Saga 250 rear shock swap

flyfishinwoman · 05-25-2014, 08:04 PM

I worked on my bike this weekend, replacing the tube and putting in a new 40 tooth sprocket to get highway speed. After purchasing some tire irons to help with the tube replacement, the job wasn't too bad. I had to cut 10 links out of the chain to adjust for the new smaller sprocket. When it was all together, I went for a spin on the highway to check what gain in speed the change resulted in. With the stock sprocket, 70-75 km/hr was about top speed, but with the 40 tooth, I got up to 95 km and perhaps could have got a little more out of it but I felt a little wander starting to develop so backed off to about 90 km. That's all that I wanted - to get up to highway speeds for this area, which is 90. Now I can ride to the local trails, yay!

While I had the rear wheel off, I measured the shock and it appeared to be about 15.5" eye-eye, but that measurement was less once the wheel was on and the shock was loaded. The bottom mounting was measured about 30 mm but I couldn't get to the top to measure. I want to get a shorter shock to lower the rear seat height (and I will lower the front as well to maintain the steering geometry). I cannot get a longer dog bone in there, as the rear linkage is almost up against the swingarm as it is.

So, does anyone know of a shorter shock that can just bolt in, or am I going to have to modify with some bushings, etc.? Thanks in advance.

SpudRider · 05-26-2014, 01:14 AM

You did a good day's work installing a new drive chain, a new inner tube, and a new rear sprocket.

Weldangrind · 05-26-2014, 02:09 AM

Congrats on achieving the speed you want. I don't know of a shorter bolt-in shock, so maybe some eBay shopping is in order.

flyfishinwoman · 05-30-2014, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Congrats on achieving the speed you want. I don't know of a shorter bolt-in shock, so maybe some eBay shopping is in order.

Yes, I will probably get something similar and fit it in place.

flyfishinwoman · 06-03-2014, 09:22 PM

Anyone have recommendations for aftermarket shocks (the type on ebay) that are designed for pit bikes/dirt bikes in the 300-320mm length (eye-eye)? Any brands to avoid? Thanks.

recracer · 06-03-2014, 11:54 PM

Maybe I missed it . Does your bike have linkage or shock mounted at the swingarm . If I remember correctly many of the pitbike shocks have heavy 1200lb springs . pictures would be great

flyfishinwoman · 06-04-2014, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by recracer

Maybe I missed it . Does your bike have linkage or shock mounted at the swingarm . If I remember correctly many of the pitbike shocks have heavy 1200lb springs . pictures would be great

Thanks for the reply - there is a linkage, but I cannot put a longer dog-bone due to the closeness of the linkage to the swingarm. I have been looking at pit bike shocks, but many are around 10-11 inches, which is too short for my application. I was thinking this shock would work but don't know anything about the quality:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/310MM-S-F-ADJ...1684ff&vxp=mtr

recracer · 06-04-2014, 05:30 PM

If lowering is your goal .Read this thread and does your linkage look the same http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6891

Weldangrind · 06-05-2014, 12:58 AM

Thanks for finding that link, recracer. I forgot about that thread.

flyfishinwoman · 06-07-2014, 11:00 PM

Good thread on that link, thanks for posting that. Now I am investigating what I can find for a longer link. I have included some pics of the linkage. The stock link is 80 mm eye-eye, and I think I could go 100 mm. The width of the eye ends is 36 mm and the bolt is 12 mm. I've been browsing on ebay for a similar link, but haven't found one yet, and am now investigating a Kouba link for an XR250 that looks very similar.

recracer · 06-08-2014, 12:46 AM

Yours is very different than the linkage in the lowering link provided , It does look more like the early Honda linkage . I am not even sure a longer dog bone would help . If you have the space perhaps you could drill lower shock mounting holes

flyfishinwoman · 06-08-2014, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by recracer

Yours is very different than the linkage in the lowering link provided , It does look more like the early Honda linkage . I am not even sure a longer dog bone would help . If you have the space perhaps you could drill lower shock mounting holes

I agree that the linkage is way different than the one in that thread, but am still looking into the possibility of going that route of a longer dog bone. Finding a shock that is about 13" eye-eye would be better, but it's not easy to do so. What do you think about this shock?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/171061970175?...84.m1423.l2649

Weldangrind · 06-08-2014, 02:18 PM

If you can support the rear of the bike from above with a tie-down (like from a rafter), you could remove the bolt from the dogbone and lower the bike to the height you wish. From there, you could measure the resulting space. You'd be able to visualize whether a longer or shorter link would meet your needs.

flyfishinwoman · 06-08-2014, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

If you can support the rear of the bike from above with a tie-down (like from a rafter), you could remove the bolt from the dogbone and lower the bike to the height you wish. From there, you could measure the resulting space. You'd be able to visualize whether a longer or shorter link would meet your needs.

