Thought It would be a good idea to beef up the suspension on the XT for my
Baja trip. I decided on a Works Performance shock with the remote
reservoir unit. This option allows the shock to operate at a cooler temperature..

According to the box this will be the solution to my rear suspension
problems (bottoming out and generally sucky damping problems)


this is the shock. it took Works about 2 weeks to build it and ship it to me:



this is the STOCKER.



Don Redman came over to give me a hand with the install. It was easier having
another set of hands to manuver the shock into place.Thanks man.


The shock comes valved and set up for the riders weight and riding style. Here are
a couple shots of the shock installed:





The XT grew around an inch and 1/2 taller. this should accomodate all the
camping gear /fuel / water ill be taking and should work a lot better over-all.





To even things out. Ive ordered a set of custom fork springs from Cogent Dynamics
as well as a set of Racetech valve emulators. Ill post pictures of that when they
come in.


-swamp

If looks mean anything Swamp, then your new shock may prove to be the answer to providing the XT with new found balance and stability under load. Once you get the custom fork springs and Racetech valve emulators installed up front let us know how the overall package performs. Others will no doubt follow you in this if your final assessment places these mods in a "must do" catagory!

How much does a shock like that "shock" the wallet?
Suspension mods are now on my list.
Thanks for sharing, Swamp.

Mine was around $435, (Gasser with reservoir) best money I have spent on the bike so far.
I weight in around 250 lbs with gear and the new shock increase the ride height of my xt 2 inches, leaves the kick stand a little on the short side.

i did the same thing for my xt workes preformance shock i also contacted bruces suspension and sent the forks to him and he revalved and instaled a new set of fork springs now the front end is much stiffer and i have better control no were near as bouncey,

I'm fine with the crappy shock...I just hate the lower rear end in comparison to say...a WR250X

Did the height increase come from the stiffer or longer spring or did it come from an overall increase in shock length?

The difference between an XT & a WR250X is a complete change is suspension.

WR250X rear suspension travel = 10.4" (280lb dry)
XT225 rear suspension travel = 7.5" (238lb dry)

We have both little bikes, you really can't compare them, though they're both fun!

Not what I was asking.

I wanted to know how the 2" incease in ride height was achieved with the Works Shock on the XT225.

Longer Spring?
Longer Shock?

Oh, sorry. The way you wrote it made me think you were comparing with the WRX.

No idea regarding the Works Shock.

It is a longer shock, and capable of holding my 220lbs at 1/3 sag vs 2/3 sag with the stock unit and max preload.

well , ive thoroughly tested my suspension.
click on the the Trans Alabama MS to GA link in my signiture below.

I carried about 50 pounds in the yellow duffle on the rear rack and put the bike through Hell. it didnt complain at all.

AND.. i ride it regularly with no luggage on single track.
in short. it kicks ass. i can hit big holes at big speeds.
drop of big rocks ..

the ONLY BAD THING IS: my kickstand is now about 2 inches too short.

Glad to see you like your works performance shock.

I got one of those badboys in the mail right now, sooo pumped.


those spiders gave me the heeby jeebies. would of sucked to have them all over


have any updates on your forks? im interested in picking up emulators and stiffer springs too.

yea the forks are awesome.
racetech valve emulators. drilled damping rods.
cogent dynamics springs.

absolutely NO bottoming out in even the toughest nasties.

This is not a Supercross stunt jumper bike. Its a trail bike. Im sure it would slam when jumping triples ....

im totally happy with my suspension.

I posted a write up / how to on the fork overhaul somewhere on here. with pictures.

cool. just searched for the fork post, good write up. definitely orderings the fork parts this week.

can you re-use the fork seals? i just put new ones in couple months ago. i think i have spares laying around maybe just one spare though.

i would buy new ones

That is a sweet shock, and I would love to have one, but if I had that kind of money to spend, I think I would look for a replacement for the weak stock rear wheel. I weigh 200, and usually carry about 40 pounds of stuff with me if I am going very far. While the stock shock is nothing to brag about, I don't see it coming apart on me, and too many people have wound up with broken rear wheels. I ride slow over the rough stuff,(bad back, 51 years old) and don't really need MX suspension. Jerry.

just put the works perf. rear shock in today. man is it awsome. no bottoming out on at all. feels like a whole new bike. wheelies even felt better.

now I cant wait to upgrade the front with emulators + stiffer springs.

putting wayyyy to much money into this bike but you know how the saying goes.

I spent all my money on bikes and women...the rest i just wasted.

Installed my works performance shocks a couple of weeks ago and my girl is loving her xt225 now. It is a completely different beast. The rear is so plush, shes not worried about hitting bumps and tarmac whoops. Before, she was complaining about back aches from the harshness.

Going to look into getting Racetech emulators next and then I think we're done with the mods. Have already done all the free ones and the jetting.

If you're going to spend dollars, do it for the suspension, and not on an exhaust. You're going to get more so much more bang for your buck.

I totally agree on spending money on suspension, or just about anything else over an exhaust. Mostly all aftermarket exhaust systems do is make the bike noisier, exactly what I DON'T want. The XT is not a racer, and never will be. It has plenty of power for what it is, a lightweight trail bike. If you really want to go fast on a smaller bike, get an MX bike. Here in AZ, if you are willing to spend the money to put street legal equipment on it, and if you can get it to pass the emissions test (my quad passed it fine), you can make it street legal. And MX bikes already come with good suspension. They make lousy trail bikes though, they don't like to crawl along at really slow speeds, the powerband is all on top. Jerry

Again, no pics. What a bummer.

You realize that THIS THREAD is almost 7 years old?!

Alexd

Yes. Do you realize that THIS THREAD contains info that is still useful today? Maybe the OP will see my post and fix the pic links. It's happened before.

Swamp is on ADV rider sometimes under the same name.He just got his XT going again and is a real nice guy.I had that write up saved and was sorry to see all the pictures disappear.I would try to reach him on ADV.

What do you need pictures of? It's a Work's Shock. They look like every other remote reservior shock.