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R1 Shock Transplant..

25K views 43 replies 16 participants last post by  oliverider 
#1 ·
Yeah this has to be the best bang for your buck mod...for our harsh stock shock ..

I went to E Bay and bought a Yamaha 2008 R1 rear shock for $ 50 bucks..

Took it down to the local machinist to drill out the eyelets to 12 mm...$ 40 bucks..

Bingo..set the preload to max and if your like me ...solo rider and 160 lbs. the R1 spring will be a little soft..

However , I get a 50 mm rider sag and the compression and rebound is fun to play with...

This is my second R1 shock transplant and the results are brilliant..

Plush , compliant , and you can source a better spring cheap too..

Thanks to this wonderful forum and the great sharing of info..you guys rock !:wink2:

 
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#2 · (Edited)
Is the length the same as the stock shock? Is that all you need to do is drill out the eyelets to 12mm both ends?

I've gotten a big improvement in my bike by backing off preload on the front shock slightly and the preload in the rear slightly. I'm probably close to 190lb all geared up. I ride on a lot of bumpy, frost heaved pavement and it just seems to make the bike feel more planted on this kind of road.
 
#12 ·
Yeah the stock Versys shock has some valving issues ..poor compression and rebound specs for some reason...not too bad, however the R1 shock is a cheap , fun project to try out..

You at 190 lbs will need to swap the spring off the R1 shock...it's really soft..

Give it a shot and you will feel a more compliant ride...and it's fun to play with the adjustments...

My 60 year old spine says two thumbs up on the magic carpet ride ..:wink2:
 
#3 ·
Took it down to the local machinist to drill out the eyelets to 12 mm...
the hardened stainless bushing can't be drilled, so your machinist bored it to 12mm. the fixed conventional bushing can be drilled since it's just mild steel, A36 or equivalent, but must be done very carefully or the bushing sleeve will not be concentric at 12mm. i have drilled this bushing early on when using the R1, but since you're left with a very thing sidewall, more recently i've been replacing the conventional bushing on the R1 with the needle bearing assembly from the Versys/ER6 shock. this needle bearing needs to be fitted on the R1, but the stainless bushing is set to go at 12mm. once fitted, the OEM grease seals are used.

i've run the R1 shock both ways, but i think swapping in the new bearing assembly is the better solution.
 
#5 ·
more recently i've been replacing the conventional bushing on the R1 with the needle bearing assembly from the Versys/ER6 shock. this needle bearing needs to be fitted on the R1, but the stainless bushing is set to go at 12mm. once fitted, the OEM grease seals are used.
I was thinking of doing that for mine but was wondering what to do about the width (thickness of the shock eyelet). The Versys shock end is wider (thicker) than the one on the R1 shock. Would the Versys needle bearing inside sleeve be wider than the R1 shock end?

Thank you
 
#6 · (Edited)
no, the needle bearing, 12mm ID sleeve, and grease seals swap right over to the R1 after the R1 shock end is bored to exactly match the the ID of the Versys/ER6 shock end. the needle bearing can be purchased new from any parts house if you don't want to use the bearing from your Versys shock. even the OEM Versys 16kg spring will swap to the R1, and that's the spring i run for the way i use the bike..
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
no, the needle bearing, 12mm ID sleeve, and grease seals swap right over to the R1 after the R1 shock end is bored to exactly match the the ID of the Versys/ER6 shock end.
I asked the machinist to bore the R1 shock end. However he did not feel at ease with this. He told me that the shock did not have enough meat to clamp it down, etc. I then asked if he could make me a bronze bushing that would fit the R1 shock end and also have an ID of 12 mm. He replied that this would be easy to do.

Voilà:





Thanks for your tips, suggestions, etc. It was much appreciated! :)
 
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#11 ·
the photos i posted are an option for dealing with the conventional bushing end on the R1. i've always bored the OEM R1 sleeve to 12mm on the opposite end.

typical cost $20
I know about the sleeve needing to be 12mm. However I thought that you were talking about boring the R1 shock end to accept the new needle bearing. I'll know when I get my other needle bearing.
Thanks
 
#17 ·
Just food for thought guys, these 40-50 dollar shocks are 8-9 years old and the ones I have seen on e-bay that have not been cleaned up show signs of oil seepage around the seal head, the highest wear item in a shock.
Seal heads are available for around 40-50 dollars. I always use race tech parts for my fork/shock rebuilds.
All of these shocks are going to need this, but this is where the problem starts. Most but not all of the time the shock leaking fluid begins the galling of the shock body by the piston internally. No way of telling with out disassembly.

