
I fitted a Hagon Monoshock to the rear of the Tiger 955i and Hagon Progressive Fork Springs . I choose the Hagon option
as it has been well reviewed by BigStripey, Loops and others on the Triumphrat.net site.
My Opinion
The Hagon Shock transformed the handling. The Tiger had much more "Poise" and lost much of the floaty vagueness that
comes with tourer/trailie bikes. I was delighted. The Hagon shock is 2mm shorter, I guess the spring is a bit stiffer, this
combination meant that the seat height out of the box was exactly the same as the standard shock on minimum pre-load.
The suspension was still on the soft side with lots of travel but much better damping control. For shorties there was scope
to slacken the spring and lower the ride height which you can't do on the standard shock. Very nicely made, rebuildable and
half the cost of WP or Ohlins.
The Hagon Fork Springs had less of an impact. I dropped the forks another 10mm through the Yolks to 20mm. Handling
was very stable on smooth roads, brake dive seemed less. On bumpy B roads it felt a little firmer which is good. I would
definitely fit the Shock first and I'd have the springs as a distant second choice.
Fitting
It took half a day to fit the
shock. The problem was
not being able to get a
socket & extension on the
bottom bolt from the right.
The manual said remove
the exhaust system (Yep,
this meant removing the
radiator, oil cooler,
exhaust pipes &
silencer). I found it much
easier to remove
swinging arm spindle
and shock top mount.
The shock came away
attached to the swinging
arm.
The biggest problem was
removing the spacer for
the bottom mounting in
the swinging arm. I had
to turn a drift on my lathe
and belt it very, very hard
from the r/h side (i.e.
From the brake side
towards the sprocket
side). It would not budge
the other way on my
Tiger.
Tip: I used this
opportunity to grease the
swinging arm bearings.
Kinda Sexy
Hagon on left & Standard Tiger on right
I didn't need a remote height
adjuster so I purchased the
cheaper Hagon shock option. I
aways ride solo and I travel light
as bulky luggage spoils the riding
pleasure for me. Hagon can
supply a remote height adjuster if
required.
I fabricated a new
larger Mudflap
fashioned from a
Car Mat with a strip
of steel behind to
stop it rubbing on
the rear tyre at
speed. The
Mudflap kept the
rear shock nice
and clean and was
hardly noticeable
on the bike.
Hagon Shock Absorber & Hagon Fork Springs on a Tiger 955i