tec bike parts are doing rear shocks

 

Yeppers. Tec has two options on rear shocks. I ordered the upgraded version (includes dampening adjustment). Also ordered their progressive fork springs.

 

So, no waiting until the bike has 5,000 miles or so on it and the stock suspension has broken in?

 

I would encourage you to reconsider using Tec Bike shocks. I have attached a picture to illustrate a fairly common Tec Bike shock failure. This has occurred on Bonneville, Kz, SX, and other motorcycle models. There are many companies making quality shocks. Try Hagon, Progressive, RaceTec, Ohlins, or Fox. They may cost more but will be worth it.
I understand that many are using Tec Bike shocks and not experiencing failure. However do you really want to take that risk? Would a crash investigator be able to determine that the failed suspension was the cause the crash or would one think the shocks broke as result of the crash? Is the potential risk worth saving a few bucks?

 

Interesting. Something to consider. You mention many companies making quality shocks. Only one problem, (as of this posting) they're not making quality shocks for Street Twins.

 

Interesting info about Tec Bike shocks. What's the old saying? "You get what you pay for"
That's a scary photo

 

Give Ikon the dimensions and they'll probably be able to cook up something which will actually work. Ikon understands Bonnevilles...

 

I did not mean to forget Ikon or Gazi!

 

R you saying forget about ohlins, if they ever make one for the twin?

 

Yes..., unless you are VERY heavy. Pal who weighs 215# bought some 36E's for his T-100. Had to send them to Ohlins 4 times to get the spring rates and damping close to my Ikons which were ordered sprung for me. Any Ohlins for Bonnevilles will always be an off-the-shelf solution. Not enough volume to justify serious R&D on a Bonneville. Bonneville people are too cheap.

Same pal had Ohlins in NC Rebuild his stock forks on his 800 Tiger after the dedicated shock Ohlins in NC sent him had worked well. Obviously Tiger people aren't shy about dropping coin which made a dedicated unit worthwhile for Ohlins.

Same with my 796 which has a DU-737. Good dedicated monoshock for 696, 796 and 1100S/EVO. Plenty of market there! Reasonable pricing too but really only 90% of what an $1,800 three-way Ohlins would deliver. Waste of $$$ on anything but an SBK or track bike IMO.

 

Thanks for the tip
Will keep that in mind

 

How about progressive suspension?

 

Call Dave Quinn and get a pair of Hagon shocks for $200
He will make them to suit you with the proper spring rate and damping

 

$200 is the standard price for the Hagon road shocks. The Nitros cost just over $500. Once ordered from a Hagon dealer the shocks are assembled in California and shipped.
I have the Hagon Roads on my 2006 T100. I have Racetec springs and emulators in the forks on my T100.
The t120 has the Hagon Nitros on the rear, and the Andreani cartridge in the forks.
Either option works very well.

 

Get straight rate springs from Racetech
So much better than progressive springs

 

Just my humble opinion, but might be useful for someone...

 

Just my humble opinion, but might be useful for someone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWeLgiPN9bo&lc=z132s1w5hxn1yfzg504cifsjpq3qvbti1q40k

Great to finally see a review on these, thanks! So that is a one touch adjustment for both rebound and compression?

 

Cant be same wheel or nob for both the rebound and compression. They do different things so surely need to be adjusted independently.

In the early days of the street twin I was trying to prove what was wrong with the back end for riding with a pillion. I have mono shock sports bikes of similar weight which cope fine with the pillion. Same pillion for the last thirty five years so must be the bike.

Stock Street Twin suspension was fine on my own. Half preload used for spirited riding on bumpy back lanes was needed to save bottoming. Whole different story when two up. Whole back end went to pieces. Was it insufficient size of rubber, flexing frame or the stock shocks? After checking frame and experimenting with tyre pressures the bike was just not fit to ride two up. An absolute disgrace Triumph. You taking folk who paid you good money for a ride with that back end. And don't tell me I should have spent more in the first place. Whole fun of bikes is that less is more.

Well there being nothing shock wise about I could trust without some knowledge less sales person trying to sell me all he had to sell and ruining his companies credibility, I picked up a pair of TEC fixed damping rate shocks to experiment with. Their adjustable damping versions shown to snap the damper rod where its made thin at the adjuster ring so I was not going to risk a play with that two up and get stuck miles from home. To be fair to tec I suspect poor assembly or fitting by the owners could be partly to blame. One broken example I saw was where the owner had fitted a scrambler high exhaust. Then bolted his shock on without checking clearance. The shock had been bending round the pipe and broke off. Not intended to take side loads like that.

