2018 shock IS an upgrade for 2015-2017 bikes

[Bigturbomax 479]

So I silently volunteered myself to be a guinea pig for the benefit of my fellow forum members. I think im the first person to slap the "new" 2018 rear shock on a first generation bike. I would like to get a few things out in the open before I give my thoughts. 1st, ive got just over 10,000 miles on my 2017 with stock suspension. Only change ive made is 10mm additional preload in the front forks-so i feel well qualified to have an opinion on the stock 2017 rear shock. It sucks. It really, really sucks. 2nd, im not a track rider or even really an advanced rider. 3rd, the 2018 shock is not track ready equipment. 4th, im still on the original bt023 tires. 5th, my bike is primarily a commuter. 55 miles daily with a mix of 80mph freeway and rutted chewed up city streets. 

However, ive burned through a couple hundred miles with this new shock and wanted to share my thoughts on this upgrade. Im 205lbs and 5 ft 9 for reference. The 2018 shock is FAR better at bump absorbing, road tracking and generally rear tire stability. I have good rear sag with the shock in the stock 4th click. I did some testing on the rebound adjuster and found for street use it seems to ride best right around the middle.  When i brake hard and fast the nose only tips forward slightly. When i lean into 25mph darts across intersections, my back tire no longer feels like its skipping across the pavement. There are several turns on my way home from work that cross rail road tracks. Ive been hitting those same 40 mph(speed zone) turns at 55mph for almost 2 years now. Those railroad tracks would bump me off the seat and the bike would cycle up and down 2 or 3 times at least and wiggle unstably throught the turn.  I just got used to lifting my bottom off the seat. With the new shock i hit those same turns at the same speed. The rear shock compresses and then pushes back down on the pavement. Doesnt bump me out of the seat and the bike doesnt wiggle while trying to settle itself. Ya know. Like a rear shock is supposed to. The bike feels exponentially more stable in all the corners ive tossed it into since i put the 2018 shock on. I also dont have to stand over the seat for small or even moderate bumps anymore. It tracks better, feels less squirelly in corners and is much more comfortable now. Also noticed it isnt as wiggly on the highway, perticularly when passing large vehicles. 

 

So in conclusion, no its not an ohlins. No its not a ktech or wilbers. But for the $270 they cost new or under $100 they can be found used(rare on ebay but they do come up) its a massive improvement to the whole experience. And unlike the cbr shock it requires no airbox mods. For the price on a street ridden bike id do it again. Please if anyone has any questions im happy to answer them. 

 

TLDR-the 2018 rear shock is way better than the 2015-2017 rear shock and isnt expensive. Worth considering if you want to improve the bike but dont have $500 to buy something nicer and arent planning to hit the track. 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by Bigturbomax
Forgot something

[zaw 6]

Nice I have about 4,000 miles on my bike with the stock bt 023 tires and was seriously considering buying a new set of tires because they just did not feel good, but if this shock is that much of an improvement I might just pull the trigger on one of those.

 

edit - I just bought one for $45 on ebay that had 77 miles

Edited June 29, 2019 by zaw

[Bigturbomax 479]

54 minutes ago, zaw said:

Nice I have about 4,000 miles on my bike with the stock bt 023 tires and was seriously considering buying a new set of tires because they just did not feel good, but if this shock is that much of an improvement I might just pull the trigger on one of those.

 

edit - I just bought one for $45 on ebay that had 77 miles

Nice! Let me know how you like it once you get it installed. 

[robbo10 441]

The bike should not bounce like it does and I shall consider this mod.  I have a Honda Rebel too - a bike also at the cheaper end of the market - and it behaves really well. 

[Major_Tom 8]

I am about to put on a TFX shock on my 2018 XSR if anyone wants the OEM one

[scat2me 84]

Will it fit my 2017 FZ07 ?

[Bigturbomax 479]

7 minutes ago, scat2me said:

Will it fit my 2017 FZ07 ?

Yes. Bolts up just like the original. 

[scat2me 84]

Babbitts shows the 2017 FZ 07 and the 2018 XSR 700 uses the same shock . I thought they would be different.

[Bigturbomax 479]

1 hour ago, scat2me said:

Babbitts shows the 2017 FZ 07 and the 2018 XSR 700 uses the same shock . I thought they would be different.

I didnt notice he said XSR. I am referencing specifocally the 2018 MT07 shock with rebound adjuster. 

[Major_Tom 8]

4 minutes ago, Bigturbomax said:

I didnt notice he said XSR. I am referencing specifocally the 2018 MT07 shock with rebound adjuster. 

 

1 hour ago, scat2me said:

Babbitts shows the 2017 FZ 07 and the 2018 XSR 700 uses the same shock . I thought they would be different.