If the body is galled you are done.
Not to mention the safety hazards of riding a bike with a leaking-claped out shock that is "spring only action"
I have overhauled and modified hundreds of shocks and forks both road race guys and motocrossers.
No look more disappointing than when i have to tell someone that the shock-fork has been abused beyond repair.

I don't claim to be a expert.

Not trying to step on toes or make waves, just trying to point something out that can be a serious safety issue.
Be safe watch out for cagers and have fun with whatever you ride, I am
Markie
 
#20 ·
That's good!
In your case, you had a shock with 12 mm holes which are bigger than your frame bolts (10 mm). In this case, it's the opposite way around. The R1 shock mount holes (10 mm) need to be modified (enlarged) to accept the larger Versys frame bolts (12 mm).
 
#28 · (Edited by Moderator)
Yes. Both of mine 'wear' a 13.8kg/mm spring from Racetech. (I'm 180# 'soaking-wet' - PLUS ATGATT.) Some are now using the OEM Versys springs, or those from another Kawi cruiser....
Yamaha Roadstar or Roadstar Warrior
 
#30 ·
the spring is just a 2.25X7, readily available in whatever rate you want to use. again, for reference, the OEM Versys spring is 900#/in or 16kg/mm, same thing. yes, the OEM Versys spring will fit the R1, although it may need to be clearanced slightly on one end to fit the R1 collar.

if using a spring from another bike, you need to research the spring rate to know what you're buying, it may not be suitable for your weight or intended use.

there's more than one way to handle the simple modifications to both ends of the R1 shock, a little reading will determine which is best for you.
 
#36 ·
Data point: I have Speedy's lowering kit and run the R1 on my '08... I have bottomed it a time or two and rubbed the shock reservoir on the frame just a little. I'm 235ish without gear and run the yamaha 13.8 spring... I believe it is on the 7th preload step (of 9?).... so I'd say I'm a bit undersprung.

To run the lowering kit, you'll need to trim the plastic and also need to grind the bottom of the metal tab where the plastic mounts on the frame for a little more clearance.

I plan on switching to the stock Versys spring sometime in the near future... I'd like to try a 15Kg spring, but the stock 16Kg+ spring is the right price.

Still one of the best mods to date... and a few weeks ago I swapped some shims around in the forks and am very happy with the suspension overall.
 
#39 ·
I wanted the pic in post 17. Onewizard moved it and other photos to post 17.

Post 9 also needed a pic but I forgot to ask. Your move is therefore also appreciated.

Thanks a lot to both of you! :)
 
#40 ·
Yeah this has to be the best bang for your buck mod...for our harsh stock shock ..

I went to E Bay and bought a Yamaha 2008 R1 rear shock for bucks..

Took it down to the local machinist to drill out the eyelets to 12 mm... bucks..

Bingo..set the preload to max and if your like me ...solo rider and 160 lbs. the R1 spring will be a little soft..

However , I get a 50 mm rider sag and the compression and rebound is fun to play with...

This is my second R1 shock transplant and the results are brilliant..

Plush , compliant , and you can source a better spring cheap too..

Thanks to this wonderful forum and the great sharing of info..you guys rock !:wink2:

$50?

I am looking for this part and it varies from $575 to $600. Somehow, these low prices are not showing on ebay at all.

https://www.yamahasportsplaza.com/oemparts/a/yam/500469a2f8700209bc796620/rear-suspension
 
#44 ·
A request for help from all R1 shock modders

Is it possible for anyone here to sit on a BMW 310 GS with its shock adjusted to a +2 preload level and compare it to the R1 shock in terms of both preload and damping? I have this bike currently and the preload and damping is almost perfect for my all up weight of 210 lbs. I want to be as sure as possible that the $600 plus will be a good investment. As I discussed with fasteddiecopemen, I don't want to buy a used shock and then refurbish it in India as the industry for handling parts of such high-end bikes is virtually non-existent here.

Thank you in advance. I'll be most grateful if you could send me a personal message so as to not clutter up the section.
 
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