Cb500x Suspension Upgrade In Thailand

Cruzer

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Hi there!

This is my first post on this forum, very happy to be a part of this community- lots of good stuff here!

I was looking for some suggestions on suspension upgrades (both from and back) for my Honda CB500x (2017). My issue is that the suspension is a bit stiff and doesn't do well over small bumps at high speeds (common on Thai roads), not to mention the annoying 'throw you off your seat bounce' as you go over some bridges/overpasses (something I've only seen in Thailand).

I'm aware of the Rally Raid products, but was looking for something that's available and cheaper in Thailand. As far as I know, you can only get Rally Raid 2 upgrades in Thailand, and I'm not looking for anything that expensive, or changing tyre sizes etc. 99% of the time I ride on road and looking for a simple suspension upgrade.

As it stands YSS and Ohlins seem to be the front runners. I've spoken to a bike shop and Honda Big wing, here are some of their thoughts:

YSS- more 'sporty', easy maintenance because parts can be shipped quickly from their factory in Chon Buri. They might also set your suspension for free if you visit their factory.

Ohlins- 'softer', more expensive, but seen as unnecessary (both big wing (the tech guys, not the sales persons) and the other bike shop said this).

While YSS may be cheaper, I don't know that brand very well. And while Ohlins has a better reputation, why pay more if you don't need to?

So...

Has anyone here had any experience with either of these suspensions (can be front, back, or both)? How much has it improved your ride? If you've had experiences with both YSS and Ohlins, would you recommend either more than the other? And if you've ever upgraded your CB500x suspension (to any brand), does your bike still threaten to throw you out of your seat as you go over bridges/overpasses? Any other brands/models of suspension you guys recommend? Any other ADV/Sport touring bikes with similar experiences please feel free to chime in, especially if you live in Thailand and know what the roads/conditions are like!

Looking forward to hearing your responses!
 

bradmeister

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Dear Cruzer,

I'm pretty sure we have upgraded and modified about a couple of dozen CB500X by now.... lol.

Not sure who you have been talking to as far as Ohlins... but we do sell custom springs for your weight and purpose front and rear in both Wilbers and Ohlins.

We also own several of these models for personal and loaner bikes. Although someone destroyed one of them by catching the soft bags on fire... not gonna mention any names.... 55555

Yes, we actually have in stock both brands for your bike, the $64000 ,dollar question is the correct spring weight, the correct pre-load and the correct oil weight and oil quantity.

That I won't know until we chat....

Our shop number is 098 275 2750

Cheers
 

Lakota

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I've got the Rally raid fork and shock upgrade. It's made by Tractive which was once a partner of WP suspension I believe. Tractive make the Touratec brand suspension. It's quality as is Ohlins. I'm not sure about the YSS brand .

being ejected from the seat was the main problem I had on the stock Bike. I believe any replacement shock that has rebound dampening adjustment (usually clickers) will solve this . But there's a lot more involved as Brad has pointed out. If I was to do the suspension again I'd talk to Bradmeister. He's clearly an expert in this field.

Suspension is serviceable and should be serviced regularly although I guess most people don't bother. If you buy locally from someone like Bradmeister you've got the service back up you need.
 
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Cruzer

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Dear Cruzer,

I'm pretty sure we have upgraded and modified about a couple of dozen CB500X by now.... lol.

Not sure who you have been talking to as far as Ohlins... but we do sell custom springs for your weight and purpose front and rear in both Wilbers and Ohlins.

We also own several of these models for personal and loaner bikes. Although someone destroyed one of them by catching the soft bags on fire... not gonna mention any names.... 55555

Yes, we actually have in stock both brands for your bike, the $64000 ,dollar question is the correct spring weight, the correct pre-load and the correct oil weight and oil quantity.

That I won't know until we chat....

Our shop number is 098 275 2750

Cheers


Thanks Bradmeister! I might drop by the shop when I have the time! I've heard about BDS before seems like you guys know your stuff!
 

Cruzer

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I've got the Rally raid fork and shock upgrade. It's made by Tractive which was once a partner of WP suspension I believe. Tractive make the Touratec brand suspension. It's quality as is Ohlins. I'm not sure about the YSS brand .

being ejected from the seat was the main problem I had on the stock Bike. I believe any replacement shock that has rebound dampening adjustment (usually clickers) will solve this . But there's a lot more involved as Brad has pointed out. If I was to do the suspension again I'd talk to Bradmeister. He's clearly an expert in this field.

