Just Shocking!

[BigRedRyder]

I see a lot of discussion/questions about getting rid of the OEM non-adjustable shocks (like on my Rubicon) and many posters are expressing how expensive replacements can be. No argument there, for sure. My brother just spent over $500 for his replacements, and didn't spend near what others have paid.

That got me thinking about using motorcycle shocks on an atv. Wouldn't ya think most manufactures would look at what's 'in house' before designing a totally brand new shock for an atv?

Now I'm wondering if there is chance that a company building atvs needing a set of shocks, would look close to home first.

Just maybe, they could use an in-house motorcycle shock, change the part number, cosmetics, and then add bucks to the unit to make more profit.

I know there are countless shocks made for all the different motorcycles out there, and I wouldn't put it past any profit-oriented company to be doing just that. They really wouldn't need to re-invent the wheel, so to speak.

Anybody out there checking the technical specs on OEM shocks and comparing them across the board??

[yellowzo3]

what do you mean? atv's use different shocks in the front and the rear shocks may be different lengths and have to be set up for for the weight of a quad compared to the weight of a motorcycle. motorcycles may not have the same amount of room for rezzies and thus would have to be designed differently than one for a quad.

[EXevan91]

if u have ever looked at the rear shock on a dirt bike u will know what hes talking about. but i think that they would be too short to put on the fronts or a quad. if anyone has and old dirt bike rear shock try switching it with one of the quads fronts to see how it does or doesnt fit and get a picture. it would make an interesting experement.

[yellowzo3]

yeah i know what he means but theyre not the same lengths and they would have to have all different springs and longer shafts so your basically building a new shock from scratch anyway

[BigRedRyder]

Ya, I know they're two different animals, but I wasn't limiting my cross references to just moto-cross applications. I've seen a lot of different setups concerning shock/spring/strut configurations on all kinds of machines. That's what peaked my interest.

When I see motorcycles of so many varieties, there are countless shocks floating around the whole business.
And that's all I figured this would be, as described above, an 'interesting' concept.
What makes the shock adaptable would be the length , the range of travel, the piston size, the valving, and the different mounting configurations.
Some ATVs (like ours) are not setup for any sort of x-cross, so I just figured some motorcycle out there, whether for road or off-road, could possibly be a much less expensive alternative than paying for some big buck aftermarket products.
Thanks for the replys!