high/low controls, but was told high/low does exist in the shock.
Low Speed Compression Damping: See above
Ride Height Adjustable: Yes, there is a separate ride height adjustment that will change the height about ? inch.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: The main difference between the 8983 and 8987 is the 8987 has both low and high speed compression damping adjusters. Other than that the internals of these two shocks are the same. I was also told by Penske that the shocks, whether you order direct or via a dealer, are all made by Penske. So, find a local/best price, place the order, and Penske will build it. Also, they have in their system the ST1300 spec (22? hose, long top, generally 1300 pound spring). Some previous people helped them work this out.
Contact Info: 610-375-6180
Shock: Penske 8987
Price: $1,200
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Low Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: Yes, there is a separate ride height adjustment that will change the height about ? inch.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: The main difference between the 8983 and 8987 is the 8987 has both low and high speed compression damping adjusters. Other than that the internals of these two shocks are the same. I was also told by Penske that the shocks, whether you order direct or via a dealer, are all made by Penske. So, find a local/best price, place the order, and Penske will build it. Also, they have in their system the ST1300 spec (22? hose, long top, generally 1300 pound spring). Some previous people helped them work this out.
Contact Info: 610-375-6180
Shock: Works Ultrasport
Price: $985
Preload: Remote hydraulic
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: You don?t get compression damping. For almost $1,000 I don?t see the point in getting this shock.
Contact Info: 818-701-1010
Shock: Progressive 465
Price: $500
Preload: Yes, but not via remote adjuster.
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Spring Type: Progressive, 850/1200
Comments: Have an option for 1? lower shock which might be of interest to some. So, the base shock would be 1? lower. The progressive spring seems to be a weak point here. I confirmed that this spring is the heaviest weight spring they offer. With a top end of 1200 pounds this won?t work for some/many two up riders. If you go this route you might still find the bike is undersprung.
Contact Info: 714-523-8700
Shock: Progressive 465 with HRH (Hydraulic Ride Height adjuster, which is basically a remote preload adjuster)
Price: $745
Preload: Yes, via HRH-remote preload
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type Progressive, 850/1200
Comments: Have an option for 1? lower shock which might be of interest to some. So, the base shock would be 1? lower. The progressive spring seems to be a weak point here. I confirmed that this spring is the heaviest weight spring they offer. With a top end of 1200 pounds this won?t work for some/many two up riders. If you go this route you might still find the bike is undersprung.
Contact Info: 714-523-8700
Shock: Hyperpro 466
Price: $680
Preload: No
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Progressive
Comments: Per the person I called (same tech both times) no testing was done to make sure these shocks work on the ST. They took ST specs and then did valving and other setup based on the specs, not testing.
Contact Info: 877-786-6543
Shock: Hyperpro 461
Price: $900 shock + $270 remote preload adjuster
Preload: Yes, via optional remote preload adjuster
High Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Low Speed Compression Damping: Yes
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Progressive
Comments: Per the person I called (same tech both times) no testing was done to make sure these shocks work on the ST. They took ST specs and then did valving and other setup based on the specs, not testing.
Contact Info: 877-786-6543
Shock: RaceTech RSSHO o5IRNN
Price: $750
Preload: No
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments:
Contact Info: 951-279-6655 x301
Shock: RaceTech RSSHO O5IRNR
Price: $1,000
Preload: Remote hydraulic
High Speed Compression Damping: No
Low Speed Compression Damping: No
Ride Height Adjustable: No. Other than preload changes, no separate ride height adjustment.
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type: Straight Rate
Comments: For $1,000 should have compression damping.
Contact Info: 951-279-6655 x301
Shock: Hagon M61085, application type N
Price: $475 + $200 for hydraulic spring adjuster
Preload: Yes
High Speed Compression Damping: Linked compression and rebound damping? Not sure what that is. Damping adjustment via a bypass control valve via a single adjuster.
Low Speed Compression Damping:
Ride Height Adjustable:
Rebound Damping: Yes
Spring Type:
Comments: Per dduelin, at least two people bought Hagon shocks and had problems. Dduelin had two that failed within 4,000 miles. Honestly, I didn?t spend a lot of time on these. Quite a bit on the internet how these shocks are not real good.
Contact Info: