[GapRunr]

It looks like someone could remove the charcoal canister and then the reservoir could be rotated clockwise giving enough room for an inner mud sling. I've got the Machine Art Moto mud sling on my bike. Does anyone have an aftermarket shock and the MAMO mudsling installed? I'm trying to figure what will fit shock wise.

 

[GapRunr]

I jumped in with both feet today and ordered a TFX142 rear shock for my Urban GS to help raise it up. I ordered a taller shock with more travel. Shock measure 395 eye to eye, versus 372 stock. Stroke was increased from 52mm to 74mm with an increase of 44mm of travel at the rear.

I passed on getting a hydraulic preload adjuster and spent that money on a full 3 way shock instead with adjustments for rebound, low speed compression and high speed compression. I never carry a passenger on this bike, so if I load up for a trip I can manually adjust the preload with the hook wrenches and leave it that way for the trip.

 

[GapRunr]

Depends on the person, your riding style, your weight, etc. The rear shock has some adjustment, so playing around with those settings may make it better. The forks though are pretty outdated. A fork upgrade will make the bike feel better, but then also will highlight how bad the rear shock actually is. I'd start with forks if I wasn't doing it all at once.

 

[GapRunr]

Just a heads up about the TFX. They build it so the reservoir is at about the 220 degree location, so that it clears the charcoal canister. As a result you can not fit a mud sling of any type as it interferes with the reservoir. Also, if you want to adjust the 3 way, one of the dials is partially blocked by a section of the passenger sub frame. You can get to it, but if you removed the charcoal canister and the reservoir was at the 270 degree mark, it would be incredibly easy to adjust AND you could still protect the shock with an aftermarket mud sling of some sort. Had I know this ahead of time I would have ordered one built with the reservoir at the 270 mark, if that's even possible.

I must admit I am a little concerned about wear and tear on the shaft, as I do ride this on some pretty rough trails. Time will tell. I'll probably have to hack up the mud sling to make room for the reservoir yet somehow still block dirt from getting through, but at this price I was sort of hoping it would fit out of the box.

 

[GapRunr]

Thanks Shane, those are pretty decent for street use but if you ride through deep mud or water then the dirt will get inside through the bottom and then stay inside there doing even more damage. But for street use those are perfect.

 

[GapRunr]

looking good @TimC !! You'll enjoy that shock. Mine felt a lot better after settling in for about 250 miles.

 

[GapRunr]

I have the TFX. Installed the three way at the end of June and put about 3,000 miles on it this month. It really is nice. I wish I would have splurged for the remote preload adjuster. I went without as I figured I would rarely adjust it and if needed I could use the wrench. Well, I can't get the wrench in it from any angle so now I have to remove the shock to adjust it.

 

[GapRunr]

I've got a 2018 Urban GS, and went with a much taller shock and taller fork cartridges to gain ground clearance. Really miss the preload adjuster.

 

[GapRunr]

I'm in Canada so I ordered mine directly from TFX.

> the stock shock has 139.7mm of travel and your TFX added 44mm for a total of 183.7mm?

Not quite. You are mixing up shock and suspension travel. Stock shock travel was increased about 24 to 26 mm and so the suspension travel was increased from 139mm to about 184mm. I have a height adjuster on the shock that lets me add up to 5mm to the shock length which would increase suspension travel about 12 or 14 mm.

I hope that makes sense

 

[GapRunr]

The extra 5mm adjustment was an option. Keep in mind the front +20 will raise the bike about 18mm in the front but the rear +25 will raise the rear far more.

Also, I am not sure if these offer additional suspension travel, or just increased ride height.

 

[GapRunr]

It seems this TFX +25mm shock and the Traxxion Dynamics +20mm cartridges is the option I should go with. The ride quality no doubt will improve, I hope the ride height increase is enough to change the squatty stance the bike has now.

Hey @NA2SA, have you done this yet? I just came across this and thought I had replied earlier. Are the Traxxion Dynamics cartridges a "plus 20mm" or are they a "20mm cartridge" meaning the piston size is 20mm? I didn't see any on their web site that increases ride height and travel. The only setup I could find was the $1500 cartridges for the Racer

 

[GapRunr]

Ouch. those cartridges are twice the price of the Andreani tall. I wonder what the difference is?

 

[GapRunr]

@Jackobean the TFX has been awesome. I spent the extra money for the three way adjustable, and it was worth every penny. It is soft and compliant when going over rocks, small logs, etc off road at slower speeds, and firm at higher speeds on road bumps, potholes. etc.

TFX can make it for pretty much any weight. I'm heavier than you and it has never bottomed out since I installed it, despite getting a little airborne every now and then. The front Andreani cartridges made a huge difference as well. On my 2018 the front felt like it was sprung for a 150 pound rider and the rear for a 250 pound rider.

 

[GapRunr]

@GapRunr - I just got my TFX 142 and ordered it as +30mm. Ted informed me that they made it too long by accident, resulting in a +40mm.

Oddly the shock only seems to be 0.5” / longer than the stock UGS shock. I am beyond confused.
The +40mm refers to the added shock length, not the added suspension, right?!?

Sorry, I haven't been on here much since I sold my Urban. Thr +30mm and +40mm are increase in bike height not shock length. The ratio is about 1 to 3. A 10mm longer shock is about 30mm taller of a bike.