Suspension is serviceable and should be serviced regularly although I guess most people don't bother. If you buy locally from someone like Bradmeister you've got the service back up you need.

Thanks Lakota! Yeah I'm aware that refining suspension is more than just changing and thanks for suggesting talking to an expert like Bradmeister! Heard lots about rally raid for the cb500x, there's no doubt it's a good set of suspension!
 

bradmeister

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I've got the Rally raid fork and shock upgrade. It's made by Tractive which was once a partner of WP suspension I believe. Tractive make the Touratec brand suspension. It's quality as is Ohlins. I'm not sure about the YSS brand .

being ejected from the seat was the main problem I had on the stock Bike. I believe any replacement shock that has rebound dampening adjustment (usually clickers) will solve this . But there's a lot more involved as Brad has pointed out. If I was to do the suspension again I'd talk to Bradmeister. He's clearly an expert in this field.

Suspension is serviceable and should be serviced regularly although I guess most people don't bother. If you buy locally from someone like Bradmeister you've got the service back up you need.

Lakota,

You almost got it right. I'm old and have been around Germany and Austria a few times....lol

WP suspension (WHITE POWER) was originally an Austrian Company (1977 or 78) that produced Suspension systems for the earlier BMW, Husaberg, and KTM's. They did so well with the tech advancements of the 80's, that began to build for themselves and start an aftermarket brand.

Numerous times they were controlled and sold by the major Bike manufacturers, and have even made forks\Shocks for Ducati, and Triumph. I believe they are currently Owned by KTM.

As far as Tractiva, I believe they just came on the "suspension scene" around 2009.2010. I believe they were former engineers and employee's of WP, (when the company uprooted again from the Nederland's) and yes, Touratech has a piece of that pie and I believe Rally raid also was an offshoot, as they also came on the scene around 2009/2010.

Touratech, has been buying small companies, garage inventors ideas and patents for a long time now...(Since the late 90"s) .some items have remained quality, others..... well, you know.

As far as our experience with WP, Ohlins, Wilbers, it's unsurpassed!
those are pretty serious companies that have been in the suspension business for over 40+ years. I'd say they pretty much have figured it out, and are constanly spending big bucks on R&D.

Even if we line up HyperPro, Penske, very good quality, almost as good as Nitron and Hagon, we just cant get them services in South East Asia.

As far as service, Ohlins is in our back yard, here in Thailand. Wilbers has a major Service Center in Singapore.... So, this is why our compnay choose Legends, Ohlins and Wilbers.
Accordingly, we service all of our customers front forks every 2 years and are happy to overhaul your Ohlins or Wilbers every 5 years as prescribed by the Manufactuers.

Any questions at all, feel free to contact us.

Cheers
 

DavidFL

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I've got the Rally raid fork and shock upgrade. It's made by Tractive which was once a partner of WP suspension I believe. Tractive make the Touratec brand suspension. It's quality as is Ohlins. I'm not sure about the YSS brand .

being ejected from the seat was the main problem I had on the stock Bike. I believe any replacement shock that has rebound dampening adjustment (usually clickers) will solve this . But there's a lot more involved as Brad has pointed out. If I was to do the suspension again I'd talk to Bradmeister. He's clearly an expert in this field.

Suspension is serviceable and should be serviced regularly although I guess most people don't bother. If you buy locally from someone like Bradmeister you've got the service back up you need.


I'm running a suspension set up by Brad at BDS & am more than happy with it on my Vstrom; and you're totally right suspension should be serviceable locally and done regularly as Brad says.
 
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Sorry to jump in on someone else's thread, Brad, BDS do you do suspension for CRF250L or only cb500x?
 

bradmeister

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Sorry to jump in on someone else's thread, Brad, BDS do you do suspension for CRF250L or only cb500x?

We service all American, German, Austrian and Japanese motorcycles and yes, we do standard overhaul and special mods on CRF250, 250L and 250 Rally's. Spring Rate, spring rate, and oh yes, It's all about spring rates!

WE DO NOT SERVICE CHINESE BIKES.

We also do a lot of service Via Post Office as Kluay Nam Thai Post office is right next store. So, as David mentioned, alot of folks send us in they're Shocks and Fork Legs, we overhaul and return upon any customers request.

