this is a NICE forum and website, hope you all can help. I have gone through the second (used) factory showa shock on my 1983 interceptor. My questions to others have been can these adjustable air/oil shocks be rebuilt, and is it worth it? Do these shocks require routine maintainence? I have also been told that with simple modification that i can use a much newer shock off of a CBR Honda, or of of a Newer VFR. Can anyone offer me some guidance on this, the old shock is just hard as a brick with VERY slow movement! Thanks
Hi and welcome to the forum! I'm almost certain they can be rebuilt. You would need to find a shop that is setup and can get parts for a shock that old. Call suspension shops and get prices. You may even need to send it out if you don't have anything local. I had a Showa off an old dirtbike rebuilt and it cost me around $175.
Your question really had two parts. Can they be rebuilt? Yes. Is it worth it? Maybe not. The original shocks were not that good when new and are not like wine, they do NOT get better with age. The rebuilding process can also stir up debris inside that shock that can permanently ruin it. I've had this happen several times, that's why I only do rebuilds on a case by case basis. The CBR or VFR shocks can be adapted to fit your bike. I've done this for my own bikes and have recently started offering it to others. So far everyone that I've done it for has been really happy with the results. I've got the details about the conversion on my site. If you have any questions about this please feel free to ask.
