Hey everyone,

So I've read countless times that the 94F2 and the F3's all shared the same upgraded rear shock. From what I've read it's a better shock overall, and has far more adjustability. I wouldn't know how to use most of that adjustability, but a better rear shock would be nice!

Anyways, is it just a plug and play component mostly? What's it take to install? Is the shock that much better, or would re-springing my current rear shock for my weight treat me right (me being 200lbs or so).

Thanks for informing the uninformed

 

I put one in from an F3, didn't notice a difference as I never set it up correctly... It's not "far more adjustable", I believe it just has one additional adjustment.

All it takes to install is removing the old shock and bolting in the new one, then you just strap the reservoir bottle to the subframe or get F3 rearsets with the reservoir bracket.

 

Doesn't it have rebound, dampening, and preload, while the stock only has preload?

Anyways, good information. Another question for you guys as well:

In 94 the bikes also switch over to cartridge style forks from dampening rods I beleive. When upgrading my front forks, what would treat me better: cartridge emulators, or just going with the 1994 forks?

 

I would get emulators and re-spring it for your weight.

94 forks are hard to find, and the internals in a 94 fork are 16 years old... You get newer technology and brand new pieces from RaceTech

 

I just did this upgrade over the weekend. I got a used unit of ebay, then took it to a local suspension builder and had them change out the oil, seal, and recharge the nitrogen, and also put in my Racetech spring for my weight. Night and day difference, but then again I'm comparing this to a tired old unit that had 42k on it. I figured if I was going to get my shock rebuilt, I might as well start off with the 94 unit.

Costs for the project:

$200 for the shop to rebuild/service the shock
$50 or whatever for an old tired unit from ebay
$100 for a race tech spring

A bit more than I wanted to spend, but I didn't really see a cheaper alternative to restoring the suspension on my ride.

 

Yowza. Seems like a stiff price!

I'll probably be replacing the springs and oil in my front forks, and see what kind of difference I get. A good friend once told me that if you try and do to much at once, you won't know what caused the improvement, or possibly what made things worse!

Eventually I'll replace the rear shock with the F3 one.

 

Yeah I like to do one change at a time as well, then you can really notice the differences. It also helps spread the costs out. I did the front suspension first- Racetech springs and new oil. After that I really started to feel of worn out my rear shock was.

 

i put a 98 f3 shock on my 93. It has compression and rebound adj. Works better than the modified f2 shock I had.

 

Oh, I got the shock off of ebay. $50.

 

I upgraded my suspension, only slightly differently:

94 F2 front forks - $140 Shipped
Race tech springs - $100 shipped
Fork rebuild kit + oil - $60
Fox racing Rear Shock - $120 (rare/hard to find)
Rear shock spring - $100

So yeah, a bit pricey, but man oh man does suspension help!


If I were you, I'd get the cartridge style front forks resprung for your weight. The biggest difference is in them! As for the rear shock, it has pre-load and dampening. With a proper springand some adjusting it should treat you okay.


if you are feeling like conquering the planet on a budget, I've got an F4 rear shock that was rebuilt and revalved for a 185-210lb rider, and it fits our bikes. it does raise the rear of the bike 2 inches,a nd makes the bike VERY aggressive, espescially in posture. It rides like a champ though, and I loved the setup, the ergos were just too aggressive for my less than ideal back.