Looking For Specific Input From Actual Ricor Shock Owners
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,890
Likes: 73
From: MA
Looking For Specific Input From Actual Ricor Shock Owners
A brief history. I bought a pair of Ricor shocks in 2010 after talking to Brian who strongly recommended their sport tuned shock. Sport tune for a bagger? Well what do I know, he's the expert so I went with his advice and received them 8 weeks after placing my order. For the next 30 odd days I played with and tweaked them looking for the best setting and ride. By the end of that time I had had enough. I couldn't get any satisfaction from them and pulled them off and reinstalled my stockers. I also thought I was beyond my warranty, out of luck and out $630. Turns out that I wasn't. Ricor took them back and tweaked them.
I get them back and a few days later I stumble across a thread about adjustable shocks and a thing called sag. Turns out that sag is a measurement of the shock fully extended and then a measurement under the weight of the rider. The difference in this measurement should be about 1" to 1 1/4". News to me. When I got the shocks they came with no instructions at all. Nada. These shocks were suposedly built to my specs ie: my weight & personal gear (200#), passenger weight (130#) and total additional gear weight (60#). Roughly 390#'s. I assumed (shame on me) that the shocks were all set when I first got them and ready to be installed. I never checked the amount of compression/pre-load on the springs by backing off the adjusting screw cap and counting the revolutions but I did so when I got them back after they were tweaked. One shock spring was compressed 13 cap revs and the other was 15 cap revs. They weren't even equal. Without ever checking, any adjustment to the shocks would have always been unequal. Also after learning about the sag adjustment I realize that I used up my free tweaking for nothing. All because Ricor didn't supply any instructions with the shocks. I have been messing with these shocks the last few weeks now and have not been able to find a sweet spot. My stock air shocks are looking better and better every ride I take.
But before I scrap the Ricors altogether I would like to hear from other riders with the same spec setup as me or anyone that may be close. Specifically, how may cap revolutions from the very top to your sweet spot for solo riding and how many cap revs to your 2 up and loaded setting. What do you have your sag dimension set to?
I get them back and a few days later I stumble across a thread about adjustable shocks and a thing called sag. Turns out that sag is a measurement of the shock fully extended and then a measurement under the weight of the rider. The difference in this measurement should be about 1" to 1 1/4". News to me. When I got the shocks they came with no instructions at all. Nada. These shocks were suposedly built to my specs ie: my weight & personal gear (200#), passenger weight (130#) and total additional gear weight (60#). Roughly 390#'s. I assumed (shame on me) that the shocks were all set when I first got them and ready to be installed. I never checked the amount of compression/pre-load on the springs by backing off the adjusting screw cap and counting the revolutions but I did so when I got them back after they were tweaked. One shock spring was compressed 13 cap revs and the other was 15 cap revs. They weren't even equal. Without ever checking, any adjustment to the shocks would have always been unequal. Also after learning about the sag adjustment I realize that I used up my free tweaking for nothing. All because Ricor didn't supply any instructions with the shocks. I have been messing with these shocks the last few weeks now and have not been able to find a sweet spot. My stock air shocks are looking better and better every ride I take.
But before I scrap the Ricors altogether I would like to hear from other riders with the same spec setup as me or anyone that may be close. Specifically, how may cap revolutions from the very top to your sweet spot for solo riding and how many cap revs to your 2 up and loaded setting. What do you have your sag dimension set to?
Last edited by soos; May 10, 2011 at 05:28 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,324
Likes: 522
From: Dutchess County, NY
I just ordered a set of Ricor 12.5" sport tuned shocks for a 195 lb rider yesterday. It's interesting you should mention them being out of sync from each other as I was wondering if I needed to back the springs all the way out and adjust the sag totally on my own. After reading your post I think I will do that. When I spoke to Brian, at Ricor, I asked if they would be adjusted for my weight on the shock dyno. Is it possible that the two shocks might use seperate settings to get the same dampening?
What size shocks did you order.
What don't you like about them?
What size shocks did you order.
What don't you like about them?
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 7,439
Likes: 884
From: 'Noke, VA
I have never unscrewed the caps and counted threads or revolutions. I set the sag when I installed them to 1-1/4". That was too much. even on my 13" shocks. I'm currently running around 3/4" if I remember correctly. When I add a passenger (140#), I usually add 1 full turn plus 1 of those chrome things (I marked one of them on each side as a reference). When the bike is loaded for a trip, I'm at one chrome thing less than two full turns.
I'm very happy with the shocks, but I'm pissed at myself for not getting the 13-1/2" ones. I've got the leg length to handle a taller bike, and I'd appreciate the increased ground clearance and shock stroke.
There may well be a pair of Ohlins in my future.
I'm very happy with the shocks, but I'm pissed at myself for not getting the 13-1/2" ones. I've got the leg length to handle a taller bike, and I'd appreciate the increased ground clearance and shock stroke.
There may well be a pair of Ohlins in my future.
Thread Starter
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,890
Likes: 73
From: MA
I just ordered a set of Ricor 12.5" sport tuned shocks for a 195 lb rider yesterday. It's interesting you should mention them being out of sync from each other as I was wondering if I needed to back the springs all the way out and adjust the sag totally on my own. After reading your post I think I will do that. When I spoke to Brian, at Ricor, I asked if they would be adjusted for my weight on the shock dyno. Is it possible that the two shocks might use seperate settings to get the same dampening?
What size shocks did you order.
What don't you like about them?
'05train, I did the same thing by marking one of the cap dentents with dykem so that I can easily count the cap revs.
Last edited by soos; Apr 9, 2011 at 09:13 AM.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 489
From: sunny florida
you need to ride it without your bags, if you feel it is bottoming go 1 turn stiffer at a time until you get it where you want it, from that point it is usually 1 - 2 turns stiffer for fully loaded or a passenger, if you ride it and it doesn't bottom but after 1/2 hour or so your *** is getting sore like you need a new seat, you have them to stiff and will want to back off 1/2 to 1 turn at a time , it takes a hour or 2 riding to dial in any shock but once you get it you will know it
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Thread Starter
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MA
05train and tj, can either of you give me a reference point such as where you have your preload set by cap revolutions from the top? This is what I am looking for.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 7,439
Likes: 884
From: 'Noke, VA
you need to ride it without your bags, if you feel it is bottoming go 1 turn stiffer at a time until you get it where you want it, from that point it is usually 1 - 2 turns stiffer for fully loaded or a passenger, if you ride it and it doesn't bottom but after 1/2 hour or so your *** is getting sore like you need a new seat, you have them to stiff and will want to back off 1/2 to 1 turn at a time , it takes a hour or 2 riding to dial in any shock but once you get it you will know it
Just ride the same bumpy road over and over again making small adjustments (turn the adjusters the space of one of those chrome things at a time) until it feels right. For a 130# passenger you'll need about one full turn of the adjusters.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,961
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From: Conroe Texas
Just installed the Ohlins, great customer service from Howard at MC metal, got the # 3's. Turned my Dyna into a STS Caddy sport ride. I have no experience with Ricors but looked long and hard at all the threads here before dropping that amount of cash. I am heading to the Dragon in a few weeks to do a week of testing on them and my new MC Metal front end. If you go to MC metal there is a lot of info about setting sag and suspension that applies to any suspension.
http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/gpage1.html
http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/gpage1.html