Works shocks don't Work!!!!

[pappy]

I had a shock built for this trip to TDF ARgentia. Works was given the specs including the weight the bike would be loaded with. The shock worked welluntill Honduras where it began dribbling oil. By Nicaragua I was without a shock. After riding all the way from there to Costa Rica without a working shock I am mad as hell and plan major confrontation when I return to the States. It failing is bad enough but Works will not even answer my email.

Works shocks are not the answer to suspension problems they become the problem.. and don't think you will get help from them BB"Pappy" Neely.
By the way no other bike has had a problem and all have stock suspension.

[mollydog]

Howdy Pappy,
You have a right to be pissed. W

[maria41]

I sent them few emails lately and had no reply! Talking to Hyperpro dealer now... At least they aknowledge emails!

[martync]

I had one totaly fall apart and for molly dog it was on a jap machine and yes i was too cheap to buy an OEM part. My thrift has got me in trouble before, saving on mechanics DIY gone wrong etc... Stay away from BETOR shocks, if you are cheap like me just get a stick and jam it where the shock should be as BETOR is no better.

[Mr. Ron]

I am replacing the Works on my R100GS after over 100k miles of hard use, and honestly, although it's suspension capabilities are only average, the only thing worn out is the bushing on the rod-end. I replaced the oil at 80k miles and re-preasurized it with nitrogen, and thats it. The performance was, well, adequate with limited adjustability, but overall it done quite well for the beating i've put it through, and i'll never know what the first owner did. That being said, i'm looking into replacing it with an Ohlins, or preferably a Wilbers, if the price is right. I'm looking for better rebound and compression dampening. Until only recently i considered buying another Works updated with rebound and compresion dampening, but the negative reviews have steered me away. Also, comunication is NOT one of their strong points. Between never receiving a return e-mail and being sent to voicemail three times and never receiving a return call, i pretty much had it. I supose if their local customers are all they need to survive, then so be it. I'll send my money elsewhere.
BTW, Grant had a few good things to say about Works, but that was a long time ago...

[RocketEngineer]

There have been reports of problems w/ Ohlins on hard-ridden GS's too. At least one Beemer dealer has sworn off recommending them because of bad customer support.

[drew-at-large]

Hi Pappy,

I opted for the Wilbers after my research. I compared the quality, cost and overall satisification I read about in various sites/threads. I also seriously looked at WP (now owned by KTM), but it is hard to beat what Wilbers offers for the money. Klaus is their US sales rep. You'll find he has a loyal customer base for good reason. I also thinks he still offers the first 20K service free of charge if you buy the shock through him -- along with the standard 5 year warranty. I just ordered my a month ago and expect a customed tailored shock sometime this month. Here's the website... http://www.wilbers-usa.com/wilbers/index.htm

Hope my two cents helps. Good luck!

Cheers,
Drew

[Mr. Ron]

I opted for the Wilburs and am now in Mexico. Klaus was very helpful and built a shock to my exact specs for two-up on a heavy loaded GS. So far, the diference is both remarkable and inspiring. I alse added the hydraulic pre-load adjuster...sweet! I can adjust for smooth rolling highway or rough potholed tarmak in a flash all by feel without never getting off the bike. For the roads we travel, i would sugest this option to anyone.
The jury is still out on the durability of the shock, but i'll let you guy's know as i progress South.

[quastdog]

I hit a pothole in Honduras last month, which somehow caused the hose from the hi/lo rebound adj. reservoir to separate from the fitting on my Wilbers (mod. 641) shock. I wound up riding on the spring for a couple hundred kilometers until Tagucigalpa.

The Harley dealer there was able to get a new hose made, and refill the fluid, but wasn't able to pressurise it. San Jose, Costa Rica was the closest place. By the time I got there, I was out of fluid again.

There's a good suspension expert in San Jose - Larsson Motors. They are a White Bros. reseller, and also had Ohlins, access to other shock brands. They work with the local dirt bike racing, auto racing folks. They disassembled my shock, determined I had damaged the "head" which was the cause of the continual leak. They probably could have ordered parts from White Brothers - seems shocks use some common parts - but I had new parts sent from Wilbers in Germany (Wilbers USA doesn't do DHL - they also didn't have the correct size piston rod in stock - Klause at Wilbers USA was very helpful to me on this).

So, suspension problems can happen. We overload our bikes and ride the piss out of them and do damage. I'm not blaming Wilbers at all - it was my own fault. I hit the pothole going too fast on a road full of potholes - had my head down looking at my map and didn't see the hole until it was too late. Brand doesn't matter as much as how we use them.