Yamiya K0 Shocks

[ashimotok0]

The Yamiya repro shocks they say have the correct spring and made by the original supplier. Anyone bought them and can confirm they are correct.

Ash

[Steve Swan]

I have a set i have not taken out of box.  I rec'd them last month.  I will take them out of box and report back.

[ashimotok0]

I have a set i have not taken out of box.  I rec'd them last month.  I will take them out of box and report back.

Cheers Steve.. I took a flier on ordering a set as they have over 20% off this month and I feared they may sell out. I have a new set of the now discontinued Genuine Honda K0/K1  52400-300-020XW variants so they should sell well on eBay and recoup the cost of the Yamiya ones.

Still very  interested in your comment though.

Many thanks ... Ash

[Sgt.Pinback]

What is the difference to the Z1parts shocks?

http://www.z1parts.net/product/cb750-sandcast-shocks

[ashimotok0]

What is the difference to the Z1parts shocks?

http://www.z1parts.net/product/cb750-sandcast-shocks

Yamiya  ones are supposed to be made by the original manufacurer so I assume Showa.

[kp]

A bunch of the stuff being sold by Yamiya is also being sold by Z1 Parts and MachIV Motors, and no doubt others. KP

[Steve Swan]

A bunch of the stuff being sold by Yamiya is also being sold by Z1 Parts and MachIV Motors, and no doubt others. KP

took the words out of my mouth.  imagine there is not more than one mfgr'r for various parts, but certainly seems a number of folks have got on the vendor wagon.

encl: pics repro from Yamiya beside "7 spring DeCarbon."  while repro's are "7 spring," that's where similarities end.  imho.  spring wire is smaller diameter.  repro black upper eyes welded.  numerous other differences.

i don't know how the "52400-300-020XW variants" compare to a repro, but i am guessing the "52400-300-020XW variants" are closer to an original "7 spring DeCarbon" than the repro (except the "variant's" have fewer visible spring windings than the "7 spring.")  i used a set of the "52400-300-020XW variants" on 232, however i replaces the fewer winding springs on the variants and installed original "7 spring" coils.

[Steve Swan]

one more pic of welded upper eye.  to me this is the most glaring difference.

[ashimotok0]

A bunch of the stuff being sold by Yamiya is also being sold by Z1 Parts and MachIV Motors, and no doubt others. KP

One thing to note. The seats from Mach IV are NOT Yamiya, as I found to my cost. They are made by PMC. Lots of subtle differences between the two and the Yamiya one is definitely better. member Kettle738 had a  chance to look at my MachIV seat before I did and observed the differences for me (I will find the detail)  and Yamiya posted some detail on their Facebook site (no I am not into social media like FB but it seems the only way to communicate with a fast response to David Silver Spares and Yamiya etc).

The only agent of Yamiya stuff I know of is Saisei in the UK. Yamiya told me they have no official agent in the USA and were upset about other products being passed off as theirs, in particular the seats.  

I can photo both seats (Yamiya & PMC)  side by side and highlight the differences.

From what I can see "52400-300-020XW variants" are now sadly discontinued. I ordered the Yamiya ones as I thought they were exact repros of the original (particularly the springs) but I also have set of new 'Honda variants". What do you reckon guys ....  tell them  not to ship Yamiya ones and just use the "Variants"? Luckily Yamiya are awaiting an addition small order from me, so have not packed and shipped the shocks yet.

This is off topic here but Yamiya's CB400F pipes are NOT double skinned as original and the silencer they sell is made in the UK.

Ash

[kp]

