[Taurus]

I suspect they offer the Fox shock less because they know it is needed but more because they know people who buy this kind of bike are suckers for aftermarket bolt on bits.

Look at all the tat you can buy that is totally non-functional but people buy it to make their bike their own.

 

[BurgerBobber]

Haha , they aren't great amongst the crowd but wouldnt let that be a game changer. Mine seem actually a little softer adter 10k. I'm 220 but a smaller rider it would definitely be stiff, never bottomed them out so a heavier guy might appreciate them more. But a new set down the road is popular, I'd rather spend it with a seat from Alex Leather Craft. They have size charts, for different rumps , PAD THICKNESS OPTIONS, huge selection , even color, threading, and leather can be customized. Cosmetically and technically I'd throw my cash at that first.

 

[atomsplitter]

Haha , they aren't great amongst the crowd but wouldnt let that be a game changer. Mine seem actually a little softer adter 10k. I'm 220 but a smaller rider it would definitely be stiff, never bottomed them out so a heavier guy might appreciate them more. But a new set down the road is popular, I'd rather spend it with a seat from Alex Leather Craft. They have size charts, for different rumps , PAD THICKNESS OPTIONS, huge selection , even color, threading, and leather can be customized. Cosmetically and technically I'd throw my cash at that first.

If you never bottomed out and want to know what it feels like, have your wife sit in your lap while taking the Bobber for a spin over some square edges or pot holes (If your wife isn't game put a couple 45 pound barbell weights in a back pack and wear that while going over some knarlies). I can practically guarantee you'll find the complete travel limt of your shock and spine.

 

[BurgerBobber]

🤣 on your lap , haha, I might be able to manage a couple 2X45 dumbell curls on cruise.

Look ma no hands.
🍔

 

[zippoParis]

@Bobber-Bomb and @zippoParis
But the Speedmaster and Bobber are the same price, at least at my dealer, and the Speedmaster has the adjustable shock that is actually cheaper than the Bobber shock.

Based on the 2020 models

Speedmaster Rear Suspension Unit (Current price) $ 469.23, Part Number: T2054347

Rear Suspension Unit. 2020 Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster | HERMYS TRIUMPH eSTORE, Port Clinton PA

2020 Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster Rear Suspension Unit

www.triumphestore.com

Bobber Rear Suspension Unit (Current price) $ 517.55, Part Number: T2056899

Rear Suspension Unit. 2020 Triumph Bonneville Bobber | HERMYS TRIUMPH eSTORE, Port Clinton PA

2020 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Rear Suspension Unit

www.triumphestore.com

View attachment 55915

When I was hunting down my Bobber; the Speedmaster was around $1,5 to $2k higher - may have been due to the lack of stock... but they always had a last one somewhere at the back of the warehouse.

In my years (production line car manufacturing, linesman for state energy, elec. CAD officer) it has always been about money.

 

[Halo_2]

Everything comes down to money now that bean counters are involved.

 

[Traveller]

When I was hunting down my Bobber; the Speedmaster was around $1,5 to $2k higher - may have been due to the lack of stock... but they always had a last one somewhere at the back of the warehouse.

In my years (production line car manufacturing, linesman for state energy, elec. CAD officer) it has always been about money.

That's odd, at my 2 local dealers the bikes have always been the same price.

 

[Duggieboy]

Bloody ****, I don't know if we are speaking of the same rear shock on the Bobber. My 2018 stock shock bottoms out all the time and i feel sometimes like it is going to throw me from the bike! It is not a matter of comfort at all. It is a matter of safety. I'm 5'10", 185 lbs, Scary ride!!! I'd like to know the definitive shock swap. please advise.
Cheer

 

[Traveller]

Bloody ****, I don't know if we are speaking of the same rear shock on the Bobber. My 2018 stock shock bottoms out all the time and i feel sometimes like it is going to throw me from the bike! It is not a matter of comfort at all. It is a matter of safety. I'm 5'10", 185 lbs, Scary ride!!! I'd like to know the definitive shock swap. please advise.
Cheer

There are plenty of options, just search the site there are various threads about different aftermarket shocks. You can also mount the speedmaster shock, it is a direct fit and adjustable.
Speedmaster Rear Suspension Unit (Current price) $ 469.23, Part Number: T2054347

 

[Aitch]

My conversion isnt great, but I think £300 would buy enough pints and fish and chips to get your ass heavy enough for the stock shock to work properly! Just offering an alternative...

