I ordered a set of 2810 Hagon shocks from one of our Triumph specific vendors to replace my Progressive 412s...looking to take that sharp edge off the smaller bumps in the road that the 412s are famous for. Got the shocks really quickly, drop shipped from the Hagon folks in CA. Put 'em on, and the bushings seemed too large but I wrenched anyway.
(this is a different shock but the same result of an over-large bushing)
By the time I got close to torque the bushing was way outside the washer, just like the photo above. So I write Hagon and the Vendor, separate emails at the same sending.
Hagon says, "I am sorry about the bushes being the wrong size. The vendor requested 14x24 bushes for you, so that's what we gave you.
I can send you out some 14 x 20 bushes. That is what we typically send out to customers with Bonneville." And, they send me replacements free of charge. Good customer service.
The vendor reply, " The "squish" as you describe is correct! The bushing should mushroom out on both sides of the steel rings on each end of the shocks. It's not critical to get a 50/50 division of the bushing peeking out on each side as the shock body will "float" back and forth and eventually find it's own "sweet-spot."
Okay, I'm not the world's leading expert but the bushing covering the washer up to the bolt head at torque can't be right. And, the manufacturer recommends a shorter bushing...what's up?
Part 2: Once I get the sag set properly I realize I'm at the top of the spring adjustment with nowhere to go. I write the vendor to tell him that I feel the shocks are undersprung for my 220 lbs. I actually made an extra note at purchase that it was an 04 America with a 220 lb. rider. No response.
Email exchanges with Hagon tell me that the vendor ordered shocks with springs for 75~100 kg. rider. 100kg is 220 1/2 lbs. Hagon recommends the next spring rate up for me. So, $25 shipping later I now have Hagons with the recommended springs for my weight with their recommended bushings. Kudos to Billy and Christina at Hagon for staying with me and setting things right.
Why would a vendor knowingly bypass the manufacturer's recommendations if the client had sent the info at purchase? It's beyond me, but now I'm out days of riding time along with $25 for no apparent reason.
BTW: I did really enjoy my first ride on the under-sprung shocks as the damping control is a very nice feature. I can't wait to get the proper set up back on the bike so I can really dial these puppies in. And, Hagon has my business for life...they were responsive and solved the situation without drama or extra fees.