Cheers

best OF tIMES.png
 
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Cruzer

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I'm running a suspension set up by Brad at BDS & am more than happy with it on my Vstrom; and you're totally right suspension should be serviceable locally and done regularly as Brad says.
Hey David!

I noticed you've had a lot of experience with different suspension set ups and different brands... care to share your overall impressions of them? Of particular interest to me are YSS and Ohlins because they've got factories in Thailand.

I also know that setting the suspension is one of the more critical aspects of suspension, but aside from that, what about your experience with durability? What set up are you currently using on your v strom and how often do you get it serviced? Would you recommend getting one brand over another?
 

DavidFL

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Hey David!

I noticed you've had a lot of experience with different suspension set ups and different brands... care to share your overall impressions of them? Of particular interest to me are YSS and Ohlins because they've got factories in Thailand.

I also know that setting the suspension is one of the more critical aspects of suspension, but aside from that, what about your experience with durability? What set up are you currently using on your v strom and how often do you get it serviced? Would you recommend getting one brand over another?

In my experience riding here, and for the riding I do they all needed rebuilding after 25,000 kms.
Both Nitron in Malaysia & Ohlins in Bkk suggested that in my case even the rebuild might need to be done earlier.
When I took my custom built NItron shock down to KL for a free rebuild, they said they had never ever seen such dirty oil coming out of one of their shocks! What was I doing & where was I riding? Just my regular rides in Laos & in North Thailand. And the point should be noted that when you tour around the region Thailand / Laos / China / Cambodia / Vietnam, you are not riding on billiard table road surfaces. On bumpy roads here your suspension is working all the time, & in the hot season road temperatures are way up there 50 plus. This is not the EU or the USA. So, if you ride long & regularly on the bumpy road surfaces here., don't expect them to last more than 40,000 kms max & stay plush forever.

Mike Gagne just had his YSS shock blow in Laos at just on 25,000 kms.

YSS & Ohlins can be serviced in Bkk.
The Ohlins turn around is at least 10 days.
The YSS turn around can be less I think.

Personally I prefer to deal with the farang at Ohlins, or Brad at BDS. Brad is a professional suspension tuning guru & has done consultancy work for most of the big bike dealers here setting their bikes up. Brad also charges "farang prices," however most people tend to agree you get what you pay for.
YSS has Greg Smith managing their race team suspension & he is extremely knowledgeable too, but he is not in the sales & service department.

Getting the right spring is very important & then the right set up.
If you're a 100kg farang, you don't really want a standard spring for a 65-70kg Thai rider, that comes with the bike on the showroom floor. I seem to recall that my OEM Vstrom spring was knackered at 40,000 kms.

If you're in Chiang Rai the guys at Today Moto are supposed to be the suspension tuning experts, being involved with the local sport bike & racing scene.
In Chiang Mai CMS seem to be the local experts.

If you don't go for YSS or Ohlins, then your next best bet is Nitron in Malaysia, because they assemble Nitron shocks there & will custom build a shock for you.
You can get the shock serviced there, on the spot if you book ahead.I witnessed mine being rebuilt on the premises.

See also
Motorcycle Suspension - What Are You Using / Where To Buy?

Tweaking my Versys

YSS Shocks - Made in Thailand

A Suspension Rebuild & Tune Up For My Vstrom

Tweaking my Suzuki V Strom 650
 
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Cruzer

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In my experience riding here, and for the riding I do they all needed rebuilding after 25,000 kms.
Both Nitron in Malaysia & Ohlins in Bkk suggested that in my case even the rebuild might need to be done earlier.
When I took my custom built NItron shock down to KL for a free rebuild, they said they had never ever seen such dirty oil coming out of one of their shocks! What was I doing & where was I riding? Just my regular rides in Laos & in North Thailand. And the point should be noted that when you tour around the region Thailand / Laos / China / Cambodia / Vietnam, you are not riding on billiard table road surfaces. On bumpy roads here your suspension is working all the time, & in the hot season road temperatures are way up there 50 plus. This is not the EU or the USA. So, if you ride long & regularly on the bumpy road surfaces here., don't expect them to last more than 40,000 kms max & stay plush forever.

Mike Gagne just had his YSS shock blow in Laos at just on 25,000 kms.

YSS & Ohlins can be serviced in Bkk.
The Ohlins turn around is at least 10 days.
The YSS turn around can be less I think.