Being a 6 foot 13 stone MOFO it's gonna take more'n 300 quids worth of fish, chip and beer... especially with beer at over a fiver a pint in my local...

 

[Mysftail]

I was riding yesterday moving to access the onramp for a freeway here in SC' I didn't see the hole until it was too late! The front has a stock setup, the rear has an Ohlins shock.
It hit so hard it felt like a fist had gone up through my body! I woke up with God-awful pain and red splotches in my eyes! Only one woman asked if I was ok, as I could barely walk. My phone and anything else in my vest pockets flew out and were demolished by traffic behind me! Now I have to call all my doctors as I don't have my appts anymore. But I will say the bike stood up better than I did!

 

[Taurus]

Bloody ****, I don't know if we are speaking of the same rear shock on the Bobber. My 2018 stock shock bottoms out all the time and i feel sometimes like it is going to throw me from the bike! It is not a matter of comfort at all. It is a matter of safety. I'm 5'10", 185 lbs, Scary ride!!! I'd like to know the definitive shock swap. please advise.
Cheer

I guess your roads are even worse than ours then. I'm the same height and weight. My riding buddies complain they can't keep up with me so I'm not taking it gently. I've bottomed out a couple of times on really bad road surfaces but otherwise it's fine. Unless you've got a dud shock?

 

[atomsplitter]

Bloody ****, I don't know if we are speaking of the same rear shock on the Bobber. My 2018 stock shock bottoms out all the time and i feel sometimes like it is going to throw me from the bike! It is not a matter of comfort at all. It is a matter of safety. I'm 5'10", 185 lbs, Scary ride!!! I'd like to know the definitive shock swap. please advise.
Cheer

Your best options are probably Wilbers, Ohlins, and K-Tech. They should ask about your weight when riding preorder to provide correct spring rate. After installation, ride it awhile (few hundred miles) to make sure it goes full travel, then adjust static sag and you should be good to go. You might also look into getting some progressive fork springs to smooth out the front end.

 

[Mike]

I personally don't think that the brand name is as important as the features of your replacement shock, and whether or not it's properly set up for you and your needs. Preload adjustment and easily accessible compression/rebound dampening are the two "must haves". (I can't speak for progressive rate springs on the rear, but I am very happy with the results I've had at the front so this might also be something to consider.) Any features beyond this might be useful, but given the limited travel of the suspension and the limited lean/sportiness of the bike it's probably not worth the extra cost except for a very limited percentage of riders.

Preload has one purpose only. It is to correct the loaded compression (rider sitting on bike) of the suspension. This puts the suspension at the best possible starting point, which allows the suspension to react properly to bumps AND depressions. This is the biggest problem with the stock suspension. Heavier riders use up most of the travel simply by sitting on it. I'm guessing that lighter riders don't compress it enough, which doesn't allow for enough travel in the opposite direction to drop into depressions. Too much preload is just as problematic as too little. To adjust preload, you can measure sag or you can measure the actual compression of the shock. I prefer the latter, with a target of approximately 30%. Preload does not change spring rate. If you cannot add/remove enough preload to get to the proper sag you have the wrong spring. Where you sit (forward or back), peg position, and how you sit (upright or leaning forward) can also all have effects on this adjustment so you should never just rely on factory presets.

Compression/rebound dampening (usually combined except for ultra high end units) will be what provides plushness or stiffness, and will effectively be what is used to minimize bottoming out. In simple terms, it "changes the spring rate". There is no perfect setting for this on the bike. It is more dependent on:

• the roads you are riding on and how rough or smooth they are.
• whether you ride it like a cruiser or a sport bike.
• due to the limited suspension travel, what you deem to be an acceptable balance between bottoming out vs a stiffer suspension.

