Hi everyone,
I took my beloved 2000 Fazer to John & Nick at Revs Racing in Birmingham last month, and wanted to share a quick review. Hopefully useful to someone.
Like many of us foccers, I've never been overwhelmed by the standard suspension and with 40k on the clock, it was only getting worse. I recently started an IAM course and the observed rides, often "making progress" on pretty awful roads, really showed up the suspension. I'm a student and not easily persuaded to part with my money, but it's amazing how persuasive a sore buttocks can be. By that, I mean from the choppy ride and the clenching that ensues with every scary mid-corner bump. All this whilst trying to keep up with an ex-copper on his Blackbird, so I finally decided to do something about it.
OverviewAny work done is by either John, 3 times British and twice European sidecar trials Champion, or Nick who is also a British Champion in the same field.
It's obvious they know what they're doing, and whatever you get done will be subject to their expertise and attention to detail. I think that was one of the biggest draws over buying a shock, fitting and setting it up myself. Having said that, you don't need a shock or other parts supplied by them to have them fitted or set up by them.
Upgrade optionsThere are lots of options, including various shocks. Really you need to give Revs a bell and discuss what you want.
In regards to the shock; I spoke to them about rebuilding the (officially non-rebuildable) Yamaha shock but it's a lot of work and cost for relatively little gain. It seems that because nowadays, there aren't that many FZS600s going in for work, it's not economical for them to have custom parts produced for rebuilding the shock like they once did.
Having seen the Wilbers shock side by side with my Yamaha original and a Hagon, imo it's very clear the Wilbers is head and shoulders above them both in terms of quality. Really, it's a thing of beauty for what it is. The main advantages of the Wilbers for me was; firstly its built to your specification, this includes the internal components not just the spring (as I understand it is with some aftermarket shocks, e.g. Nitron?). Its fitted and set-up by suspension specialists , comes with a 5 year warranty, and has a quick turn around (i.e. you're not waiting for the shock to be rebuilt somewhere).
All in all, I felt it was the best value option for me and it wasn't much more costly than a rebuilt original or a Hagon. As I was having the rear end sorted, I also wanted to make sure the front end matched it. So, I decided to have the forks upgraded at the same time too.
I opted to have a stage 1 fork upgrade and a Wilbers Ecoline shock.
- Stage 1 fork upgrade: Fork service (incl new oil + any seals etc that need replacing) + new linear springs matched to your weight. Preload adjustment at the end if applicable.
- Wilbers Ecoline Shock: Ecoline are the line of entry level shocks by Wilbers. Preload adjustment only. 5 years warranty. Built to order to your specificationby Wilbers in Germany. Revs ask for your weight, your pillion's weight and the percentage of time you carry him/her. You can also have them take into account any luggage, topboxes etc, and how often you carry that too.
*My specification was as follows; 68kg rider + 68kg pillion (25% of the time) + hard topbox and hard panniers (occasionally). The luggage weight was not taken into account as they aren't fitted frequently enough.
- Forks (incl service, fork seals, dust seals, new springs, removal & refit, set-up) = £270
- Shocks (incl shock itself, removal, fitment and set-up) = £337
- Total = £607
Note that fork and dust seals are only replaced where necessary. I also took the opportunity to replace the old tatty fork castings with a freshly powder coated pair.
Day of fitmentRevs are in Birmingham, I live in London, and I chose the wettest & coldest day of the month to ride up there to have it done, but both John and Nick make a good cuppa which was just as well! It was a matter of same day, ride in & ride out. The whole job took about 6 hours and in the meantime I was given a lift to the biggest motorcycle dealership I've ever been to, Streetbike, I think it was called. Sat in the cafe there, fannied about on all the bikes they had on the shop floor (including the Fazer8, very nice!) and had a look at their clothing dept upstairs. Plenty to keep you busy for a good few hours. It's also a pleasure just chatting to John and Nick when you're at the workshop, they are very knowledgeable about bikes and are some of the friendliest and hospitable people I know.
Summary(and on the road impressions)
I commute on my bike everyday and have been on a few long rides with the IAM since and the suspension is miles better. So much more comfortable and confidence inspiring, especially when the pace picks up. I could go on forever about how much better it feels but all I'll say is that it was worth it and that I'm very, very pleased.
£600 odd was a lot to part with in one go, but it was also a lot of work to be done in one go. When you break it all down I think it represents good value. Considering a Hagon shock is usually around £300, the £337 I paid for the made to order & properly set-up Wilbers shock is not bad at all. Also worth mentioning that they often have 2nd hand shocks in stock (at a lower price), and if you change bikes, you can sell back the Wilbers shock to Revs or exchange it for one to fit your new bike. In that case, I think it's going to be the first upgrade I'll do on my next bike. That'll be years away though as my Fazer's too good to give up now. Great experience. Recommended