Personally I prefer to deal with the farang at Ohlins, or Brad at BDS. Brad is a professional suspension tuning guru & has done consultancy work for most of the big bike dealers here setting their bikes up. Brad also charges "farang prices," however most people tend to agree you get what you pay for.
YSS has Greg Smith managing their race team suspension & he is extremely knowledgeable too, but he is not in the sales & service department.

Getting the right spring is very important & then the right set up.
If you're a 100kg farang, you don't really want a standard spring for a 65-70kg Thai rider, that comes with the bike on the showroom floor. I seem to recall that my OEM Vstrom spring was knackered at 40,000 kms.

If you're in Chiang Rai the guys at Today Moto are supposed to be the suspension tuning experts, being involved with the local sport bike & racing scene.
In Chiang Mai CMS seem to be the local experts.

If you don't go for YSS or Ohlins, then your next best bet is Nitron in Malaysia, because they assemble Nitron shocks there & will custom build a shock for you.
You can get the shock serviced there, on the spot if you book ahead.I witnessed mine being rebuilt on the premises.

See also
Motorcycle Suspension - What Are You Using / Where To Buy?

Tweaking my Versys

YSS Shocks - Made in Thailand

A Suspension Rebuild & Tune Up For My Vstrom

Tweaking my Suzuki V Strom 650

David this is all very helpful stuff thank you! I might go pay Brad a visit I've heard enough hype to warrant one!
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Im sending my ohlins rear shock to Brad for a service,, he cant do my hevaily internal modified KTECH modified Showa front forks but i can sort them myself ,, in Uk I use M Factory shocks ,, ohlins quality but half ohlins price made by mike capon the shock absorber guru he has been a designer for most of the top race teams on suspension and also for most of the top manufactures ,,
YSS are good product ,, budget but OK
 

bradmeister

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Monster Man,

More than happy to be of service. Turn time is approx. 2 weeks on shock overhaul.

Just as Important, you should be removing, cleaning and inspecting your linkage and bearings. Please have your service company use a torque wrench for the nuts on the Shock and on the linkage....very critical on your machine and check triangles for loss of material.

We do service front forks, but if they are from another motorcycle and installed on your machine, then we would not be able to help you.

M shock factory was an off brand if I remember, and did furnish shocks for many kit cars and dune buggy`s in the USA... with the exception of a few people ordering for direct oem replacement, I'm not sure where you could service in Thailand.

Ohlins has so many patents in design and finishing, it's the world's number 1 shock and also copied the world over.

As far as racing and race teams.... those shocks are not available ( by Ohlins/Bimoto/Wilbers) to be purchased by the general public, I wish we could...but the cost of those shocks are astronomical and give racers the advantage in the turns. Double Secret Products.

Cheers
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Brad i will bring the shock up either Tuesday or wednesday ,, I do all the work on the bike myself have 3 torque wrenches ,, its all apart for powder coating , repainting, polishing , upgrades , wiring loom rebuild and engine work its a full restoration as its 19 years old now .

the modified showa forks are in good internal condition and refreshed oil which i got from you , but legs could do with re anodising sometime for cosmetic refresh ,,

i recently completed a similar total restoration project on my 750ss and M750 in UK and when back to Uk have another ducati 750ss to refresh,, looking to buy another bik e in Thailand as a companion to the S4 maybe a 250 trail bike or new RE 650 interceptor or benelli 500 leoncino ,,
 

bradmeister

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Oh, you have a sickness! Or....the Sickness.

I just got home (Mueang Prachuap khiri khan) on my spaceship, K1200S... I'm sitting here with 3 bikes and 2 skis on my Patio.

15794184691288308353952849003942.jpg


I can't make it stop.... and I need to re-loom my ski trailer wiring harness..... ugh.

Yeah, I'll be telling at somebody Tuesday morning. Applying for my 5th greenbook now? But this was my first and last import. Never Again.

Anyway, come on by, let's have coffee and listen to Jazz over some new Yamaha speakers! We got tons of new toys from Shock Dynos to Spring Rate Testers and shinny new self calibrated motorcycle scales.

Were going big time custom. Khrap.

See you soon!
 
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DavidFL

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Brad

Applying for my 5th greenbook now? But this was my first and last import. Never Again.
I'm sure there is a good story there about "importing your bike" if you want to take the time to write it & re-confirm for everyone that yes, it is not worth going down that route.

Hope to see you up here on Paradise Road for a gentle meander beside the Mekong sometime soon.
 