Road conditions and riding styles can change from trip to trip, so this setting can be adjusted to accommodate the changes. On my bike with an M-shock I can add or remove enough dampening to achieve the extremes of feeling like a hardtail or being so soft it bottoms out on anything larger than a pebble. This adjustability along with a stiffer spring is probably why the Fox unit is an adequate fix for many despite not having preload. Where you sit (forward or back), peg position, and how you sit (upright or leaning forward) can also all have effects on this adjustment so you should never just rely on factory presets.

Having said this, the stock unit works well for some because they either fit into the workable range of the shock as is, or have made adjustments in body position or seat placement to put themselves into the range. e.g. A heavier rider could move the seat forward to reduce the foot pounds applied via the floating bracket, lean forward on the bars slightly, and have mid pegs to allow their legs to work as a secondary suspension.

 

[AandJCycles]

I would think that the Speedmaster shock would have different valving that the bobber shock as well as a heavier spring. At least that is how it is with the Ohlins offerings for each model.

 

[atomsplitter]

I would think that the Speedmaster shock would have different valving that the bobber shock as well as a heavier spring. At least that is how it is with the Ohlins offerings for each model.

Yup!! Two up vice solo only shocks. The Speedmaster shock is adjustable because the load changes dramaticallly when you add a pillion rider. The Bobber was designed and built solo.

 

[Mike]

I would think that the Speedmaster shock would have different valving that the bobber shock as well as a heavier spring. At least that is how it is with the Ohlins offerings for each model.

My initial idea to fix the issue I had with the stock shock on my Bobber was to add a shock spring spacer for preload. Imperfect admittedly, but a potentially very low cost option. The closest I could find were 2.25" ID x 1" spacers ($25/$30, Traxxion/ReSuspension, see photos). The bobber shock has a smaller spring ID though and I couldn't find the correct size anywhere nor do I have the tools to make a custom part. I gave up and replaced the unit but I still wonder if it would have worked.

As a vendor, do you know of any spacer that would fit? What would the experts at your shop have to say about something like this?

Has anyone else tried something similar?

 

[atomsplitter]

I would think dissaembling the OEM unit to fit a spacer is massively more difficult than simple replacement. The other issue I see is it becomes guesswork as to how much of a spacer is required to fit your specific conditions. Too much and not enough spring action, too little and you aren't all that much better off. Still it's a money saver, spine saver? Maybe not.

 

[Mike]

I would think dissaembling the OEM unit to fit a spacer is massively more difficult than simple replacement. The other issue I see is it becomes guesswork as to how much of a spacer is required to fit your specific conditions. Too much and not enough spring action, too little and you aren't all that much better off. Still it's a money saver, spine saver? Maybe not.

This is all a theory based on my limited suspension knowledge but:

- Removal and disassembly of the shock is relatively simple and quick (I've done it). You can use an inexpensive spring compressor tool, or a shop can do it quickly and cheaply if you remove the unit and bring it to them. I had a friendly mechanic quote me $20 for the job.

- As to the spacer thickness, maybe it's not an exact science but I would think it's just a question of measuring what distance you are from ideal loaded suspension compression and adding a spacer of the closest available thickness.

- Agree, this is the imperfect money saver solution, but for someone looking to spend their money elsewhere it may be just enough. It costs a fraction of the other options. There is still no dampening and adjustable preload, but the added travel afforded by the preload spacer would reduce bottoming out and soften the hits when it does. So maybe not a full-on "spine saver" but surely a "spine helper"?

 

[atomsplitter]

I do have a spring compressor and I could take the OEM unit apart. That's still more of a pain than just trashing the OEM and bolting in a MUCH better unit. If I was needing to save a few bucks I can see it, I'm happy I don't have to (Thank You again Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station).