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Fournales

  • Hogey
    Hogey
    2 months
    Fitted these for a mate after he saw my bike ride the rough roads 
    IMG_1144.jpeg
    IMG_1143.jpeg
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    2 months
    They are an awesome shock, dunno if I'd use them on a softail again though, mine failed due to a combination of factors but after having it happen I'm gun-shy.
  • evo94
    evo94
    2 months
    brilliant shocks i have had on evo softail for donkeys years...bought them s/h off US ebay when our $ was worth a US penny, then also the fournales pump off Oz ebay years later....they have never bottomed out or let me down, no matter pillion or not.....bullet proof
  • Benno
    Benno
    2 months
    Quoting Hilly on 23 Jul 2024 04:58 AM

    They are an awesome shock, dunno if I'd use them on a softail again though, mine failed due to a combination of factors but after having it happen I'm gun-shy.

    Hilly, can you tell us your experience with the Fournales on a softail, I recently picked up an Evo softail, previous owner had installed a lowering kit, but the shocks are f#@$ed. I am in the market for a new set of shocks for it, will be getting rid of the lowering kit at the same time, the thing scrapes out on the primary side very easily.
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    2 months
    They work awesome, can be a bit of a chore to set up on a softail as the rear valves are awkward to access but once you have your sweet spot sorted they are top notch, many will say you can set them on the bench and they are spot on but with my time with them both on dynas and softails I beg to differ.
    That's the good.
    The bad, the valves are vulnerable, while they all face upwards when fitted correctly they can get hit by road debris, I know as it happened to mine, two up, something flew up, must of been a piece of flat bar or similar, sheared one rear valve clean off, all the weight applied suddenly on the other caused it to fail internally at the same time, funnily enough neither I nor my pillion noticed until I stopped at a traffic light, back tyre wasn't rubbing at all but the bike was slammed and scraped on the turn away from the lights.
    I would run them on a Dyna no sweat but on a softy they would need to be free for me to even consider it.
    I'm using Bitubos on my Softail now, pretty good shocks for the money, not as nice as Fournales but no valves to get clobbered.
    Fournales can be exchanged for a new set or reconditioned set, I sent mine off to be exchanged, they vanished, Aus post came good with insurance, was way short of Fournales price so I spent the money elsewhere. If I had got them back I would of sold them anyway.
    I know blokes that have never had an issue with them in 20+ years so that's just my experience.
  • Benno
    Benno
    2 months
    Quoting Hilly on 23 Jul 2024 11:42 PM

    They work awesome, can be a bit of a chore to set up on a softail as the rear valves are awkward to access but once you have your sweet spot sorted they are top notch, many will say you can set them on the bench and they are spot on but with my time with them both on dynas and softails I beg to differ.

    That's the good.
    The bad, the valves are vulnerable, while they all face upwards when fitted correctly they can get hit by road debris, I know as it happened to mine, two up, something flew up, must of been a piece of flat bar or similar, sheared one rear valve clean off, all the weight applied suddenly on the other caused it to fail internally at the same time, funnily enough neither I nor my pillion noticed until I stopped at a traffic light, back tyre wasn't rubbing at all but the bike was slammed and scraped on the turn away from the lights.
    I would run them on a Dyna no sweat but on a softy they would need to be free for me to even consider it.
    I'm using Bitubos on my Softail now, pretty good shocks for the money, not as nice as Fournales but no valves to get clobbered.
    Fournales can be exchanged for a new set or reconditioned set, I sent mine off to be exchanged, they vanished, Aus post came good with insurance, was way short of Fournales price so I spent the money elsewhere. If I had got them back I would of sold them anyway.
    I know blokes that have never had an issue with them in 20+ years so that's just my experience.

    Cheers Hilly.
  • Hogey
    Hogey
    2 months
    Been fitting to bikes for years. Never any problem. On Softails as with any shocks the RHS rear bolt is a pita. 
    D9E63981-782C-4D12-AA20-4CEEA47F8046.jpeg
  • Benno
    Benno
    2 months
    Who's selling them in Aus now, just googled "Fournales Pacific" but nothing new on the FB site for years, website not active.
    Hilly those Bitubos for softy's are near 2k. 
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    2 months
    All I have is this Benno.....

    Pierre Caffin
    Fournales Pacific Pty Ltd
    +617 3274 1888
    0432403491
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    2 months
    For you Benno, they have gone up a little since I got them but this is where I got them.....he has the early ones as well.

    Sorry for the sorta hijack Hogey, just helping a brother out.
    Screenshot_20240724-150254.png
  • Hogey
    Hogey
    2 months
    No worries here Hilly . I have fitted those to a shovel frame. Top of range adjustable.? I think the Fournales are 1890 or about. From Piere QLD . I talked to you on HTT . JSD I heard you moved to KI . Kewl place. 
  • Hogey
    Hogey
    2 months
    If you live in an area or So if worried about debris hitting valves. That I have never encountered and ridden the dirt. You could easily make a plastic black guard or your choice of material and cable tie to frame as the Fournales sit higher than stock Showa 
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    2 months
    Absolutely you could if that's what you want to do(I ride dirt, it happened on freeway grade sealed road) I'd never heard of it either, if blokes mount them valve down(don't scoff I've seen that before) the valves can get hit by the frame, but that's operator error in my book, I'm not bagging the shock, they are great shocks, I'm just not spending that kind of money on them again, not for a softail anyway.
  • Hogey
    Hogey
    2 months
    All good Hilly . I fit what customers want . I warn about you get what you pay thing. I have fitted Fox I have fitted slime china copys shit . All good mate just think Fournales work with softaials.  The is great made USA but you need to remove a shock to drain box oil. Or as manufacturers say suck it out. I don’t like that stuff. 
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