That's a good idea, thanks. That way I'll know if a different sized link would work, or a shorter shock would be better.

flyfishinwoman · 07-06-2014, 09:41 PM

I did get a shorter shock and installed it, but it was too short and when I lowered the front there was no clearance so I put the stock one back. I drilled out the triangular shock mount to have the shock a little lower on the mount, and also cut some of the mount for clearance to the shock collar. After re-adjusting the front forks in the tree, the bike is now perfect height for me. I can put my legs down enough to make a "save", plus there's enough ground clearance for the kind of off-roading I do - I'm not into motocross or really technical rides so it will do just fine for my intended purpose. Today I checked and adjusted the valve clearance, changed the oil, adjusted the main needle clip (moved the clip down 1 spot), sawed off a bit of the front fender, and fixed my speedo needle which fell off. This bike is easy to wrench on, and I can do all the work myself, keeping the costs down. I can imagine some people getting frustrated with these Chinese bikes if they can't fix the bike themselves, because they are not machined to the tolerances of the Japanese bikes and you must make allowances for that. But until I can find a Japanese bike that is what I want and can afford, I'll just run this bike until it dies. At least I'm not afraid to drop it or make alterations to it, lol.

05-25-2014, 08:04 PM	#1
flyfishinwoman Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Koots, BC Posts: 21	Saga 250 rear sprocket and shock swap I worked on my bike this weekend, replacing the tube and putting in a new 40 tooth sprocket to get highway speed. After purchasing some tire irons to help with the tube replacement, the job wasn't too bad. I had to cut 10 links out of the chain to adjust for the new smaller sprocket. When it was all together, I went for a spin on the highway to check what gain in speed the change resulted in. With the stock sprocket, 70-75 km/hr was about top speed, but with the 40 tooth, I got up to 95 km and perhaps could have got a little more out of it but I felt a little wander starting to develop so backed off to about 90 km. That's all that I wanted - to get up to highway speeds for this area, which is 90. Now I can ride to the local trails, yay! While I had the rear wheel off, I measured the shock and it appeared to be about 15.5" eye-eye, but that measurement was less once the wheel was on and the shock was loaded. The bottom mounting was measured about 30 mm but I couldn't get to the top to measure. I want to get a shorter shock to lower the rear seat height (and I will lower the front as well to maintain the steering geometry). I cannot get a longer dog bone in there, as the rear linkage is almost up against the swingarm as it is. So, does anyone know of a shorter shock that can just bolt in, or am I going to have to modify with some bushings, etc.? Thanks in advance. Last edited by flyfishinwoman; 05-25-2014 at 09:59 PM.
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05-26-2014, 01:14 AM	#2
SpudRider Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 25,054	You did a good day's work installing a new drive chain, a new inner tube, and a new rear sprocket. __________________ Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." Mark Twain 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894
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05-26-2014, 02:09 AM	#3
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Congrats on achieving the speed you want. I don't know of a shorter bolt-in shock, so maybe some eBay shopping is in order. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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06-05-2014, 12:58 AM	#9
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Thanks for finding that link, recracer. I forgot about that thread. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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06-08-2014, 02:18 PM	#13
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	If you can support the rear of the bike from above with a tie-down (like from a rafter), you could remove the bolt from the dogbone and lower the bike to the height you wish. From there, you could measure the resulting space. You'd be able to visualize whether a longer or shorter link would meet your needs. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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06-03-2014, 09:22 PM	#5
flyfishinwoman Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Koots, BC Posts: 21	Anyone have recommendations for aftermarket shocks (the type on ebay) that are designed for pit bikes/dirt bikes in the 300-320mm length (eye-eye)? Any brands to avoid? Thanks.
	0

06-03-2014, 11:54 PM	#6
recracer Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charles Town W.V. Posts: 849	Maybe I missed it . Does your bike have linkage or shock mounted at the swingarm . If I remember correctly many of the pitbike shocks have heavy 1200lb springs . pictures would be great
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06-04-2014, 05:30 PM	#8
recracer Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charles Town W.V. Posts: 849	If lowering is your goal .Read this thread and does your linkage look the same http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6891
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06-08-2014, 12:46 AM	#11
recracer Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charles Town W.V. Posts: 849	Yours is very different than the linkage in the lowering link provided , It does look more like the early Honda linkage . I am not even sure a longer dog bone would help . If you have the space perhaps you could drill lower shock mounting holes
	0

07-06-2014, 09:41 PM	#15
flyfishinwoman Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Koots, BC Posts: 21	I did get a shorter shock and installed it, but it was too short and when I lowered the front there was no clearance so I put the stock one back. I drilled out the triangular shock mount to have the shock a little lower on the mount, and also cut some of the mount for clearance to the shock collar. After re-adjusting the front forks in the tree, the bike is now perfect height for me. I can put my legs down enough to make a "save", plus there's enough ground clearance for the kind of off-roading I do - I'm not into motocross or really technical rides so it will do just fine for my intended purpose. Today I checked and adjusted the valve clearance, changed the oil, adjusted the main needle clip (moved the clip down 1 spot), sawed off a bit of the front fender, and fixed my speedo needle which fell off. This bike is easy to wrench on, and I can do all the work myself, keeping the costs down. I can imagine some people getting frustrated with these Chinese bikes if they can't fix the bike themselves, because they are not machined to the tolerances of the Japanese bikes and you must make allowances for that. But until I can find a Japanese bike that is what I want and can afford, I'll just run this bike until it dies. At least I'm not afraid to drop it or make alterations to it, lol.
	0