Showa revalve. Worth doing???

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Ducaki
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Showa revalve. Worth doing???

Post by Ducaki »

Hi all
Been thinking about some work to pep up the handling on the st4. At the moment it feels like an 80% bike, will make good progress but doesn't like being man handled.
Heavier 0.95 springs and 10wt oil should sort the front.
The rear however Showa rebound and compression adjustable I'm unable to do much with its coming up for 20 years old. I'm wandering if the shock would respond well to a revalve and spring and who would I trust with it. Of course I could buy a second hand Ohlins get it serviced and respurng, but that will probably come in at £500+. End of the day it's an old bike that's not worth a fortune but definitely has room for improvement.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Cheers
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billinom8s
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Re: Showa revalve. Worth doing???

Post by billinom8s »

I wouldn't do a revalve.
A thorough clean, good spring, some quality oil and the proper gas will bring it back to life.2
I would trust me to do it as have done a fair few and had the training. But that's just me.
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pieeater
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Re: Showa revalve. Worth doing???

Post by pieeater »

From experience I would certainly look at refreshing / upgrading a tired old OEM shock as it can make a big difference to the way the bike handles, your confidence through corners and the enjoyment you get from riding it.

My advice would be to check out the bike specific forums for the ST4 and see what options there are and what the general consensus is about the merits of each. The most cost effective option would likely be a re-spring and re-gas and it sounds as if you've already found someone who could do a decent job for you :wink:
Ducaki
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Re: Showa revalve. Worth doing???

Post by Ducaki »

Cheers guys. Reports on the revalve are a bit hit and miss. I think it really depends on who does it.
To obtain consistent opinions from Ducati divas is never gonna happen :-)
Billinom8s I'll need some time to think, as I'm sure there was never enough dampening on these bikes from new . MCN set one up many years back and gave it all but full comp and rebound. Or maybe oils have come on a long way?
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Ducaki
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Re: Showa revalve. Worth doing???

Post by Ducaki »

Thanks guys.
Just picked up a second hand nitron with the correct spring for me. This seemed to be the most cost effective way to go as I'll have options if I sell the bike.
Just need fork springs and I won't know myself this summer :-)
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Re: Showa revalve. Worth doing???

Post by pieeater »

Ducaki wrote:Thanks guys.
Just picked up a second hand nitron with the correct spring for me. This seemed to be the most cost effective way to go as I'll have options if I sell the bike.
Just need fork springs and I won't know myself this summer :-)
Nice one, I have a Nitron shock on my bike and am really happy with it. If you have any spare cash it might be worthwhile sending the shock off to them to get it serviced if it hasn't been done for a while. I think I had mine from new for about 4 years before I had it serviced and the difference when it came back was very noticeable, so worth doing as and when.......I spoke with a helpful chap called Alex Kernaham (01993) 849449 sales@nitron.co.uk who explained the 2 different types of service that they do and costs etc.
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