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Hi new falco owner, everything I have read about the bike has been positive with the exception of the rear shock. I've only had a few ride outs but so far I love it.
I apologise in advance for this post as no doubt this has been discussed at length.
So although I have not adjusted the suspension at all. It all seems ok, although a bit firm at the back on uneven surfaces. I plan to have the forks serviced and fresh oil asap. I have also been offered a sachs shock off a 2010 Tuono. Now firstly will this fit? And secondly will this be a wise move and what are the alternatives, I say this only because on one hand the offer came from a bike suspension guy who thought that the sachs was a bit soft, but my thoughts are that it will probably be an improvement over the standard shock which incidently is probably the original and although looks good has done 18k.

Hey Maz - Welcome to the world of the falco!

I honestly cannot comment on the original rear shock situation, as i have had a maxton unit in my falco since i bought it.

Most people tend to go with the ohlins from the mille, which may or may not require links depending on the year of the falco/ohlins shock.

my maxton isnt too bad - i have never played with its setup though.

i guess someone will be along soon to answer your question in a little more detail.

Dale

Hi Maz! Welcome to the Site, The wise old man of Coventry will be along shortly I suspect as Im sure there's fitting issues with using a late Tuono shock.. sure I saw something somewhere..

Screw coventry's finest time for some norfolkian!

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/show ... p?t=162440

That shows what fits and what is needed.

The >2004 Mille / tuono shock with the angular swing arm is a no go in the falco - it can be made to fit but.... Not easy

The easiest solution is the original White spring Mille shock as it will fit straight in . The ohlins units all require dog bones and triangles etc

For the vast majority of folk a White spring shock , serviced and set up , will be good for performance

Aladinsaneuk wrote:
The >2004 Mille / tuono shock with the angular swing arm is a no go in the falco - it can be made to fit but.... Not easy

I'm no longer entirely convinced about this having seen some suggestions that they do work.
That said, as the jury is out (and there's not a lot of evidence being collected), I'd stick to the known options.
A) White spring Mille Sachs with Falco linkages
B) Yellow spring Mille Sachs (up to 2003) or Tuono (up to 2005) with the linkages from the donor bike.
C) Mille Ohlins with linkages from the donor bike (Mille up to 2003 or Tuono up to 2005) - earlier ones same linkages as falco ohers as per sachs sprung bikes.

Condition of the shock is probably the best differentiator. Option C is the best of those listed here, option B probably the best value .... but prices do vary.

There are other options out there.

Oh, BTW, Welcome

Oh

Sort the sidestand - if not already done that should be the priority

As a ball park figure - White spring Mille shock is up to 75 quid, yellow sachs upto 125 and the ohlins.... Can be spendy!
All are dependant on condition

I would advise that you factor in a service as well as the cost of linkages etc if needed

Alad.. credit rating... check his credit rating...

roflmao

he has already been assimilated :)

D-Rider wrote: B) Yellow spring Mille Sachs (up to 2003) or Tuono (up to 2007) with the linkages from the donor bike.
C) Mille Ohlins with linkages from the donor bike (Mille up to 2003 or Tuono up to 2007) - earlier ones same linkages as falco ohers as per sachs sprung bikes.

Are you sure about that, Andy? I always thought it was Tuono shocks/linkages up to 2005, not 2007...?

Welcome to the site Maz.

You've chosen I great bike, just get to know it and enjoy it.
As has been said, you need to take care with the original stand, and if not already done, swap it for one of the alternatives detailed on here as soon as possible, (falling off the stand can be very expensive!).
As for the rear shock, the very early ones were the worst, they got a bit better from 2001, no real change after that.
These later ones are not perfect, but are better than most budget bikes, but can fade, so tend to be stiffened up and have the preload turned up, which ain't too bad, but as you have already found, it does bounce your arse around on bumpy roads.
I ran mine for 12K miles before I changed, some junk them straight away.
I got a nearly new White Spring Mille in excellent nick, but not so easy to find in good nick now, so as has been said, budget for a rebuild unless looks really good.
With this swap it rides the bumps much better and is less likely to be thrown off line, but on smooth roads you may not notice as much.
Other main differences are 4 way adjustment on the Mille unit - preload, rebound, compression and ride height, (so you can raise the ride height for faster turn in if that is what you want).
If you can afford an Ohlins, you get even more improvement at a cost. There are numerous others that come in between.
After that you can go as far as you want/can afford, some people on here have spent a fortune, but there ain't a lot wrong with the basic bike, with just the essential mods.
Build quality is excellent and in my case it has been the most reliable and the best bike I have ever had over 40+ years riding.
As I said earlier, get out and enjoy it!

