upgraded rear shocks? yss, ohlins, other?

[Russell iow]

Do upgraded shocks improve ride quality over rough roads when you have the standard scoot layout with engine/cvt mounted on the swingarm?
Does anyone have any feedback on YSS, ohlins or anything else?

[MrGrumpy]

Interesting question! No real experience I'm afraid, though I have experienced the inadequacy of many engine mounted on the swing arm scoots. Honda, Peugeot, Zontes et al have released 'Adventure' scoots with much higher spec forks/ rear shocks, and these do seem to improve the way they handle rough roads and even allow them to venture off road a bit. I've only had a brief ride on the Honda ADV350, but that impressed me so much suspension-wise that I'm buying one! However, I suspect that its not down to the shocks and forks alone - these scoots are also given somewhat longer travel suspension than the standard ones, which I guess gives the system more scope to handle the rough stuff. So my guess is that improved suspension components will improve things, but probably aren't the entire answer. (btw Nothing will convince me that any sort of suspension mod would make my previous Suzuki Burgman 200 rideable out in the sticks - it was appalling!!!!)

I have two experiences of modifying suspension, though neither are especially relevant. After the rear shock failed on my mk6 Tmax, I put a Bitubo one on - this did improve the ride on bumpier roads (made it bounce less) but was firmer on smoother urban roads. I also once put Hyperpro fork inserts into a mk1 Tmax. This cured the soggy bounciness of the original forks, and gave a wonderfully precise feel of the road through the forks, but it did make the ride firmer.

The other snag is that you can buy Ohlins shocks for a variety of scoots (including the Honda ADV350) but they cost £1000, which is a helluva lot of money considering the original scoot costs around £5k new!

[Leadfarmer]

Put some YSS on mine, they’re an improvement over standard but as you say, with the classic engine on swing arm setup it’s never going to be brilliant

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[Russell iow]

They are a fair bit cheaper there. I was quoted £700 odd for the g series.

[MrGrumpy]

Still very impressed by the suspension of the ADV350, with its super-duper Showa forks & shocks. The ride is certainly on the firm side, but does absorb the terrible bumps on Cumbrian back roads very impressively - in a very controlled manner. It actually handles the bad roads possibly better than my Tmax mk3! However, I suspect that this is as much down to the longer suspension travel the ADV has as to the forks and rear shocks alone. Thinking back to my Burgman 200 which was effectively unrideable in the sticks, I think its problem may have been due to being fairly softly suspended (for comfort in town) and short travel suspension. In the sticks, the bumps were so bad it basically hit the end of the suspension travel on every bump, so any further bumps made it wallow and sway, since there was basically no suspension left!

[Waldorf]

I went for a ride last Monday over the Pennines and far away, trying-out the route for the X9 Owners Club gathering next Saturday.
I think the only type of road omitted were the silly country lanes with loads of grass and gravel down the middle.
Steve, the chap up here who has planned the route, leads many groups and has the sense to avoid dangerous lanes.
The surfaces were mixed but posed no problems for my Forza 350.
Steve was on his Silverwing and, at one stop, slackened off the shocks one notch to soften the ride; he rides 2-up on it much of the time so they were set hardish.

[Russell iow]

I had a look at the adv350 the other day. Ill have to test ride one when he gets one in as they look to have more travel. I also like the look of the bmwc650gt with its frame mounted engine and good underseat storage.

[MrGrumpy]

Well, the C650 is a whole different class of scoot (very similar in many respects to a Tmax). Different engineering, higher performance and higher costs! The ADV350 does remarkably well, considering its only a mid-sized scoot. As for the C650 luggage compartment - I read somewhere that whilst its supposed to take 1 (or 2?) full face helmets, only BMW's own brand helmets fit inside, so if you get to check one over, try it with your helmet. The ADV350 has a massive underseat space - it seems even bigger than the original Burgman 650!