Shocktube

I took my bike out in the wet twice this year and once at Christmas so it's not seen a lot of bad weather. After each trip I hosed it down to get the crap/salt off.
Unfortunately the stickers have lifted on the mudguard/hugger thingy. The back of the engine is a furry mess and the shock is the most inaccessible god awful thing to get at to clean.
I've been looking at these things.

Anyone use one? Opinions?
Thanks.

I used something similar* on the back of my GS and it worked well. Fork gaiters do a similar job and I've never had a problem with those either. A good coating of oil before things go on helps IMO.


*Mine was a section of inner tube.

In theory they keep the crap off the shock, in practice they hide any leaks.

I may have had different priorities to the OP

I remember the 67 BSA I once had the misfortune of rarely being able to start having big chrome shrouds over the rear shocks. Might be something in it

Originally Posted by cheb

I may have had different priorities to the OP

MOT time?

I use these on my MTB and they are very good at keeping the crap off...HOWEVER.....they also do a VERY good job of keeping damp against the shock/forks when they've been washed, I always take em off to dry em after washing the MTB, this is why I've never fitted them to a Motorbike, worth bearing in mind

If I believed that the shock underneath became self-cleaning, then yes. Inevitably it's just another reason for not cleaning the bike.

I've had bikes both with and w/o fork gaiters, fer instance, the ones with pitted far more quickly - might just have been poor quality chrome or maybe the gaiters were concealing the inevitable grit and postponing the revelation of damage. Dunno, prefer to see it happening and nip it in the bud anyway.

Originally Posted by hydraid

The shock tube is an instrument used to replicate and direct blast waves at a sensor or a model in order to simulate actual explosions and their effects, usually on a smaller scale. Shock tubes can also be used to study aerodynamic flow under a wide range of temperatures and pressures that are difficult to obtain in other types of testing facilities.

I like this explanation way better.

Originally Posted by hydraid

The shock tube is an instrument used to replicate and direct blast waves at a sensor or a model in order to simulate actual explosions and their effects, usually on a smaller scale. Shock tubes can also be used to study aerodynamic flow under a wide range of temperatures and pressures that are difficult to obtain in other types of testing facilities.

Best spam....EVER!

Bad idea IMO

Once wet it stays wet much longer than a naked shock
Dirt ""could" get between it and shock, allowing it to rub
you Can't see if your shock is leaking

Originally Posted by demographic

MOT time?

No, it was for safety reasons. It stopped the oil dripping out of the shock getting onto the back tyre.