Tboxcar

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Hello everybody, I have a cb500x 2020 model. We mainly tour on road and with very little off road action. My question concerns the need to upgrade my stock suspension to something more accommodating to our weight. Currently with two passenger, and top box empty we are at 143 kg. Looking to add two side boxes, with rack will bring us to 158 kg empty. With luggage total weight 175 kg. According to Honda manual this is max carry weight. Some shops say I should upgrade suspension, but I can't get a clear answer to which model. YSS or Ohlin? Any input or experience with 3 boxes and passenger and suspension would be appreciated.
 

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Cruzer

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Hello everybody, I have a cb500x 2020 model. We mainly tour on road and with very little off road action. My question concerns the need to upgrade my stock suspension to something more accommodating to our weight. Currently with two passenger, and top box empty we are at 143 kg. Looking to add two side boxes, with rack will bring us to 158 kg empty. With luggage total weight 175 kg. According to Honda manual this is max carry weight. Some shops say I should upgrade suspension, but I can't get a clear answer to which model. YSS or Ohlin? Any input or experience with 3 boxes and passenger and suspension would be appreciated.
Hi @Tboxcar !

I had a 2017 CB500X and I chose to change the suspension to Wilbers on both the front and back. The summary about suspension on a motorbike is that there is a range of weight that fits with the suspension set up- in the case of a stock CB500X, the suspension is set for someone around 75Kg, however if you have a little more or less weight than that it will still be fine, the bike just won't handle as well. However, once you start adding another passenger and luggage, you're effectively out of that range but it's really more of the same- the suspension just won't work as well as if it was set for that weight. Many Thai riders will ride 2 up and never change the suspension, to each their own. What you want to avoid however is completely destroying your suspension- especially the rear shock in the case of a passenger + luggage. Since that rear shock isn't made to handle that much weight, the chances of it failing increase.

In terms of options, YSS, Ohlins and Wilbers all have their pros and cons. I didn't go with YSS because it seemed as if it wasn't as durable as the other two brands based on conversations with other riders and suspension shops. This is not gospel and I would recommend you still talk to people about this. I only ever test drove the Ohlins rear shock (the front was wilbers springs) but from what I could tell, it was more 'crude' and less comfortable than wilbers in terms of dampening (in terms of adjustment to make the bike ride over bumps smoothly). Ohlins felt more 'sporty' but you could adjust the wilbers to make it just as sporty so to me it didn't make sense to get the Ohlins. The wilbers set up was the best for me at the time because the front and rear allowed me to have 'progressive springs' which gave me more leeway in terms of weight i.e. the options from YSS and ohlins at the time only gave linear springs which meant that the weight set for a certain weight i.e. 75kgs. With the progressive springs set up, it allowed a wider range of weight i.e. 80-120kg. Ultimately this is what i choose and I used my bike as a daily rider 1 up, 2 up, and also toured with it across thailand 2 up with metal panniers and a bag on top totaling just over 50,000km on that set up.

Was the wilbers a perfect set up? No! Riding 1 up i felt like the progressive springs can be harsh at times over big bumps, but riding 2 up it could be soft at times. However, using linear springs (like in the stock CB set up, or ohlins and YSS from what I know) will be more of a compromise- you basically have to choose to optimize the suspension for either 1 person, or 2 people. Another downside of the set up is that while the wilbers forks can be easily serviced (every 20,000km) in Bangkok, the wilbers shock has to be sent to singapore every 50,000km, and given covid etc etc, the cost to ship it via DHL (thai post would not do it) and service in singapore was looking like 20,000THB or more... not exactly a bargain! A big advantage for YSS and Ohlins is their factory is in Thailand and you can easily service this with little issue.

My suggestion is to talk to reputable suspension shops around town like BDS performance (I used them for my CB500X) or AP shop (recommended my other riding buddies). They will be much more knowledgable about this topic. My main points from my previous experience was YSS seemed less durable (need to check if this is different now), Ohlins was good and easy to service but felt more 'sporty' and less comfortable, and wilbers gave a best of both worlds for 1 and 2 people, but expensive/hard to service. If you mostly ride 2 up, it might be worth considering a linear spring set for 2 people!
 

canthai

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Only rented a CB500X for a week, when shopping for a new bike. This was a 2014 model with 17" front wheel. Also rented a Versys to check out.
Ended up buying a CB650F - anyway ...
Have Ohlins on my CB, CRF250, and Forza. Top notch on all three. I have tried to iron out the jolt when hitting small sharp road cracks - think concrete road sections, found it impossible and just live with it. This is the same on all bikes I have owned tho' - so not a new thing.
Other than that they perform excellent. CRF was night and day difference - altho' the rear shock is known to be Merde.
Did you ride the earlier models before going with the newer one with a 19" front ?
 

