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Registered
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 105
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Rear Shock Protection Solution
I stumbled upon a solution to fully protecting the rear shock from road debris without having to purchase an expense rear hugger fender. I was at a motorcycle shop that sells ATVs and dirtbikes, and I found a product designed to fit as a cover over shocks for those machines. It is black nylon material, which wraps around the shock and is velcroed together. I paid $19 USD for it, it fits the 1100S shock perfectly, is easily removed and washable, and is totally unobtrusive. Besides being an inexpensive fix, I like that it helps maintain the open look of the rear of the bike. The product is called Shockwear, and it was sold under the Polaris brand name. Frank
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05-29-2002, 05:51 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 415
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Here's another one:
Cut a section out of a clear plastic 2 liter soda bottle (include a portion of the curved, rounded top part near the mouth). Jam the curved, rounded part down between the useless small black protector and the bottom of the spring. Use a rubber band around the new shield and top of the black protector to hold it all in place. Leave an inch or so of space at the top for shock compression.
When you're done, the plastic should wrap around the whole back half of the shock and is nearly invisible (until it gets sand blasted by road crap). Temporary solution for me, still looking for the right hugger. |
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05-29-2002, 06:36 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posts: 391
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This may appear to be a dumb question, but does the road grime & crap that gets on to the rear shock cause damage to it ?
On my bike I've only got the little black stock plastic plate. I have however installed an expensive Bitubo shock & would be really crapped off if it got damaged due to road grime. If the answer to the above question is basically yes, then is a rear hugger the way to go ? 
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05-29-2002, 04:02 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Bairnsdale Victoria Australia
Posts: 914
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Any road dirt, grime, bugs and general crap on your shockers will have a detimental effect on your shockers or forks.
On my previous BMW's - R100S, R100RS & K100RS I fitted front fork gaiters to protect the forks and seals. I did this on my first R100S because I got a nice stone chip on the front fork leg from a passing truck and damaged the seals. I had to Araldite the fork leg to smooth the surface. I found that since the forks were protected from dirt,bugs (a big destroyer of seals) and rain I never ever again had a blown seal and when I did my regular fork servicing the oil was a lot cleaner than ever before. Virtually all the wear and tear on shock seals and shafts can be put down to accumulated crap. This is why a lot of people are pissed off with BMW for not protecting the rear shock better. When I had to put on new shocks on my van I also put on rubber boots that covered the whole unit, this will ensure I get a much longer service life from them. I picked these up from my local autospares shop and from memory I was able to purchase these singly and should come in a size to suit the rear shock of the S. The ones on the van are a nice blue colour and could suit some people. Cheers TREVOR  ps - if you are fitting quality shocks it would be a very good idea to fit a hugger first or at least some form of good protection. |
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05-29-2002, 06:15 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 928
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I found a pair of neoprene elbow braces at Wallgreens for $6 each, they have been quite affective in keeping the crud out for the last 2 years.
Eron |
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05-30-2002, 06:23 AM
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