Newer rear shock with stiffer spring on the cheap
 

I have already installed the shock from an F4 (remote reservoir style, May have been F3). The issue I have is I am a big boy, real big. 6'1" 300+lbs big. I love the control the new rear shock gave, but the spring is not up to the task. I thought I had seen somewhere that a 954 rear shock would bolt right up with a substantial increase in spring rate. I am NOT looking at a Fox or Penske, I already have a newer VFR and a new CBR1000rr is in the works. I just want to spring the rear like the front, already has 94 forks with gold valves and stiffest springs RT makes for them.

If your advise is Fox or Penske, go post somewhere else. I am looking for a cheap upgrade for a cheap bike. This is no longer my primary summer transport as it once was, but I enjoy it too much to simply give up and move on.

Thanks to those who share what they know will work.

1. You did mention you had Race Tech Springs with gold valve front forks. But have you called them for a beefier rear spring for your needs???
2. I have a CL450 Street-Tracker and a mono-shock DT250 that Race Tech made beefier custom springs for me. Not because I am heavy, just didn't want the tire to touch the fender when I hit the bumps thrashing off road. They can do it if you explain what you want and why.
3. Please I ask you not to come to this public forum with an attitude that you don't want people commenting on a thread that may help you out at a supposed cheap reply how to fix something that you are looking for help at no cost to you.
4. Yes, Fox are expensive and not at all cheap to come by. But most of us here will say it will fix your problem. But you don't want to hear that now do you?!

Car spring. Figure out what spring rate you need with a calculator on one of those suspension sites, then buy that spring rate with a spring in your spring's dimensions (thats on the bike now). You can find them used on eBay and really get it done on the cheap. If the actual coil is too thick, you may need to get a thicker base plate, but thats very cheap in and of itself as well.

1) I have looked, price prohibitive. The current setup was done when this was my one and only, no longer the case.
2)see #1
3)I come only with the attitude of a full grown man who has an Aircraft Maintenance degree, and a 1,000hp Supra that is home built and home tuned. I am not your average 16 year old idiot needing to be told what to do. I have a simple question knowing full well the race tech is better, but I will not spend that kind of $$$ on this bike. So I asked that if that is the advise you give, to kindly keep it to yourself.
4) This bike will never see a track day. It will never have a set of slicks shod upon its glorious white wheels. It will never have a set of racing rearsets installed to increase lean angle. What I would like is a fun cruiser to blast away some back roads. This does not call for race tech. Even if i did get a race shock, it would be sprung for one Marc Marquez, not my three. So then we would be right back in this same boat of needing a new spring. Once it was re-sprung, it would need to be re-valved to accommodate for the increased spring rate and now we have gone over my budget tenfold.

Race Tech actually has the stock shock spring rates. So, if you wanted to try a different stock shock you could find the spring rate on the Race Tech site.

No matter what the positive help we try to give, it will be thrown back in our face.

Admins, please lock this thread.

You don't "need" re-valving. What you need is the mechanical side of the suspension (the spring) set up ideally for your weight. So a spring swap would accomplish all of that. Track guys do this when they're on the cheap. Its not bling, but it gets the job done. And I wouldn't think twice about doing it since you're only going to be blasting around on the back roads.

You could also look for a shock from a bike thats 150lbs heavier than yours as well, swap to the shock from that bike and be done. You just need to look for the leng,ths and mounts to make sure it'll work. Forewarning, your options will be limited as far as getting a shock that has anything other than adjustable preload, as you'll be looking at a lot of sport-tourers. You have the viffer in your garage, take some measurements of that. I'm not sure what the weight comparison is, but it might be close.

Fighter sites have lists that compile a lot of this information, google is your friend. There really isn't any other way to accomplish what you want in your budget other than those 2 options.

Thank you for the info on not needing revalved due to change in spring rates for proper function. With my Megan Racing coil overs we originally ordered the race dampers with street spring rates, then we found that was no good. We then called Megan Racing and they had us send in the dampers to be revalved due to the increase in spring rates with race springs (currently running 1,000lb/in fronts). They implied that any change in spring rate other than what can be accomplished with preload justified a re-valve so the dampers are properly tuned to spring rate.

And as far as a different oem shock assembly, I thought I heard the 954 shock specifically was a direct swap part. I have been to the racetech site to check on spring rates, and the 954 stock would still be undersprung; however it would be more than 50% the difference from current to correct. That seems like a good cheap fix. Problem is, I can't remember if it was a 954 or a 929 or even a 1000rr shock I was reading about and was hoping someone here could tell me it they are the same free length / compressed length, or any other interference issues. Or point me to a premade list of shock dimentions so I could check one to the other.

Underground-mpyre: people like you with your one sided attitude and negative postings are the reason I stopped using this forum over a year ago, and are the reason for my asking that nobody suggest Fox or Penske on MY thread.

You come to a public forum asking for help with the automatic attitude rather than being gracious. I provided it with the few others and you threw our helpful suggestions back at us. If you want to play, you gotta pay for the right parts. There are no cheap safe answers that may or not kill you when it comes to motorcycles. BUT you have all the answers, and the only one asking the question. So we tried to help. I do have a serious answer to help you with your "rear shock" problem, but it would hurt your fragile feelings to tell you the truth.