Hagon vs YSS vs Hyperpro

[PotatoHead202...]

Picked up my 2010 VFR1200F at the weekend. Really enjoying it so far but the rear shock could definitely be better. I'm not overly fast and it'll never go on a racetrack with me. I just want it sprung for my weight (120kg in gear) and have better damping over rough surfaces.

Budget for the rear shock is circa £400 max. Are there any major differences in these shocks? I have a YSS with custom spring on my CBF500 and apart from being a bit harsh it's much better than the old worn out one.

I'll obviously be replacing the fork springs as well.
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Honda VFR1200F, Honda CBF500 ABS, CZ125 now CZ175

[MarJay]

Yes, there are big differences. My evaluation of their quality goes as follows (worst to best but not necessarily in price order):

Hagon and YSS Maxton and Hyperpro Nitron, Ohlins and Ktech

The thing is, Nitron are a LOT cheaper than Ohlins etc, and are made in the UK to your specification. I had the basic Nitron on my VFR800 and it was the best money I've ever spent on bike parts. It's that bloody good. I had to tweak the damping and set the preload to suit me, but it didn't take a lot of effort and it totally transformed the ride.

I'd always recommend Nitron over anything else. It might be £100 more expensive than a YSS but you'll know where that £100 went IMO.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[stinkwheel]

There is also Wilbers which probably slot in at the upper end of the mid-tier.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[AL-]

I have the Nitron rear shock on my Fazer 1000 with remote pre load adjuster. Highly recommend

[Arfa__]

Had a Hagon shock on my old Fazer 600, was reasonable enough.
Got a Nitron (basic 1-way) on my new FZ6, plus some Racetech Gold Emulators in the forks. Very good, definitely better than the Hagon - but yeah a bit more moneys.
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Beginner Biker Adventures Blog
Yamaha FZ6 S2 2007

[DJP]

From what I've read, YSS is basically OE spec. So if you just want to replace a worn out shock it's OK but it's not an upgrade.

I'd be looking at Nitron if I wanted a decent upgrade.
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[SirFallalot]

I've recently replaced some shot stock shocks on my CB750.
First tried some used but working non adjustable Hagons I got for free, too fecking hard spring.

YSS offers 3 products, the low range (£1xx) is actively discouraged by Brook's, middle with rebound adjust (£380), and high with additional compression adjust and piggyback (£610).

For my use case I went for the middle range, bike feels planted but weirdly comfy/cushy at the same time, even a new pillion of mine noticed the change from 1 week to today lol.

If I had gone for the upper range, I'd have picked the UK made Nitron's instead for £90 more even without having any previous experience. Custom made to your weight and use case, 5 years warranty (inspires confidence right), plus, made in the UK!
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Lexmoto Valiant 125; 94 CB400; 96 CB750F2; 81 CB750 (restoring, lol not gonna happen); 2001 ZX9R(It's about to go :c); 2012 R1200R; 2015 R1200RS

[Bru]

Hi. What I do not understand is that so many rear OE shocks are 'non-rebuildable' while the front suspension units (forks) are commonly rebuildable. What's the magical reason for that - just the the pressurised damper unit at the rear? I think this is relevant, as YSS, Nitron and the rest do not generally supply replacement front ends (only springs, from some).

I have bought a Nitron (in preference to Hagon) rear shock because my head was turned by Nitron's 'compression/rebound damping control', which the Hagon unit did not offer at the time (for similar money). I would have been happier to just replace the old damping oil and maybe the spring of the rear unit.

[chickenstrip]

[Bru]

The purchase was several years ago - I may have exaggerated the price difference in favour of Nitron, thinking about it. I'm sure that Nitron offered a better option for slightly more money, but now that I have pulled the rug from under myself, I should stop this comparison! [And the Nitron is lush.]

But still - why no rebuild option on stock shocks - they are damn expensive to replace.

[chickenstrip]

I've always thought that suspension is an area where the bike manufacturers have cut corners to keep costs down, especially with the introduction of new models, although often they get an upgrade on following models. I think it's totally the wrong place to do it, if do it they must. I'd much rather they cut on electronic accessories than the basic essentials.
When you've had a bike with really top notch suspension, you wonder how you ever managed without it.
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[Pigeon]

[Pigeon]

[Zen Dog]

I've put Hagon shocks on a couple of bikes (twin shocks on the MZ, mono on the VFR750), best I can say is they were alright. The twin shocks started rusting seemingly in days. The mono was just grand when I first had it, but started leaking after a couple of years, so I got it rebuilt (by Hagon, for my weight), and it just never seemed quite right since it went back on, just felt a bit....dead? Hard to describe but different certainly, given that it was the same shock.

Wouldn't buy another Hagon. I'm probably going to get a fresh shock for the VFR800, and I'll go with Nitron, I'll pay the extra given that no-one seems to have a bad word to say about them.
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Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
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[sickpup]

[stevo123]

Anything will be a vast improvement over stock i'd say

[stinkwheel]

White Power (WP) was another higher end of mid-tier make of shock. Not sure if they're still on the go. They were the go-to remote adjustable preload shock when VFR800s came out.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[MarJay]

[MarJay]