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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| Try this if you get a chance: take the seat off and pump the suspension up to 45 psi or more and then spray some Windex or household cleaner on the shock fill hose which is laying under the seat. I think you might be surprised what happens. Turns out mine is porous and there are little geysers of bubbles over its entire length. Post what yours does.
Marc |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | okay - is this a case of having run out of things to discuss? however, I'll entertain myself with this one. my shock is shot, losing air over the course of about 2 weeks from 65psi to about 25, but also it is leaking oil. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | I did exactly what you said with Windex. Nothing happened. To double check, I then used Snoop liquid leak detector. Still nothing. Sounds like Victory mixed up their pneumatic tubing with the soaker hose for their lawn when assembling your bike.
http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/la/052808_soaker.jpg
Edited by victoryvisiontour 2011-10-21 9:58 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| Bummer! I wonder if they changed the hose size/type. Mine is something like 1/8" ID and a tiny bit more than 1/4" on the OD .270". I was speaking with the fellow from HMD about his pressure gauge kit this afternoon and he said that his bike has 1/4" hose which is what he made his kit for. It does sound like they changed something along the way. What size is the hose on yours? Mine has little leaks over its entire length. Thanks for checking.
Marc
Edited by marcparnes 2011-10-21 10:12 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Sounds like mine is the same size as yours. There is a worldwide shortage of nylon right now. Wonder if Victory changed to something more readily available, but didn't have enough time to test it??? Just guessing. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | And who really gives a crap? I am guessing that maybe when my bike is close to needing servicing - the occasional bump is more 'vigorous' than it might have been with 'more air' - but I don't feel the need of dashing around, finding pumps and guages, removing seats or any other un-necessary crud. I just simply 'enjoy' riding - and let my dealer worry about settings. Folks - spend your time planning on how to land that big fish, or how to make love to that person of interest, or where to spend your winter vacation. JEEZ - don't waste it on AIR !
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Iron Butt
Posts: 804
Perry Hall, MD | Sorry Don, but with all of the side effects that could occur because of a shock failure I have to agree that it should be a concern. Heck just having to replace a rear tire early due to cupping caused by it would be reason enough. Those buggers are a pain to change. I do have to agree that I would much rather be worrying about the fish, sex, and vacation!
I do have to question hearing a bunch of people (mostly guys I would think) talking about the size of their hose. Proves that size does matter I guess. :-) |
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Cruiser
Posts: 58
San Clemente | Good info. Means for those that have what seems to be a porous hose should check air pressure more regularly. To say you leave "settings" up to your dealer is pretty lame, unless you hang out at the dealer, at least weekly. If that's the case maybe you should take your own advice. |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| Did you look to see if you can replace the hose |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | Don't need to check. Run mine a 20lbs and check it about every six months. Only air it looses is what I let out checking it. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | glighto11 - 2011-10-22 8:22 AM Don't need to check. Run mine a 20lbs and check it about every six months. Only air it looses is what I let out checking it. That's EXACTLY what I said! I just used different words .... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | donetracey - 2011-10-22 1:06 PM glighto11 - 2011-10-22 8:22 AM Don't need to check. Run mine a 20lbs and check it about every six months. Only air it looses is what I let out checking it. That's EXACTLY what I said! I just used different words .... And a lot of them! 
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Tourer
Posts: 494
Akron Ohio area | So far my Vision's rear shock hasn't leaked any air in 24,000 miles. (Just checked it)
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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| Ok, its fixed. I had to remove the rear wheel and the shock to get to the fitting that attaches the pressure hose to the shock. I was hoping it was going to be a standard 1/8" pipe fitting like the Showas on Harleys but no such luck. It uses a one-off straight fitting with an o-ring seal and an unknown thread. I ended up converting the original fitting to a 1/8" hose barb. I used 1/8" x 1/4" poly tubing and a new schrader assembly. I've got 40 psi in it now and there doesn't seem to be any leaks. I've got my fingers crossed till I can check it again in the morning. The original idea was to add a pressure gauge but I think I'll let that go till I'm sure the basic line is leak free.
What a project!
Marc |
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Cruiser
Posts: 58
San Clemente | Good to hear. We missed you today at Cooks. |
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Tourer
Posts: 390
| I wonder if you should go 100 percent nitrogen only...... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | I added a gauge to my mountain bike shock.
I want to put one on the Vision too. I change the pressure often when riding solo to work vs 2-up in the evenings or weekends. The bike seems to steer better with the correct pressure in the shock, especially at slow speed. Not sure where to mount it. First thought was to use a panel mount type gauge and put it in the center console below the radio buttons. I'm not sure I want it there though. I might put it in the same area as the Schrader valve.
Marcparnes,
If you add a gauge, a restrictor is needed. Otherwise the gauge needle oscillates up and down from pressure fluctuations as the shock is stroking. For the mountain bike, there was no commercially available restrictor with an orifice small enough to slow the flow down adequately. So, I simply filled the gauge port with Loctite. It sealed the flow path, but leaked past the Loctite just enough for the gauge to still read the pressure.
If anyone has added a pressure gauge to the Vision shock (or tried to add), please post your results.
Edited by victoryvisiontour 2011-10-22 10:38 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| victoryvisiontour - 2011-10-22 7:35 PM
I added a gauge to my mountain bike shock.
Marcparnes,
If you add a gauge, a restrictor is needed. Otherwise the gauge needle oscillates up and down from pressure fluctuations as the shock is stroking. For the mountain bike, there was no commercially available restrictor with an orifice small enough to slow the flow down adequately. So, I simply filled the gauge port with Loctite. It sealed the flow path, but leaked past the Loctite just enough for the gauge to still read the pressure.
If anyone has added a pressure gauge to the Vision shock (or tried to add), please post your results.
There are a couple of considerations:
1. My bike used a reinforced rubber hose with a 3 mm ID. It will not accept 1/8" barbed fittings nor is it hard enough to use compression fittings. It has a crimp-on fitting attached at the shock end which is a straight thread of unknown size with an O ring. The other side is crimped to the shrader valve. This hose might in most situations be a deal breaker. I ended up modifying the shock fitting, replacing the valve and using polyurethane 1/8" ID clear tubing.
2. Gauge needle oscillation might not be a problem as long as the high end of the stroke doesn't go beyond the gauge max and doesn't end up moving so much that it eventually wears out the mechanism. Based on the volume of air and the size of the fittings, it might be OK. Otherwise it would be a simple fix to install a plastic plug with a tiny through hole in the hose before the gauge.
Marc |
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Cruiser
Posts: 262
Flowery Branch Ga | Would it be easier to switch to an aftermarket shock? It appears that the factory shock won't last past 100,000 miles (cheap a$$ shocks, ( per the post by varyder. Opinions please.
Wayne |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| You mean they use parts that won't last forever?
Important issue? Isn't checking shock pressure part of your maintenance schedule? Or did you finally get around to it and now it's time to make an issue of it? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 58
San Clemente | RedRider - 2011-10-24 4:44 AM
You mean they use parts that won't last forever?
Important issue? Isn't checking shock pressure part of your maintenance schedule? Or did you finally get around to it and now it's time to make an issue of it?
How about the guy discovered something and he's sharing actual information. Something pretty refreshing. |
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Tourer
Posts: 444
Bay of Gigs, WA | Everybody knows it's not the size of your hose that matters, it's what...oh, forget it. |
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Shock Hose Experiment