Tboxcar

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Hi @Tboxcar !

I had a 2017 CB500X and I chose to change the suspension to Wilbers on both the front and back. The summary about suspension on a motorbike is that there is a range of weight that fits with the suspension set up- in the case of a stock CB500X, the suspension is set for someone around 75Kg, however if you have a little more or less weight than that it will still be fine, the bike just won't handle as well. However, once you start adding another passenger and luggage, you're effectively out of that range but it's really more of the same- the suspension just won't work as well as if it was set for that weight. Many Thai riders will ride 2 up and never change the suspension, to each their own. What you want to avoid however is completely destroying your suspension- especially the rear shock in the case of a passenger + luggage. Since that rear shock isn't made to handle that much weight, the chances of it failing increase.

In terms of options, YSS, Ohlins and Wilbers all have their pros and cons. I didn't go with YSS because it seemed as if it wasn't as durable as the other two brands based on conversations with other riders and suspension shops. This is not gospel and I would recommend you still talk to people about this. I only ever test drove the Ohlins rear shock (the front was wilbers springs) but from what I could tell, it was more 'crude' and less comfortable than wilbers in terms of dampening (in terms of adjustment to make the bike ride over bumps smoothly). Ohlins felt more 'sporty' but you could adjust the wilbers to make it just as sporty so to me it didn't make sense to get the Ohlins. The wilbers set up was the best for me at the time because the front and rear allowed me to have 'progressive springs' which gave me more leeway in terms of weight i.e. the options from YSS and ohlins at the time only gave linear springs which meant that the weight set for a certain weight i.e. 75kgs. With the progressive springs set up, it allowed a wider range of weight i.e. 80-120kg. Ultimately this is what i choose and I used my bike as a daily rider 1 up, 2 up, and also toured with it across thailand 2 up with metal panniers and a bag on top totaling just over 50,000km on that set up.

Was the wilbers a perfect set up? No! Riding 1 up i felt like the progressive springs can be harsh at times over big bumps, but riding 2 up it could be soft at times. However, using linear springs (like in the stock CB set up, or ohlins and YSS from what I know) will be more of a compromise- you basically have to choose to optimize the suspension for either 1 person, or 2 people. Another downside of the set up is that while the wilbers forks can be easily serviced (every 20,000km) in Bangkok, the wilbers shock has to be sent to singapore every 50,000km, and given covid etc etc, the cost to ship it via DHL (thai post would not do it) and service in singapore was looking like 20,000THB or more... not exactly a bargain! A big advantage for YSS and Ohlins is their factory is in Thailand and you can easily service this with little issue.

My suggestion is to talk to reputable suspension shops around town like BDS performance (I used them for my CB500X) or AP shop (recommended my other riding buddies). They will be much more knowledgable about this topic. My main points from my previous experience was YSS seemed less durable (need to check if this is different now), Ohlins was good and easy to service but felt more 'sporty' and less comfortable, and wilbers gave a best of both worlds for 1 and 2 people, but expensive/hard to service. If you mostly ride 2 up, it might be worth considering a linear spring set for 2 people!
Hello and thanks for the detailed reply. I am leaning towards YSS as their main office is about an 1 1/2 hour ride from me here, and get serviced easy if a problem and I use YSS on my Aerox now and all is well. My worry is I just can't get a straight answer from YSS or my local YSS dealer, maybe it's the language barrier. According the YSS catalog their shocks only go up to 150 kg, but after than they say you can use but lose performance. I am not so much worried about performance than I am safety and having an accident for being overloaded. As mentioned in my previous thread I did 3,000 km back in March using the OEM shocks on my cb500x and all together weight from passenger and luggage was 154 kg. The Honda manual says the carry weight is 175 kg. So either I stay with the stock shock, that many say is not good for loads, or go with a YSS that that only 150 kg, but others say can handle more. Thanks for your input.
 

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15
18
Never have seen a shock fail/break and cause an accident.
Have seen severely overloaded bikes,
... daily.
So unless you are bottoming out...
beware of overthinking.
5 5
Enjoy the ride.