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Just ordered a Wilbers 640 rear shock! :)

troop

troop

Well-known member
Well, I pondered a rear shock for a while, and finally bit the bullet this morning. I was on the fence between the Wilbers 640 and Ikon 3610-1084. Through Ikon AU, the 3610-1084 would cost a very reasonable $565 shipped from AU, as Ikon USA will not sell this shock. A big deterrent for me with the Ikon is that Ikon USA will not service the shock, even for non warranty purposes. Another deterrent was that I haven't heard back from Geoff at Ikon AU for a few days to answer some pre-order questions. The Wilbers 640 lists for $757 + $24 shipping = $781. However, EPM Performance (one of two Wilbers USA authorized venders) provides a 10% First Responder/Military discount. This brought the shock down to $705 shipped. The shock is hand built to order, as each shock is valved/sprung/set up to the buyers self provided specifications. It also comes with a (5) year warranty. I was advised my shock could take 3-4 weeks to receive. Being in Wisconsin, this wasn't an issue. The shock pretty much depleted my toy fund $$, but should be well worth it. I'll post up once I receive it :)

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You won’t regret getting the Wilbers, Troop. I had them on my F3-L, and they do a great job. I agree... too many “what-ifs” with the sales/support of the Ikon model in the US. It is just an extra concern that you would have to worry about.

Pete
 
troop said:
Well, I pondered a rear shock for awhile, and finally bit the bullet this morning. I was on the fence between the Wilbers 640 and Ikon 3610-1084. Through Ikon AU, the 3610-1084 would cost a very reasonable $565 shipped from AU, as Ikon USA will not sell this shock. A big deterrent for me with the Ikon is that Ikon USA will not service the shock, even for non warranty purposes. Another deterrent was that I haven't heard back from Geoff at Ikon AU for a few days to answer some pre-order questions. The Wilbers 640 lists for $757 + $24 shipping = $781. However, EPM Performance (one of two Wilbers USA authorized venders) provides a 10% First Responder/Military discount. This brought the shock down to $705 shipped. The shock is hand built to order as each shock is valved/sprung/set up to the buyers self provided specifications. It also comes with a (5) year warranty. I was advised my shock could take 3-4 weeks to receive. Being in Wisconsin, this wasn't an issue. The shock pretty much depleted my toy fund $$, but should be well worth it. I'll post up once I receive it :)
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When I ordered mine they actually came in a bit earlier then what they stated. I guess at that price you didn't get the HPA? I know most people don't use them once they have it dialed in, but I have found mine useful for when the wife decides to join me or going from twisty mountain driving to highway driving.
 
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CloverHillCrawler said:
When I ordered mine they actually came in a bit earlier then what they stated. I guess at that price you didn't get the HPA? I know most people don't use them once they have it dialed in but I have found mine useful for when the wife decides to join me or going from twisty mountain driving to highway driving.
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I'm a 99% solo rider (to now 100% actually), so I didn't feel the need. Besides, Wilbers tend to be a bit on the firmer (more controlled) side. Either way, it'll be better than the OEM shock. I had the HPA on my F3S and really didn't need it, as adding 25# of luggage didn't make any difference. My last Wilbers did take five weeks. Both EPM and Ted Porter said Mar/Apr are their busy time. We shall see...
 
troop said:
Well, I pondered a rear shock for a while, and finally bit the bullet this morning. I was on the fence between the Wilbers 640 and Ikon 3610-1084. Through Ikon AU, the 3610-1084 would cost a very reasonable $565 shipped from AU, as Ikon USA will not sell this shock. A big deterrent for me with the Ikon is that Ikon USA will not service the shock, even for non warranty purposes. Another deterrent was that I haven't heard back from Geoff at Ikon AU for a few days to answer some pre-order questions. The Wilbers 640 lists for $757 + $24 shipping = $781. However, EPM Performance (one of two Wilbers USA authorized venders) provides a 10% First Responder/Military discount. This brought the shock down to $705 shipped. The shock is hand built to order, as each shock is valved/sprung/set up to the buyers self provided specifications. It also comes with a (5) year warranty. I was advised my shock could take 3-4 weeks to receive. Being in Wisconsin, this wasn't an issue. The shock pretty much depleted my toy fund $$, but should be well worth it. I'll post up once I receive it :)

View attachment 212200
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You will not regret the choice Troop. I have Wilbers on all 3 corners and they are fantastic - great ride, much better handling, better antidive under brakes, and for me negated the need for a sway bar.
 