I stripped both the TEC and Triumph originals to compare spring rates. Very close to being the same. Wire diameters and pitch close so obvious really.
Shock absorbing on the stock unit was weaker compared to the tec. Tec was probably about half as stiff again as the Triumphs in both comp and rebound. Push and pull test in the vice but all I need is to know which way I'm going.
Checked the whole tec build over before fitting. Just one of the eyes at the bottom was badly machined. Put simply the hole in it was 4mm off centre and not square through it either. Rectified that and fitted them. Ride was v firm on my own after the stock units. To be expected with so much more damping. I preffered this marginally over stock.
Different story two up though. So much better and hardly any concerns when spirited riding two up. That for the first hundred miles at least. Soon started bottoming and increasing the preload made no difference. Stripped the tec shocks down to find the springs had shrunk by two inches or more and buckled so much they were cutting into the side of the damper body. Conclusion is springs were junk. Both of them. I got the next heavier springs and these are much better. Holding up well after 700 miles two up with no preload required and the stiffer damping is clearly what the bike needs for two up riding. If you got to spend £700 (10% of the bikes value) to make the back seat use able then that's a poor do Triumph. You making a massive margin selling the cheap made bike and half as much again for shocks to make the back end fit.

All not brilliant about tec either. Duff springs. Holes not in the middle of the eyes. The steel bush in the eye has to be removed so the bushes rotate direct on the frames paint and will wear the frame mounts over time. The dust caps on the pressure valves have too longer thread so the sealing washer in them can't reach to seal the actual valve. Not good when road dirt and salt has got in there. So come on Triumph and the lower cost end of the after market parts suppliers. Let's have a bit of quality and what we paid you our good money for rather than this here today gone tomorrow engineering. Triumphs stock shocks are cheap made but being mass produced are at least consistently poor grade. The tec a little home made but now OK with a bit of care and if we burst them I can rebuild them which surely is what bike tinkering is all about.
By the way. The black shrouds on the stock Triumph shocks are bare steel inside where you can't see without dismantling. Going rusty as hell so great after a year or two. Junk and smacks of being made down to an unbelievably cheap price but Triumph seem happy to sell us another set knowing the originals were not up to the job and cheap. Get some oil sprayed up inside those shrouds before the rusty water starts running out.
Lovely looking character full bike they strike up more conversations than having a dog but I do wish they were made in Japan. Should be for the money they charge.
Honest review from a bloke with no vested interest other than helping fellow bikers make slightly better informed decisions about where to spend their hard earned. All IMHO of course.

 

I can't see any lock on the preload adjuster? Would be usual to have two rings to lock against each other.

 

That's probably the most common lock, but these have a pinch bolt to tighten the preload ring (it has a slit cut in it)

 

My 2 cents: I replaced the stock shocks on my Street Twin with a pair of Bitubo WME.
They have continuous spring preload adj. and lever-based rebound adj.

http://www.bitubo.com/prodotti-dettaglio.php?ID=126

Bitubo asked my riding weight to fit proper spring etc.

Stock adjustment was a bit loose: I added 2mm preload and raised rebound adj from 1 (stock) to 2.
The bike is much more enjoyable now. Nice controlled back end, no more waving on longitudinal stripes, good stability, no jumping around.
No sport bike of course, but quite better than before!

 

Love my Hagon shocks on my 2016 ST

I put Hagon shocks on my 2016 Street Twin - TBH mostly to get LOWER bc I am a 5'0 female rider. I looked at responses to this thread on the forum and ended up chatting with 3 different distributors. I went with the Michigan dealer of Hagon shocks. That guy is awesome! He spent a lot of time on the phone with me asking me about my riding style, types of trips/luggage/passengers I might carry, my size/weight - he informed me without that "here little honey tone" that makes my skin crawl. He set the shocks exactly where there were best for me. I have my full foot on the ground so I can muscle my bike where I need to, yet I'm not bottoming out over bumps. My ST is taking the curves like the graceful lady she is. I've put on about 1K miles with them and they handle beautifully. I can't say enough good about my experience with the dealer and the shocks. They were less expensive than I expected - a lot less expensive - and super easy to install.

http://bellacorse.com/shop/parts-fo...triumph-water-cooled-motorcycles/hagon-2810-adjustable-shocks-street-twin-t120/

 

