Old Koni shocks

[mrrick]

My pal Dave (I think) gave me a pair of these.  They are imprinted? stamped? with the following, as far as I can make out:
Koni
Holland
76F 1297
Sens Reglage
a logo with a crown and wings
special (in tiny letters)
An arrow next to "Top" and "haut"

So, in anticipation of the 73 Sport coming soon to the garage, should I send them off for rebuilding, and put them on the bike?
From what I understand, the seals can dissolve over the years and render them unfit for duty?
I'm not qualified to do much more than take off the springs, if that.
 




 

[Tom H]

They look new enough that they should be able to be repaired. There was an old 76 and new 76. The old could be repaired but you have to machine the gland nut to accept the new style seal.

I would phone Ikon USA and talk to the guy, he may need some pics to tell you which you have.

They are not cheap to send in for repair, but they can be done at home with the right tools.

Tom

[PeteS]

I have repaired them. If you can find a rebuild kit its not hard to do. No reason to send it out. What happens is the seals break down and clog the passages and restricts movement.

Pete

[faffi]

IIRC, rebound can be set to three levels, but you must remove the spring and collapse the damper to make the adjustments. Usually, when new the softest rebound setting will last 25k miles or more before enough damping is lost to demand going to the middle setting.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

If they don't leak, I don't rebuild them. Three sets done that way now and they work just fine. Sometimes you need to cycle them in and out a bunch of times (with the shock perfectly vertical) for the valving to work like it should.

As faffi wrote, remove the springs, top mounts and the rubber bumpers, compress them the whole way and they can be adjusted. Instructions are in the V7 Sport shop manual.

[huub]

rebuilding them is probably a good idea.
debris from the seal ends up clogging up the tiny valve shims inside, turning your bike into a hardtail.
can be done yourself , but opening them without the special tool is a challenge

[PeteS]

If you remove the spring, moving the piston over the full length will tell you if they have to rebuilt or not by the resistance.

Pete

[mrrick]

The rebuild project doesn't look good, unless Robert Haag is still alive and working on these-

Rec'd via email today 4/2 from Ikon:


Hello Rick,

Thank you for your emails and call regarding service to your 76 series Koni motorcycle shocks.

These shocks have been obsolete now for over 30 years, so parts supply is limited.
 
We have springs ($100/pr.) bushes ($14.95 ea) Large internal O rings ($2ea.) external bump stops ($12 ea) and that's about it I'm afraid.
 
The major parts issue is the replacement oil seals which were what is known as a preferred part specially made for Koni. Commonly referred to as 'UFO' seals as they resemble a flying saucer, they are a molded seal with an oil thrower bore design. Occasionally I'll see NOS at a swap meet and invariably, they are brittle and dry rotted with age.
 
Although not a factory authorized solution, I do know some customers have purchased an Ikon 7610 series seal kit ($39.95 services 2 shocks) and heavily modified the gland nut or seal holder to accept the Ikon 7610 series seal, but this will require a lathe, mill and the necessary skills to operate them. And no, a 7610 series gland nut (seal holder) will not fit as the thread (tpi) is different.
 
The internal bump stops in the 76 series tend to 'melt' and break up with age, plugging up all the internal orifices. These internal bump stops are obsolete also, but they can easily be made on a lather using an oil resistant material. Again, not an Ikon authorized modification, so I do not have any details.
 
Any way you look at it, restoring a pair of Koni 76 series shocks is a labor intensive job requiring specialist machining services and will undoubtedly cost more than a new pair of Ikon Basix priced at $295/pr. So, something to consider perhaps.
 
Likely not the answer you were understandably looking for, but it all depends just how much you love those old Konis.
 
Hope this helps.


 
IKON SUSPENSION USA
deliveries only:
531 East Pitt Street, Suite 210, Bedford PA 15522 USA
Sales & Tech (814) 592-7003
IkonSuspensionUSA.c om

[frozengoose]

I bought a pair of Koni's back in the mid-90's for my T. They cost the unheard of price of around $200, hard to believe, but sucked it up cause they were the best. They're still on there and work fine, well, at least as good as I remember it from back then, which maybe not that well. They don't leak and I've never really thought about replacing them. I service them every few years by wiping them off with a damp rag. If I was you, and of course I'm not, I'd just use them as is for a while and see how you like them. I'm sure they don't give the best ride you could get now a'days, but like Charlie said, if they're not broke, well you know the rest.

[huub]

if they dont leak  you can usually get away with reusing the seals, just change the bush.
not a full rebuild , but they will work as intended afterwards

[mrrick]

Thanks again for the feedback, you guys-
Turns out that Robert Haag is still doing this kind of thing, so I've reached out to him.

Robert Haag   rhaagusa@yahoo.com

Will try to report back if I learn anything good.
 

[Tom H]

I just wanted to add this. The NEW Basix shocks are essentially the old 76 series shocks. But the Basix  DO HAVE a different gland nut that CAN NOT be used on the original 76 series. I wish I could remember the guys name at Ikon, British type accent. VERRRRYYYY Helpful and knowledgeable!!!

This is from MG Cycle, look at the P/N:

Ikon Basix shock absorbers, Eldorado V7 Sport 850 LeMans SP1000
Part Number: B763004

If you want to give it a shot a rebuiling your shocks, at least a clean up inside and new oil, do a search here. I showed a tool I made to get the gland nut off. A HF adjustable spanner with the pins drilled out and some correct size screws for the gland nut installed in the tool. Also there is a very good tutorial if you Google Koni rebuild on the 7610 series. Taking them apart is basically the same.

Tom

[mrrick]

Thanks, Tom-
I do like the idea of attempting a rebuild myself.
OTOH, $40 for a spring compressor tool, and another $20 or so for a pin spanner leaves me with tools that I may never use again and $60 in the hole before I even begin.
Rob't Haag quoted 125/pair (+ shipping back and forth), so if I can get his assurance that he has the elusive UFO seal (or that it's not really needed, since they are not leaking), I'll likely be sending them off to him.

I have consulted the workshop manual, and I've even seen the rebuild tutorial at Zimmerframe Racing. https://zimmerframeracing.com/koni_shocks/index.htm
Sadly, neither got all the way through to my beer-addled brain...
   

[Tom H]

If you want get them done. $125 seems like a decent deal.

Tom

[huub]

i think these are OEM for the V7sport ,
so for the sake of originality i wouldnt hesitate to spend 125 euro.
instead of a spring compressor a set of ratchet straps will work , but to be honest 125 euro is a great price.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

i think these are OEM for the V7sport ,
so for the sake of originality i wouldnt hesitate to spend 125 euro.
instead of a spring compressor a set of ratchet straps will work , but to be honest 125 euro is a great price.

Also installed on the last of the (police) Eldorados. $125 is dead cheap.

[73 sport]

Does anyone have an address or 'phone number for Robert Haag

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Does anyone have an address or 'phone number for Robert Haag

Hi Horst! I found a phone number on another forum, but a later post said that it was no longer valid. No address either though another post in '23 puts him in Wichita, KS. Only info. I have is the email posted above: Robert Haag <rhaagusa@yahoo.com>

[73 sport]

          Thanks Charlie!  I tried Haags E Mail address. My laptop couldn't do anything with it, just got alot of Yahoo commercials. I don't need koni rebuild, just curious what he would charge.