TAKEGAWA Lowering Heavy-Duty Rear Shock

[GeeGusKahn]

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I know some of you have installed the TAKEGAWA Lowering HD Rear Shock.
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Opinions wanted:
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How is the ride ??
Hitting potholes ??
Rough roads ??
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Interested in all rider inputs on these.

[Mel46]

We put them on both of our pcx 150s. They are great. Because they are adjustable, hitting pot holes is dampened somewhat as long as they are not set at their lowest setting. Certainly the ride is much better. I would recommend a change from the original shocks for anyone who wants to enjoy long rides on their pcx. The shocks don't have to be the lowering ones. We purchased the lowering ones because my wife is only 5 ft tall and we swap bikes ever so often. They lower the bike about an inch or more. Every little bit helps her be able to put her feet on the ground when at a stop.

[Branyers]

But wouldn't it make sense to install the lowering springs for the front as well?

[Mel46]

As i understand it, there is a bit of work involved with lowering the front forks. I don't have that much skill.

[Valiant]

Hmm, must've had it all wrong because I thought it was just a case of "install these":
http://japan.webike.net/products/20916906.html

[Mel46]

You have to take the front apart to do this. I believe one of our members took his apart and cut his springs. Still a lot of work.

[Indyglow]

I have Takegawa lowering shocks. The only reason I got them was to lower the bike. The ride is a bit better than stock shocks. Hitting potholes seems about the same because you still get the jolt from the front.

[GeeGusKahn]

I have Takegawa lowering shocks. The only reason I got them was to lower the bike. The ride is a bit better than stock shocks. Hitting potholes seems about the same because you still get the jolt from the front.

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Indyglow and Mel
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What setting do you use for the preload ??
I am assuming that 1 is soft and 5 is hard.
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thanks

[Mel46]

We set our right in the middle...well, as close to the middle as we can...3

[GeeGusKahn]

So, where did you order them from ??
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Thanks

[Mel46]

http://www.j-mart.biz/j-parts/index.php ... s_id=11706

They aren't cheap but we love them. By the way, I noticed that you live at Lake Hartwell. How do you like it? Where do you ride, and what city do you go to when you need to shop or go to a doctor? Atlanta is a long distance from there.

[GeeGusKahn]

http://www.j-mart.biz/j-parts/index.php ... s_id=11706

They aren't cheap but we love them. By the way, I noticed that you live at Lake Hartwell. How do you like it? Where do you ride, and what city do you go to when you need to shop or go to a doctor? Atlanta is a long distance from there.

Mel, thanks for the link.
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Love Hartwell, small and rural. The county, Hart, has way more cows, horses, chickens, etc than people.
As for rides, I just head North.
Lots of windy back roads plus easy ride to places like Dalonega and North Carolina.
They just built a new hospital, Ty Cobb Regional about 15 miles from here.
Also about 40 miles either direction is Athens Regional or Greenville with trauma centers and all the bells and whistles.
Hartwell has a Wally World and Mickey Ds, what more do you need ??
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Downtown Anderson SC is about 20 miles to the east with lots of stuff.
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It's mostly very quiet and laid back. Occasional street fairs or similar and you can watch the grass grow.
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By the by, I moved here in 2010, prior residence was Mableton in South Cobb Co.
Don't miss it at all.
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[maddiedog]

I had a set on my PCX for a bit, but switched back to stock. I scared the crap out of myself, because the lowered suspension means less cornering clearance by a fair margin. I nearly lowsided.

They severely diminished my ability to curbhop too, which is necessary in Atlanta.

Regardless, the ride was WAY better and I could flatfoot the PCX, which is never a bad thing. I tippietoe it on the stock suspension. I didn't notice any bottoming out on potholes either. They're great suspension setups.

[relic]

Got some on my bike think maybe gives a false reading on oil dipstick
most purchase for more flat footing
get rid of the plastics around the mid bike make your own foot rests
ergonomics plus servicing is way lot easier

[Mel46]

Dave got the best solution to his shock problem though. He bought a V Strom. It is a beast. Now he has the little rocket (his pcx 170cc) and his big beast (his V-Strom 650) , so he can scream around locally or jump on his beast and hit the freeways. We took our pcx 150s on the freeway recently and they kept up with traffic, but that was about it. Dave can not only keep up, but he can pass them with either of those two. I am guessing that he wanted more weight though, so he purchased the bigger bike. I noticed on our little scooters that they get a lot of cross winds from traffic on freeways. New shocks don't help in that situation.

[GeeGusKahn]

I had a set on my PCX for a bit, but switched back to stock. I scared the crap out of myself, because the lowered suspension means less cornering clearance by a fair margin. I nearly lowsided.

They severely diminished my ability to curbhop too, which is necessary in Atlanta.

Regardless, the ride was WAY better and I could flatfoot the PCX, which is never a bad thing. I tippietoe it on the stock suspension. I didn't notice any bottoming out on potholes either. They're great suspension setups.

Dave, I have seen you ride on your Buddy 125 and I am no were near as an aggressive rider.
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So for normal everyday Easy Riders like myself - do you see any problem ??
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Mel, your thoughts on this would also be appreciated.

[Alibally]

If you lower the bike do you also have to shorten the side stand as well?

[Mel46]

When we lowered our two pcx 150s we weren't sure what to expect. Well i can say that we really love our bikes now. No, the sie stand does not need to be adjusted in any way. The bike only drops about 1 1/2" and is still quite capable of taking the dragons tail at a decent speed, though not like Dave likes to ride. Dave had to take his center stand off because of the year model his pcx is. This also helps him take the curves at a sharper angle because the center stand is the one thing that restricts the bike from leaning much.

As for riding comfort for us normal riders, I am glad that we have the lowering shocks on our bikes. They add to comfort while riding the normal roads. They would not work well, I believe, if you wanted to go off road for camping, unless you are following a path that has very few pot holes.

[maddiedog]

I agree with Mel, I think you'll be fine.

I used to say I ride like grandma, but the more I ride, the more I realize I ride harder than most scooterists. If you're cruising and going easy, you'll do fine.

[Drifter]

Does takegawa or anyone else make a softer spring shock for someone light weight?