I put Hagon shocks on my 2016 Street Twin - TBH mostly to get LOWER bc I am a 5'0 female rider. I looked at responses to this thread on the forum and ended up chatting with 3 different distributors. I went with the Michigan dealer of Hagon shocks. That guy is awesome! He spent a lot of time on the phone with me asking me about my riding style, types of trips/luggage/passengers I might carry, my size/weight - he informed me without that "here little honey tone" that makes my skin crawl. He set the shocks exactly where there were best for me. I have my full foot on the ground so I can muscle my bike where I need to, yet I'm not bottoming out over bumps. My ST is taking the curves like the graceful lady she is. I've put on about 1K miles with them and they handle beautifully. I can't say enough good about my experience with the dealer and the shocks. They were less expensive than I expected - a lot less expensive - and super easy to install.

http://bellacorse.com/shop/parts-fo...triumph-water-cooled-motorcycles/hagon-2810-adjustable-shocks-street-twin-t120/

I went with the same Hagon 2810 shocks on my T120 and have been very happy with them. I ended up buying from Dave Quinn in CT but didn't know about Belacorse. The distributor here in CA, which is not too far from me, was crazy expensive.

I ended up requesting the next lighter spring (18kg) from what was "suggested" (20kg) based on some feedback from a riding buddy who bought a pair ahead of me. I was glad I did as they are perfect and the "suggested" springs would have been too stiff, just as my buddy thought they were.

I think these are a very good option for the Bonnie and Street Twin bikes. Here's a shot of them on my T120.

 

Hey Ratchick, it was a pleasure working with you and thank you for the PM and post here.

Oh, and I forgot to ask... "Whatcha wearing?"

Enjoy and be safe out there.

/M

 

Installed these a week ago and have been enjoying them. So far, I'm impressed.

 

I've also lowered my 2017 Street Twin with 1" lower Ikon shocks that I love. They put on lighter springs for my 102lbs! Also slid the forks in the triple tree to match the 1". But now I have a kickstand problem and always have to park on the downhill since they don't make a shorter or adjustable stand for it. What are you doing about that?

 

Remove the kickstand, clamp it in a vice, and then use a breaker bar to bend the lever slightly. A couple degrees should be plenty. If you use a torch on the bend beforehand, you can anneal (soften) the metal somewhat and avoid a stress fracture.

 

Thanks Delta. Will have hubby try that Triumph service manager told me he wouldn't recommend that but I'm sure he's not allowed to say anything much!

 

Bending the metal is risky, that much is certain. If it made of aluminum, don't bend it. Bending is generally fine for steel though.

I'm not sure what it is made out of underneath the black powder coated finish. Two ways to find out yourself - scratch through the finish and see if it rusts like steel should once exposed. Or weigh it - you should be able to tell as aluminum is substantially lighter than steel.

If it is aluminum, you could cut it and fabricate a new foot instead of bending. Or just cut an inch off the shaft and weld on the original foot. Depends how handy you are or what tool access you have in your shop. Let us know how it goes.

 

Delta, thanks for the tips. It is made of aluminum so we've decided to order a new kickstand, just in case there's a problem (should be here the end of the month) then I'll take it to a good mig welder and have them cut off the foot, take off 1/2" and then weld it back on. For now I'm carrying a short board to rest the front tire on

 

Hi there - I own a Street Twin and want to add higher rear shocks - Οhlins offers Blackline D series with 369mm of travel +10mm but they are quite expensive. Any other options to convert the Street Twin to Scrambler and gain some leg room? Color black please...

 

I have the TEC shocks on the back of my Street Twin. After the cautions I made earlier in this thread about spring quality and the end eyes size and alignment they have been excellent. Over 2,000 miles mainly on back lanes with very little major roads (much like a scrambler might be used) they have been excellent. No deterioration in the damping. Mechanically no issues. Had to wind the pre load rings down a little to maintain or slightly increase the ride height for two up riding. Must stress 2,000 miles with a pillion and most of that spirited riding as if on an adventure trail bike with rising rate mono shock - which is what we were used to.

I would caution against increasing the ride height too much above standard. The chain will run on the top front of the swing arm near the pivot far too much of the time you are riding. Catered for with a plastic wear slide skid around the front end of the arm to prevent metal to metal contact but only intended to hit this on down changes and/or when suspension tops out at the same time. Remember the increase in ride height at the rear is matched by an exact same increase in the swing arm pivot height.

If you try the TEC shocks and find their extra length spacer is too much you can remove it or perhaps have it reduced in length. I have not needed the spacer. Finding extra ground clearance also upsets the side stand balance so more likely to fall onto the stand side on soft ground and slopes. Got my bit of extra ground clearance from the heavier rate springs that we find best for two up riding.

