The Wasp needs all 4 shocks rebuilt. I think we blew out the front shocks at Granville's.
It started wallowing bad on the back stretch of the main loop - we were only doing 50 ( at about 1/2 throttle in 3rd I might add ) - so we need some serious suspension work.
The rear shock is weak and the hack shock bounces as if it is shot as well.
I need more than just someone who can rebuild shocks. I need someone smart enough to help us figure out if we need stiffer springs, etc.
Can anyone make recommendations?
Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
I would definitely call them or email them and let them know what your "unique" situation is and I am sure they will let you know if they are up to the task.
I've got an old set of Monroe-matics off a Ford Ranger you could try.....
sounds like you need a local guy that is willing to work with you to dial it in, my guys arent too local to you, also a quad guy minght be more in tune with the rear, the front forks should be pretty straight up with a oil change and maybe a spring change.
Andy at Dirt First in Baltimore does real good work and has been racing quads on pro level for years, 410-686-9693
Bumpstiks was good a long time ago but its been over 10 years since i used him. I think he is around glen burnie / crofton area.
I took the Wasp up to Curtis to fabricate a new spacer and possibly rework the front motor mount so the bolt will stay tight. he checked the shocks and the front ones had no nitrogen in them at all. Curtis is also going to fab a heat shield for the silencer so there will be no more boot meltdowns in the future!
Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
Hard to tell but they look like Works Performance shocks, if so send them back to Works, they are decent about repairs and dialing it in, but get extra shock bushings cause they wear fast on works shocks. If they just need a charge i have a bottle.
I've heard that Works Performance is either out of business, or nearly out of business.
Works Performance uses a bizarre "inertial ball check valve" instead of shim stacks like the rest of the world. RaceTech has started making shim-stack pistons for Works shocks. The advantage is that pretty much *any* suspension guy can adjust the damping using standard shims, rather than needing to send the shocks back to Works and tuning them with their own proprietary ball/spring parts.
Also, everyone I know -- and this includes me as I have a pair on the back of my ZRX -- find the Works shocks too harsh. Their spring recommendations are far too stiff, there is about 40% too much compression damping, and about 70% too little rebound damping. IMHO, this is exactly backwards of what you want for traction in the dirt.
More info - spoke with Al Wenzel last night. Al is the Godfather of MX hack racing and he knows this bike well. He said the hack shock needs to be soft--a common mistake is to make them too stiff. He has ridden the bike (although many years ago) and at that time thought it was setup correctly. BTW, he's a big guy like me too. He suggested that I just rebuild the shocks and them ride it another year before making any suspension changes.
Standby! More to come.
Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
Finally got the hack back from Curtis last night. He made a new set of spacers for the lost lower front engine mount and fab'd a really sweet silencer heat shield so the passenger won't experience boot melt-down.
Called around to get info on shock rebuilds. According to the second owner (Mike Burns Jr), the last time the shocks were rebuilt was in the '91-92ish time frame. Works Performance did the last rebuild and replaced the rear spring.
I couldn't get a hold of Andy at Dirt First.
Works Performance is still in business. Spoke with them today but they have a 4-6 week wait.
MX-Tech can do the shocks and they only have a 2 week wait, so with a bit of luck, I'll have the shocks off the bike tonight and at UPS tomorrow!
Ken
Die young as late as possible, remember who you were before the world told you how it should be. -- Barry Morris
) - so we need some serious suspension work. 
you know, you might have something there! 