Ooops, nearly forgot, tell us a bit more about it and some photos would be nice.

Howdy Maz, hope you have a great time on the Falco.

If the guy offering the shock is a suspension dude then he should know that you'll need the linkages too. If he doesn't know that then he doesn't know much so beware.

If he's offering the linkages too, I'd be tempted to take him up on the deal (if it's a good one) on the proviso that he sets the suspension up to your satisfaction, should be easy if he's in the business. If he can't get it to work, then get your money back. Win - Win for you.

Good luck.

PS beware some later linkage triangles had the odd failure as one of the sides of the triangle was very slender. Search for the info here and on AF1, could be the deciding factor.

mangocrazy wrote:

D-Rider wrote: B) Yellow spring Mille Sachs (up to 2003) or Tuono (up to 2007) with the linkages from the donor bike.
C) Mille Ohlins with linkages from the donor bike (Mille up to 2003 or Tuono up to 2007) - earlier ones same linkages as falco ohers as per sachs sprung bikes.

Are you sure about that, Andy? I always thought it was Tuono shocks/linkages up to 2005, not 2007...?

Aaaaagh!! dunno what happened there - of course you're right Graham .... Tuono up to 2005 - not a clue why I said 2007.
I'll go and edit my post in case someone reads it and doesn't pick up the correction.

Thanks for picking it up

WoW!, thanks for all the advice. I will certainly research a replacement rear shock and try not to rush in on the first deal I see. Thanks on the advice about the side stand, I'm sure that the bike has fallen over in its life fortunately with only very minor chips on the fairing. Is it best to re-fabricate the original to give it some more lean angle or go for a mod and use something like a honda firestorm? stand. Sorry I'll stop being lazy and research the forum I'm sure there must be a heap of threads on here.
Thanks again.

maz wrote:WoW!, thanks for all the advice. I will certainly research a replacement rear shock and try not to rush in on the first deal I see. Thanks on the advice about the side stand, I'm sure that the bike has fallen over in its life fortunately with only very minor chips on the fairing. Is it best to re-fabricate the original to give it some more lean angle or go for a mod and use something like a honda firestorm? stand. Sorry I'll stop being lazy and research the forum I'm sure there must be a heap of threads on here.
Thanks again.

Welcome Maz, if you have it patience is a worth while atribute, you'll find there's nothing available for weeks then all of a sudden someone on here will sell one and and they'll be two or three on ebay! When you're ready put out a request on here as a lot of us have links to other forums/contacts etc. I had the blue shock for most of last year and have just fitted a yellow spring Sachs (with links and Mille swingarm) so just seeing how i get on with that as i'm not that experienced on a bike yet and have only been out for an hour or so this year....don't forget search facility too!

With reference to the rear suspension

I've currently got a 2007 yellow spring Sachs with the 2007 Linkages & dogbone fitted to my Falco

Sits fine (bit high) and I can set the static sag set but only just and here's the rub. Unless you're a lard arse like me the spring is probably too strong for the Falco. I've got the spring wound fully off to enable me to set the sag and I you will also need an alternative side stand (I have a Suzuki K7 fitted) as the std stand is way too short on this set up. I'm about 18 stone with riding gear (possibly a tad heavier than that) I reckon if you weight anything less than this it probably wouldn't work (Just MHO you understand)

I've also tried a yellow spring sachs 2004 shock with the 2007 linkages and that also looks like it may work. It feels nice and plush and no obvious issues with clearance etc..

That said, both of these "set ups" are only static driveway at the mo as my insurance re-newal isn't due till April 12th so I haven't had a chance to actually ride it yet.

I may find that once actually out on the road they are both rubbish but whatever my findings I'll report back as soon as I've ridden it in anger

F9