K75c 1985 Rear Shock.

[Dalderton]

I have recently aquired a 1985 K75 with 104000km showing on the speedo.It goes very well but the rear suspension is quite harsh. I have adjusted the shock to the softest setting and it still seems a bit hard. I am 15st 8lb  so I would think that it should ride a bit better. It seems that they have a reputation of not being very good in the suspension department so I was wondering what is the currently recommended rear shock amongst the long term owners of the model. Any advice would be appreciated.
   Regards Dennis.

[frodef]

I put a Realm "RAM shock" (http://www.realmengineering.com/page15.html) on my '86 k75c, and it's working quite well. Weighing in stones I'm guessing you're and islander so it should be accessible and affordable to you too.

[Photog]

A drive shaft/final drive spline lube did wonders for mine. If that hasn't been done recently it might be a  good place to start, assuming the shock isn't defective.

[Dalderton]

I had a look at the drive spline today and it is all good. I went for a decent ride today and the back is definately very harsh although when I push the back down manually it feels quite good.  My previous ride was a Prolink CX500 and the back of that is really nice so it may be the comparison that is half of the problem. Lovely bike the last of the CX500's .
 I am Aussie by the way and old ,hence the Stones and Pounds. Currently Kilo,s but I thought to the US market Stones &Pounds would suffice .
   Regards Dennis .

[Rick G]

The OEM shocks aren't really very good they usually only last a few years.
I fitted a RAM SHOX from realm engineering in UK to a friends K100 and it is a very nice unit. After I fitted it I had to test ride it and took it through some good twisties and bad sections of road near my place and it was very good, far better than the Koni I have on my K1100.
What part of Oz do you hale from?

[Dalderton]

I am from Mandurama which is  about 60 km SW of Bathurst.  What did the Ram shock cost ? I am not sure if my shock is original or not . It seems to me that it is too strongly damped on the return and does'nt allow the spring to recover. I will continue to research.
  Regards Dennis.

[frankenduck]

If you order the RAM shock be sure to tell them what your normal rider/passenger/luggage weight will be.  Their default is two-up loaded.  I rode solo with no other weight when running errands on my K75 and it was way oversprung.  I ordered a lighter spring from them and it worked much better that way. (Until I replaced it with an Ohlins.)

[Rick G]

243.50 UK Pounds landed in my mail box and I think the AUD has gone up a bit since then.
I made sure it was for solo and it is the best riding shock I have ever had.

[Dalderton]

Just an update on the rear shock. I ordered a Ram Shock Tuesday before last and recieved it delivered to my front gate 6days later for $377 AU.  Very satisfactory service with very good communication.  FItted the shock and adjusted it as directed  20mm preload and 4clicks on the damper adjuster. Went for a quick ride and found it still too hard. I finished up with virtually no preload and still experimenting with damper settings. I got the bike legal today so will take it for a decent ride tomorrow but my initial feelings are very positive. It has improved the ride qualities out of sight. Will report after further use.
   Regards Dennis.