Go for a higher seat if you need more leg and knee room. Increase the height of the stock seat or use one from the better upholstered models. T100 and T120 have 40 mm higher seat heights than the STwin. Its due to more padding. About to try one on my own bike to give more room and comfort on the long days out. If not I will increase the stock seat height. Both options going to need some thought and design on my part to get the whole seat pan to sit higher on the frame as I need to retain the standard Triumph rear carrier. I'm not a fan of changing or thickening the foam inside the seats as only leads to obvious marks in the cover as they settle and wear.

I hope to come back with seat ideas in a while when tried them out. Perhaps here -
http://www.triumphrat.net/water-coo...k/776394-street-twin-seat-options-and-riddle-post2003235146.html#post2003235146

 

I recently installed the Tec adjustable dampening shocks on my street twin. My wife rides with me 90% of the time. Tec advised me to go with the standard spring first. I installed the spacer, with no extra height. So far, no issues with kick stand. I can't say enough about the improved pillion ride quality. My wife says she feels much safer. Over 50 mph fells like we are riding a different bike,no bottoming and stable cornering. In my opinion this should be a street twin owners first upgrade. I'm an ex club racer and have owned works performance, ohlins and Koni. Fit and finish of the tecs are impressive, especially at this price point.

 

Is this the kit in question?

http://www.tecbikepartsusa.com/TEC_Black_Front_and_Rear_Adjustable_Suspension_Kit_p/t-fras-b-st.htm

If so, they look kind of cheaply made. Despite the photos being absolutely tiny, and correct me if I'm wrong - you can still see the casting irregularities of the piggyback support arm, indicating a lower quality part. Everyone else is using billet aluminum for that part of the assembly.

All the photos on that site are so ridiculously small that I can not get a good feel for the parts. I have seen larger photos of their ST short mufflers, and they look like something I could have made as an amateur:

https://cdn3.volusion.com/jnuhm.vmpuk/v/vspfiles/photos/T-EX-STW-01-4.jpg

With all the warnings I've read about TEC on these forums (calling them glorified Chinese knockoffs by an entrepreneur in England), coupled with the low quality presentation (bad photos, bad website) and low pricing, I'm hesitant to try them out despite the occasional accolades.

Change my mind though. Someone post some high quality photos that show the workmanship. Show me a positive review from an accredited source. I'm willing to listen.

 

Is this the kit in question?

http://www.tecbikepartsusa.com/TEC_Black_Front_and_Rear_Adjustable_Suspension_Kit_p/t-fras-b-st.htm

If so, they look kind of cheaply made. Despite the photos being absolutely tiny, and correct me if I'm wrong - you can still see the casting irregularities of the piggyback support arm, indicating a lower quality part. Everyone else is using billet aluminum for that part of the assembly.

With all the warnings I've read about TEC on these forums (calling them glorified Chinese knockoffs ....

Show me a positive review from an accredited source. I'm willing to listen.

Yep that's them.

One piece die casting of main shock tube, link and gas reservoir tube all in one means no assembly with risk of weakness or joins between assembled parts leaking or failing. Just like the castings that make up your engine casings. There's also no issues on mine where the dies joined which is bound to leave a mark.

No one in their right mind would use three bits of billet and contemplate the machining of them for long cylindrical parts. Best to use tube or better still a one piece die casting like TEC incorporating as much detail as you can just like our engines. The two tubes in these shocks are bored to size and threaded internally on a lathe.

Whole bikes a knock off of the original twins made in Thailand not GB if we want the truth.
But its a great ride and full of character. No worse for it. The attention to detail is first rate.

They are very likely made in the same places as all the other manufacturers shocks. TEC's own design. Not a knock off. Just simple straight fwd shock absorbers engineered in a way that compliments the old British Bike style of doing things - in your shed. Its where the cafe racers and scramblers were dreamed up, created and the non standard parts made. Home made or round at your mates.

I'm not accredited. Then again I'm not a paid person only gets work because I write nice things about expensively marketed badged up stuff that's the same as everyone else's stuff. It was all about you and what you did to make your own bike. Not like today that's all about what the manufacturers can sell you to make it still the same as everyone else's.
Did I mention I'm an engineer with forty plus years under my belt and I've ridden over 2,000 miles on these shocks. Perhaps a bit of credibility there. Must add I only bought them to prove if the poor stock back end when two up was down to tyre or shocks. It wasn't the knock off Pirelli made in Brazil rear tyre after all. These TEC shocks have performed way beyond expectations. Particularly if you take their price into consideration.