I tried some supposedly good cheap ones when I first bought the bike. IKON was the brand. Good value they said. Used to be KONI or some such story.
Compression and damping with one adjustment! They SUCKED. I knew in 5 miles I wasted 300 bucks. Point is I spent twice. My error. Buy quality the first time. It's cheaper.
I had a set of IKONS made for my old KZ650 - 21 mm longer than stock with softer than stock springs since I always ride solo. At first they felt harsh, but after setting the rebound to the minimum setting, they worked very well for comfort. Middle of the 3 settings gave ample control for spirited (as spirited as you can get on a bike from the 70s) riding on bumpy roads. Also had a pair intended for the VF1100 Magna fitted to my Honda VT500FT Ascot, again longer than stock for more cornering clearance. They also worked fine. As did the set from a KZ1000 I fitted to my KZ400 (you know by now, more cornering clearance needed). No, they are not Ohlins, but my experience have been positive. And they last a long time, and you can add damping as/when they wear.
When fitted to older big twin Guzzis, however, the IKON/KONI shocks have their limitations from what I have read. For instance, the Mille came with Konis, and they were generally not liked by test riders. It was speculated that the wheel travel of only 70mm was the culprit, or that Koni had not managed to find a shock that could cope with both solo and 2-up riding while offering sufficient comfort with such little travel.
BTW, I believe every basic shock that only have rebound adjuster will also to a small amount affect compression damping. If you want a better ride combined with more control, you are looking at a different price range and more advance designs, most likely.
