Russbiker Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 all i can say is keep away from backsteet combined car/bike mot centres. Go to a bike only mot shop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russbiker Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 The Hagon Shock replacement cheapest quote £249.60 for anyone that has one break. JYAVMO2. Adjustable damping which is nice... + pre-load adjuster. Covered by Hagons 2 year unlimited mileage guarantee. They will also build it to your spec if youre worried about the extra seat hight that was mentioned in earlier post "Customised Monoshocks can also be built on request to raise or lower the seat height or to compensate where loads are heavier than standard. The shock absorber is built to your personalised requirements for an additional £75" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 There are those who argue Hagon's rebuild service is only because their products have a tendency to blow. Most are the older riders more cynical than Cynic here, though! The extra seat height isn't that much, just noticable. I happen to like it, as it seems to improve the handling. You could always save £75 and alter the preload, with a balance on the dampening. Kinda what the adjusters were for, I thought. I know a couple of Hagon users who have discovered derriere delight after a quick fiddle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russbiker Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I bought some used Hagon shocks for my winter hack and they kept on going through 7 winters, every day commute to work and back. Id be willing to give them a chance on this 650, I definitely like the idea of adjustable rebound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 I never had a problem, but the fact that Hagon pretty much have the market aside from OEM kinda sucks donkey dick... and Hagon would have you believe that donkey dick is expensive!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preload Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 The Hagon Shock replacement cheapest quote £249.60 for anyone that has one break. JYAVMO2. Adjustable damping which is nice... + pre-load adjuster. Covered by Hagons 2 year unlimited mileage guarantee. They will also build it to your spec if youre worried about the extra seat hight that was mentioned in earlier post "Customised Monoshocks can also be built on request to raise or lower the seat height or to compensate where loads are heavier than standard. The shock absorber is built to your personalised requirements for an additional £75" This means they will tailor the shock spring to your weight / load requirements ie. if you are 7 stone a light rate spring will be needed. I personally wouldn't buy shocks that use 60's tech, the damping doesn't take long to blow, a few FJR riders fitted them due to price and they all blew tand are not upto the job. imo. Try Betor these have been around for years and are cheap and cheerful and I havnt heard any bad reports todate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Betor apparently have shit customer service... and I can't find anywhere that sells Drag ones. There's a rumour that the FZR600 shock fits the Divvie 900 and the 650 Drag, but I can't confirm. Ohlins do some, but they have a shit rep and cost as much as Hagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preload Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Do they OK! I suppose if never need to use the customer service is good thing in two ways then. As for shock there is probably loads that will fit length wise but its getting the spring load correct is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Ohlins are as good as Hagon with the customer service, it's just Betor that everyone seems pissed at. The fact that so many people contact their customer service is eyebrow-raising... Ohlins and Hagon seem on a par for product performance. Ohlins have fancy wires and shit coming of their one (remote preload adjusters and stuff, I expect), while Hagon are more simple, basic, solid-as-a-brick design types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preload Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I havnt noticed any mention of Betor until me so can I ask where your getting your info from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 I havnt noticed any mention of Betor until me so can I ask where your getting your info from? Phonecalls to my 'own personal' mechanic, three of the main m/c service places in Reading, two minor ones and three parts shops, to ask if they can supply Betor parts. They used more foul language than me, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russbiker Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Its amazing how just one bad guy working for your sales department can totaly ruin your reputation! This sounds like whats happened! Prob send out the wrong shocks and get the orders messed up then are rude when the shops contact them. Willing to bet a tenner on it lol. Quickest way to make shops hate you! Hell brake hoses are perfect example, dodgy quality control and a couple of awful sales guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preload Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 +1 Yeah I was thinking the same. I never take the word of any shop/stealer on how bad some parts are unless they used to sell the product as its just sales tactics to buy what they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 +1 Yeah I was thinking the same. I never take the word of any shop/stealer on how bad some parts are unless they used to sell the product as its just sales tactics to buy what they have. The parts shops refuse to stock their stuff, yet will get in anything else you ask for. Point 1. The mechanics at the independant service places won't touch them, regardless of how good their product is. Point 2. The one guy (self employed) I trust implicitly with my own bike, who doesn't fuck about and will tell you if something is good also advises against using Betor. Point 3. Most of these have no interest in which parts you get. The service shops all deal with Harleys, so you can have whatever you want for other makes - They don't give a shit. They might well be a good product, but I've already lost a good few hundred quid to comapnies' bullshit customer sales people this year and would not want to risk being stuffed by any other problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preload Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 As I said " I never take the word of any shop/stealer on how bad some parts are unless they used to sell the product" this my point of view. So step back take breather as its just a forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 Or have learned from others' experiences... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russbiker Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Don't know if someone may have mentioned this before but has anyone whos had this problem tried fitting a shock from a dragstar 650 classic? Might be more of those around so would be great if they fit? 200-300 quid for an aftermarket seems a bit steep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Classic shocks are the same as the custom. both the same bike just with different shapped mud gaurds and sized front wheel. So in theory they will be the same price. Ive just welded a plate over that big gaping hole where the crud gets to the shock so im hoping this has solved this issue happening to my bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RatBob Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Oh dear, it looks like the invincible infallible Yamaha Star product line might not be worthy of the hype as predicted! Quick, bring out Ttask to disagree with everyone in spite of obvious evidence to the contrary! Oh look! Here's another example: And another example: Wow, it almost makes you think that maybe, just maybe, these bikes from this period might actually have a build quality issue because they are *shock* budget cruisers! The 125, 250 and 650 are all appearing to be in the same boat. Amazing, considering that they were all aimed at the same market. I like proof, because it's incontrovertible. There's no arguing or skewing it without appearing completely insane or thoroughly ignorant. These bikes are what they are, they aren't beautifully hand crafted engineering masterpieces. They aren't the bargain of the century either if you buy them new. What you're paying for is a reputation of Japanese bikes that belies the reality: any bike, well cared for, so long as it wasn't overly compromised at the design or manufacturing stage, will serve it's owner well. A budget cruiser is just that; budget. It's made with shitty parts, old technology, yesterday's electrics and chrome that is lucky to survive a couple of rain showers let alone the life of the bike. This is why people still buy Harleys, because for all their faults, they are built to last. Doesn't matter if you put 100,000 miles on them or 10. They only cost a bit more brand new compared to a Jap bike, but don't depreciate anywhere near as much. Why? Because the people who buy them look after them and they're not compromised on design and build quality just to lower the price point. There is a good chance that the Harley Davidsons of 2012 will still be around in 2052 - I strongly doubt however, that the 2004 dragstar 650s will be around in 2044. It's pretty much like how the rarest "bog standard" classic bikes now are the super-budget ones that had serious design flaws and build quality issues back in the day. We can argue back and forth on my thread or on this one until the cows come home, the point stands, irrefutably: If you want this bike or any other Yamaha because you think the quality is going to be any better than anything else, you are sorely, sorely mistaken. Never trust a bike just on a brand, because I guarantee that they will quite happily let you down, ESPECIALLY if they have a legendary reputation. You'd actually be better off with a Sinnis Apache, at £1500 brand new, than a 10 year old XVS 125 at the same £1500 after it's been dropped and lowsided a bagillion times and everything is rusted, scraped, the chrome is pitted, the piston rings which are like unicorn shit are beyond use and Yamaha want £480 just for a CDI box so you have to wait for someone elses bike to break just to get one as a scrap part. Think about that for a minute; a Chinese bike built in a Suzuki factory, a bike that went across the Mongolian desert without breaking down, a bike that impressed KTM so much that they're considering getting Sinnis to manufacture their plastics, is the same price as a decade old Yamaha that is knocking on death's door and just can't wait to spring the next mechanical failure on you. Surprise! The intake boot rubber is cracked and leaking. Surprise! The header bolts have corroded through and your exhaust is dangling off. Surprise! The electrics have blown. Surprise! There's actually a nice big crack in the frame. Surprise! The exhaust silencer has rusted from the inside out and now it has a big hole in it. Sinnis don't have the reputation of Yamaha, but they do have a very, very good manufacturing and design standard. Yet is a more extraordinary claim to put Sinnis above Yamaha, precisely because of reputation - and that is why Yamaha don't mind giving you a shitty product yet charge a premium for it, because they know you'll lap it up, and anyone who calls their quality into question will be branded a raving lunatic. Fact is, I've seen more design compromises on the xvs 125 than I have on equivalent price Chinese bikes that often get branded as being awful quality. This despite the fact that a good amount of "Japanese" bikes are essentially just Chinese bikes with a Japanese badge on them. Make your own call, spend your money however you see fit. Just remember this next time someone is foaming at the mouth about how amazing a bike is and how it cannot possibly have flaws because zomg it's a Yamaha! Rolex could put their name on a Timex and charge £50,000 and still sell them, we all know that it's still just a Timex. I personally own a Timex and I adore it, but a Rolex owner would consider me a philistine. Food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lallasro Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 congratulation, you just find some yamaha with problems on a yamaha forum, I bet you will not find on honda forum any bike with problems lol. do you take your pills today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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