Hi Ash
Just to reiterate what I said. "A bunch of the stuff being sold by Yamiya is also being sold by Z1 Parts and MachIV Motors, and no doubt others". What I never said was Yamaha's stuff (stuff made by/for Yamiya) is being sold by those sellers.
The initial topic of the thread was about repop shocks and these are not a Yamiya made product. Indeed many items sold by Yamiya are not made by/for Yamiya. Tanks, fork ears, chain guards, cables and many other items we take as a Yamiya product are in fact made by other companies including PMC. Even their speedo/tacho covers, lenses, faces he sells are from Marcel at CB750faces.com. But then maybe I've got it wrong and Yamiya is in fact selling to PMC
As for seats, Yamiya does not make the seat bases, stainless trim/clips or all the white/yellow foam. Yamiya maybe makes the red sponge and probably the covers and probably/maybe has them assembled. Yes, the red sponge seats are probably the best of the bunch (I have owned 2 of the red foam seats). I've owned a Yamiya white/yellow foam seat and they are in no way correct for a K0 post early sandcast as the PMC used base is wrong. As for the other seats on the market, one of my sandcast friends showed me a K0 seat sold by Everett (I think) and I can tell you for $170 it was a damn good product, unlike the ones sold by David Silver/CMCNL some years ago and it had a very correct base. I'm not sure about other similar seats except the one referred to in the link below.
As for sellers, well we have JTMarks and Sandguss (Manfred Doring) to name 2, selling products which Yamiya states they manufacture so there are others out there selling the exact same products as Yamiya. Are they agents? I don't know, however I do know I'm not slagging Yamiya as I still buy stuff from them but Yamiya doesn't just sell Yamiya stuff.
Here are current links to seats being sold and one is not correct K0. The seat being sold by motorcycle-good-parts is not made by PMC but is a very good repop of a later K0 seat and IMHO is a better seat for the later bikes than the Yamiya
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Honda-CB-750-Four-Sandcast-K0-Sitzbank-Seat-comp-double-/221730778116?hash=item33a02f2c04
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Honda-CB750-FOUR-1969-Sandcast-1969-1971-BRAND-NEW-Seat-/201446229409?hash=item2ee72185a1
I will always say, Yamiya is very very important to our group as a source of parts but those same shocks, the topic of your thread, at Yamiya are normally $400 but now $320 on special whilst Z1 Spares are $165. IMHO some of Yamiya product is expensive
Cheers

[ashimotok0]

Cheers for that Kerry. I think I got hooked by Yamiya on the shocks because they made a big thing about the coil turns being correct  and original manufacturer, which I rightly or wrongly assumed was Showa, plus the 20% off of course.
"The same manufacturer item as original.
Number of active coils is 16.5 which is the same as original."

I too have only the utmost respect for Yamiya, as they do stock some nice stuff and TBH I would be struggling to restore my bike without them.

I think I will also ask Yamiya to cancel the shocks and issue at least a credit note and use the Honda ones instead. I have a seat on order from them and have the PMC one on eBay, so I will pull the eBay sale  and consider the options when the Yamiya one arrives. It would be nice to have a list of recommended sources for items that people have evaluated. A  bit like the double cut fender blade that Eric in Vietnam sells, un-chromed. Mine after extra polishing and  chroming in the UK turned out really nice.

Thanks for everyone's input .. restoring early CB750's is certainly challenging!

Ash

[Steve Swan]

were the pictures of shox helpful ?

[ashimotok0]

were the pictures of shox helpful ?

Yes .. great thanks Steve. appreciate you taking the time to kindly photo them. I kind of think I would be better with the Honda version now though, after your comments and the top mount arrangement photo.

cheers ... Ash

[steff750]

  hi guys am i missing the point here ?  about the repro parts i mean?
i always thought honda subbed a lot of thier work out anyways e.g. showa ,hitachi ,d.i.d. stanley, nippon denso,the list is probably endless ,even honda themselves had a sub-contractor code in their part numbers
so would it not be reasonable to assume that these same sub-contractors could be making the same parts for yamiya,silvers,saisei z1 mach1V whoever?
honda  have stated they will not make or supply parts for motorbikes over fifteen years old.
so i dont think them very same sub-contractors would just shut up shop
i will gladly buy any repro part as long as its fit for purpose ,if it comes from japan then its a bonus in my book
im just glad that at least somebody is making them,because if it was left to honda alone ,we would not even have be having this discussion
old man honda always said he would make or supply parts for the older bikes
now the world is run by bankers and we all know how that will end  lol

[Steve Swan]

hi guys am i missing the point here ?  about the repro parts i mean?
i always thought honda subbed a lot of thier work out anyways e.g. showa ,hitachi ,d.i.d. stanley, nippon denso,the list is probably endless ,even honda themselves had a sub-contractor code in their part numbers
so would it not be reasonable to assume that these same sub-contractors could be making the same parts for yamiya,silvers,saisei z1 mach1V whoever?
honda  have stated they will not make or supply parts for motorbikes over fifteen years old.
so i dont think them very same sub-contractors would just shut up shop
i will gladly buy any repro part as long as its fit for purpose ,if it comes from japan then its a bonus in my book
im just glad that at least somebody is making them,because if it was left to honda alone ,we would not even have be having this discussion
old man honda always said he would make or supply parts for the older bikes
now the world is run by bankers and we all know how that will end  lol

Great remarks, agreed with all. 

The only exception i would have is in the case of when one wants a machine "restored appearing exactly like original."  To be exact in appearance,  for example, those shocks fall short in "appearing exactly like original. "