The CB1100 Community Forum

Hey all i am new to the forum. Recently traded my Thruxton for the Honda and am overall very happy with the switch. I stripped my triumph of alot of goodies including my nearly new Hagon Nitro rear shocks at 370 mm they were +10 over stock for the thruxton. I looked high and low to find evidence these would work on the CB. From what i could tell no one was running them and Hagon website did not have any application for the CB1100. Well i simply couldn't see why these couldn't work on the bike so i set to work. I tried to push the bushings out of the stock shocks to refit them to the nitros. The bottom one was easy enough but the tops would not budge. The mounting holes on the hagons are the same size. I took a chance and ordered new bushings from bike bandit. After some vice work, heat, WD, and cursing i got the bushings in place on the shocks. The nitros are a bit longer than stock CB1100 which i imagine are 360mm. I got the shocks on no fuss set the sag (not to difficult as this bike weighs about the same +35lbs as the thrux. The difference in ride i experienced is likened to the that when i upgraded the triumph. Rebound damping is fantastic. Stiffer ride than stock which allows a significant improvement in ability to ride curves fast... (which i quite like to do). Nothing on honda the bike is stellar but just like most stock shocks the suspension sucks. Set up way soft and i only weigh 180 lbs. I upped the preload in the front and set the sag at about 1.5" all around and she's a handler. I do have the front preload cranked to 1 though may go with stiffer springs. Anyhow just thought i'd contribute. NOTE: only fitment issue is proximity of lower part of left shock being in close proximity to chain. It clears it but not by much and i am running no chain guard. END DISCLAIMER>... Anyway the look REALLY good.

Looks great. I too had some Hagon Thruxton length shocks lying around when the CB slunk into my garage. My memory is the upper bushing fit fine, and I had to drill a bigger bushing for the lower hole. Looks like whatever you did worked. My Hagons were the much lower-spec road shocks with preload adjustment only -- and even then they were light years better than the Honda stock shocks. Much better damping.

I thought the stockers were oversprung and under-damped -- so I'd ramp up the preload to get more damping, but it made for a rough ride and improper sag. Throwing those Hagons on was my best mod to the bike. Hagon disclaims a CB1100 application, but it works for me. I surmise Hagon just never got a CB1100 to test. Triumphs, on the other hand, are dime a dozen. Plus, British shocks for British bikes, etc.

The best mod that can be made to this bike is aftermarket shocks, in my opinion. If I were buying, I wouldn't seek out Hagon for the reasons above. But there are plenty of other shock options on this site.

Those look fantastic. I plan on doing a new suspension for my winter upgrades...