Oh I thought the XSR also got the upgraded shock, didn't realize the new mt's got a rebound adjuster. Ah well, offer stands

[Beemer 5,303]

I never adjusted mine from day 1 and haven't had any "major" problems with mine although I should adjust it for a little more stiffness. If I ever go to buy a new rear shock I will most definitely consider this option, thanks for being a guinea pig and posting this, lol! 

[robbo10 441]

In the UK, ithe'18 costs £350 + fitting. Only another £150 for the Ohlins listed by Yamaha....... 

[scat2me 84]

20 hours ago, Major_Tom said:

 

Oh I thought the XSR also got the upgraded shock, didn't realize the new mt's got a rebound adjuster. Ah well, offer stands

Thanks

[Bigturbomax 479]

2 hours ago, robbo10 said:

In the UK, ithe'18 costs £350 + fitting. Only another £150 for the Ohlins listed by Yamaha....... 

Dang. I had no idea it was that expensive in the UK. In the US it's $274 for the '18 shock and Ohlins is $600. So it makes more fiscal sense here. But it sounds like in your position Ohlins is obviously superior for a small difference in price. 

[Grip it & Rip it 42]

Thanks for being a guinea pig. Might have to do this.

[Bigturbomax 479]

UPDATE-im still happy i tried out this shock.

Ive played a little with the rebound adjuster and found for my weight and riding about 2/3rds to max rebound is about the sweet spot. Ive got about 500 miles on the new shock now. I feel way more in control of the bike now with the reduction in bounciness. Now im even more keen to test out some budget improvements for the front end. Ive actually knocked about 3/8ths inch off my chicken strips on both sides of the rear tire since i put this shock on. Im just not as spooked about really leaning it over now. 

[robbo10 441]

Yamaha made some changes to the front end with the 18 as well. Maybe there is something there for you. It is supposed to be stiffer, more "sporty". 

[Torqueriot 11]

Nice little upgrade for those that don't need to spend a fortune on suspension.

[1tondriver 509]

I am having DDC’s and preload adjustable caps installed installed this weekend with 5w oil. Want to do a shock next and I am considering the 2018 shock. At half the price of some other better options I am hoping it would be a decent enough upgrade. 

I think I am going to order the K-Tech instead. For a little more money I am hoping to get better overall performance. 

Edited July 24, 2019 by 1tondriver

[zaw 6]

Finally got around to installing this, it really is a big difference from the previous. Bike handles bumps much better and feels way more planted.

[scat2me 84]

Quote

How tough was the install?  

 

[jeffster 1]

I called Yamaha corporate 2-3 months ago about putting the 2018 shock on my 2017 FZ 07 and they said it wasn't interchangeable. Did it bolt up with no problem ?  What part # did you use ?    I figure if I call Yamaha corporate and get another tech, I might get a different answer, do you think ?  Otherwise I would go with a Hagon shock from U.K., which is 300 British pounds + shipping to the States.

[DewMan 1,556]

5 hours ago, jeffster said:

I called Yamaha corporate 2-3 months ago about putting the 2018 shock on my 2017 FZ 07 and they said it wasn't interchangeable. Did it bolt up with no problem ?  What part # did you use ?    I figure if I call Yamaha corporate and get another tech, I might get a different answer, do you think ?  Otherwise I would go with a Hagon shock from U.K., which is 300 British pounds + shipping to the States. 

I don't believe you're ever going to get Yamaha Corporate to ever tell you to use anything other than the same OEM parts that your bike shipped with, whether they are completely interchangeable or not, due to liability issues. Pretty much any brand name aftermarket shock, with the proper spring for your weight, will be miles better than a stock FZ/MT-07 shock  of any year. 

But It's your bike so do whatever you feel is right for you. 

[robbo10 441]

I tried to interest Yamaha in OK-ing a different rear tyre profile: mine is still standard....!

[jeffster 1]

Sorry, perhaps I didn't make my meaning clear enough in my post.  I meant I would like to use the 2018 Yamaha shock in my 2017 FZ 07, but a Yamaha corporate tech told me they weren't interchangeable.  So my question to bigturbomax is obviously it worked, but did it require modification or did it bolt right up?   And what part # did you use when purchasing it?   My 2nd choice would have been the Hagon shock, because it appears to be the least expensive aftermarket shock.  But I feel that for my fairly casual riding,, the 2018 shock will be enough improvement to satisfy me.  If you look at eBay, it is full of 2015-2017 Yamaha OEM shocks, but very few 2018-2019 shocks, meaning that the improvement must be substantial enough that most riders of 2018-2019 bikes are not considering upgrading them.