Shotgun shock problems
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 2,008
Likes: 596
From: Columbus, OH
Fatty 95, I feel your pain, its hard to get truly objective information from a Shotgun Shock discussion. I have read through this thread twice and it's been hanging around in my mind.
First: Your bike is a 95 model? With the 14's out that makes it 19 years old, and if you have put 60,000 since the Shotgun install it may be time to have a look at swing arm bushings, shock mount bushings, bump stops, and all the other wear parts in you suspension. Things made out of rubber can look good to the eye but deflect more than they should under load. It may be worth it to look into urathane parts and take some time and check swing arm alignment. Just my thoughts on outside issues that may shorten the life of your Shotgun Shock.
Second: JD has a reputation on this forum that's larger than life. And that should attest to the quality of his customer service. I recently posted in another thread that I had not received my shock 10 days after ordering it and had sent JD a PM 12 hours earlier and he had not responded yet. I had a few people post responses that it could not possibly be that JD had not shipped my shock it was a problem with the shipper. Turns out that JD had not shipped my shock because he wanted to clarify weather I had an ABS bike. Due to an email glitch I never responded to clarify so he could ship. Yes I expressed disappointment in my post with JD, but when I cooled down and thought about it how can I get mad when he didn't respond within in 12 hours, 24-48 is reasonable. The more I have thought about it, I was upset that he didn't live up to this "legendary" reputation, but wait, he never said these things, it was the faithful singing his praises that had built him up that way. The situation was straightened out by the end of the day and I received my shock a few days later. Truth is he was on top of it and corrected the situation, and I commend him for that. I dunno, if I was JD I would be a little scared of having such a legendary reputation, if it gets any better it may be impossible to live up to
Good luck in finding a solution
First: Your bike is a 95 model? With the 14's out that makes it 19 years old, and if you have put 60,000 since the Shotgun install it may be time to have a look at swing arm bushings, shock mount bushings, bump stops, and all the other wear parts in you suspension. Things made out of rubber can look good to the eye but deflect more than they should under load. It may be worth it to look into urathane parts and take some time and check swing arm alignment. Just my thoughts on outside issues that may shorten the life of your Shotgun Shock.
Second: JD has a reputation on this forum that's larger than life. And that should attest to the quality of his customer service. I recently posted in another thread that I had not received my shock 10 days after ordering it and had sent JD a PM 12 hours earlier and he had not responded yet. I had a few people post responses that it could not possibly be that JD had not shipped my shock it was a problem with the shipper. Turns out that JD had not shipped my shock because he wanted to clarify weather I had an ABS bike. Due to an email glitch I never responded to clarify so he could ship. Yes I expressed disappointment in my post with JD, but when I cooled down and thought about it how can I get mad when he didn't respond within in 12 hours, 24-48 is reasonable. The more I have thought about it, I was upset that he didn't live up to this "legendary" reputation, but wait, he never said these things, it was the faithful singing his praises that had built him up that way. The situation was straightened out by the end of the day and I received my shock a few days later. Truth is he was on top of it and corrected the situation, and I commend him for that. I dunno, if I was JD I would be a little scared of having such a legendary reputation, if it gets any better it may be impossible to live up to
Good luck in finding a solution
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 953
Likes: 127
From: Rome, NY
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
From: iowa
ya know i have been reading posts on the SS and JD's service for a long time. I just cant see how these shocks increase the ride that much.to justify it in my cheap *** mind. Which is probably a part of the reason i have never pursued it.
Supporter
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,912
Likes: 73
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Logic is as follows:
1) I have no idea how they work.
2) Therefore I don't want one.
I never paid much attention to a lot of the over-the-top enthusiastic SS posts before myself because, well, if something sounds too good to be true...
But since installing one all I can say is, it is worth it.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 3,747
Likes: 5
From: Central Cali
See, now that's something I've seen a good bit of lately and that's the other side to the "cheerleader" coin.
Logic is as follows:
1) I have no idea how they work.
2) Therefore I don't want one.
I never paid much attention to a lot of the over-the-top enthusiastic SS posts before myself because, well, if something sounds too good to be true...
But since installing one all I can say is, it is worth it.
Logic is as follows:
1) I have no idea how they work.
2) Therefore I don't want one.
I never paid much attention to a lot of the over-the-top enthusiastic SS posts before myself because, well, if something sounds too good to be true...
But since installing one all I can say is, it is worth it.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
From: UK
They work, that is all I can say. And mine have been fine for the last year - probably the kiss of death
Supporter
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,912
Likes: 73
From: Pittsburgh, PA