Congrats troop! The new Elka is firmer than the OEM shock & bag combo. I haven't pushed it in the twisties yet and I may need to tighten up the fronts a tad.
 
RayBJ said:
Congrats troop! The new Elka is firmer than the OEM shock & bag combo. I haven't pushed it in the twisties yet and I may need to tighten up the fronts a tad.
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Thx... Looking for nice results. I did have a good talk with a shock tech at EPM Performance before ordering. My thoughts were about future two up riding, although none is anticipated. He stated that if I were to be as little as a 60%/40% solo/passenger rider, that Wilbers would recommend a hydraulic preload adjuster. He said you just can't have a decent performance level if you set up (spring/valve) a rear shock for a 245# geared rider and then add a 150# passenger without making preload adjustments. Building (spring/valve) a standard shock for 395# two up combo and using it primarily 245# rider would create a less than ideal performing shock. He DID say that my spec'd shock would be much better for two up riding than the OEM shock is.
 
I'm 100% solo and don't expect any 2-up so the Elka Stage 2 should be a good fit. The remote sag adjust is a great add but over-kill for my needs. If I need to tweak, it's doable at the collar. :rolleyes:
 
RayBJ said:
I'm 100% solo and don't expect any 2-up so the Elka Stage 2 should be a good fit. The remote sag adjust is a great add but over-kill for my needs. If I need to tweak, it's doable at the collar. :rolleyes:
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I agree, albeit with a lot of body panel removal. I'll have a buddy with me when I install it to see if I can set the SAG properly before buttoning everything up..
 
CrazyCooter said:
Any idea what they are sending you for a spring with the shock?
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No idea... I send them my riding parameters/personal specifications, and Wilbers will then build a specific shock (spring rate/valving) to those specs. They will also set dampening and preload as close as possible to those specs. They nailed it on my prior 640 HPA for my F3S. The 640 HPA was firmer and much more controlled than the occasional two up shock that I replaced.

20220315_160353 (1).jpg
 
troop said:
No idea.. I send them my riding parameters/personal specifications, and Wilbers will then build a specific shock (spring rate/valving) to those specs. They will also set dampening and preload as close as possible to those specs. They nailed it on my prior 640 HPA for my F3S. The 640 HPA was firmer and much more controlled than the occasional two up shock that I replaced.
Click to expand...
That's what Elka told me too... I gave them probably too much info about the rider profile and loads, but they still missed the rear spring by a mile (possible 20-30%) and the fronts by a little bit (10%).

Maybe if you could report back when you get it in hand, so we can compare notes and possibly come up with a good number to pass on to others?

It will be pretty obvious when you try to get rider sag, but static sag ends up way off.
 
Just received notification from EPM that my shock has arrived stateside and will be shipping out from EPM today. (3) weeks exactly. Time to start stripping down the RT S2S for install :)
 
Lots of tupperware to take off, along with driver/passenger boards to put the rear shock on. I had the Spyder on a lift to access the upper bolt, but no way would my hands fit up there. On a side note, the top exhaust spring was a piece of cake, as I'll install my RLS cat delete at the same time. :)

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I found that with the tool that Baldwin Iron works supplies with their cat delete works great with pulling the springs on the exhaust. I didn't have any issues that other people have described.
 
I just heard back from EPM Performance regarding the spring rate comparison between the OEM shock spring and my Wilbers. My Wilbers was built with a spring weight of 105-165 N/mm-mm. I'm thinking this would be for a progressive wound spring, although it looks straight wound. From Wilbers, the 2020+ RT models come with an OEM rear spring rate of 42 N/mm, which equates to about 240 lb/in. Although my Wilbers is quite a bit firmer, the ride is so much more smooth and controlled. Very happy :)
 
105N/mm is 600lbs/in... I would think that would be right in the ballpark to replace the air assist with the aggressive progressive ramp up.

I have a 600lb spring sitting here for our RTL that I need to swap in. Hoping for really low air pressure (5-20psi) in the bag when solo and a healthy increase (less than 50-75psi) with loads as needed to level.

I feel the biggest issue with the OEM shock in regards to ride quality is lack of control. It is a weak low pressure emulsion design that probably just cavitates over the chop and allows the wheel to bounce like a basketball.

People ask me all the time "How can firmer equal a softer ride"? In short terms, like a Posi-trac rear end in a Plymouth - it just does!
 
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