rear shock options

[ericande]

I'm going to hopefully replace my rear shock over winter and want to figure out all my options. So far Ohlins is out unless I find a smoking deal on a used one. I know a ton of people run Penske but there are cheaper options also (Wilbur, hyperpro?) What kind of aftermarket shocks are there, are they good, and how much do they cost? What about revalving my current shock instead of buying a new one?

Bike is an '06 gsxr 600 if it makes a difference.

[Will]

Check to see if Elka makes one for your bike. I would be surprised if they don't, and they are excellent.

[PCSteel]

I have a bitubo triple for sale. $350. Cheap, retails for over $1000.

[ericande]

Check to see if Elka makes one for your bike. I would be surprised if they don't, and they are excellent.

What do they go for? Is that what you have on your gix?

I have a bitubo triple for sale. $350. Cheap, retails for over $1000.

I'm not buying until after this season for sure (unless I run into a small pile of cash) but this may be the type of offer I'm looking for.

[Will]

I got an Elka triple for something like $800, fully set up for my weight. I didn't have to do much adjusting at all. It was perfect right out of the box.

The Gixxer has a Penske that's getting tired. I have had a lot more setup problems with it than with the Elka, but it came with the bike and had a couple seasons already on it. The whole suspension on the Gixxer is pretty tired, so I don't consider it much of a comparison. That's my excuse for being slow, anyway.

[piper907]

Honestly,
Having your stock shock re-valved is very good way to go on a budget. I have seen guys go pretty frickin fast on a stock re-valve. Then when you have the $$$ get a Penske that has been set-up by Dave Hodges. Elka makes a good shock but they are valved pretty stiff for Pacific. And nothing beats having the trackside support that you get from GP Suspension.

[jkaiser]

+1 to GP Suspension and the Penske shock. The track side support is worth it alone. I'd buy whatever brand Barry recommends just to get his trackside support.

Oh yeah, it's worth mentioning that many fast guys like Dan Lippis and others run a GP re-valved stock shock.

[ericande]

I think I'm leaning towards re-valving the stock stuff, anyone know how much that costs?

[jkaiser]

I wanna say it's a $300 - $400 depending on what you need done. Considering a Penkse triple adjust, setup for you by GP, is about $1100, I think you get a lot of bang for the buck from a re-valve. Especially the GSXR shocks, they start out life as a pretty decent shock and respond well to a re-valve.

[Bad Dog]

Yep, hit up Dave or Barry at GP Suspension, they are da bomb. Best to call for prices and options, then you know what it costs.