Fox Air Shox for late 70s YZ

3/30/2020 8:06am Edited Date/Time 4/6/2020 6:13am
So I've got it in my head that at one stage Fox produced an Air Shock for the cantilever type Yamaha YZ. Can you confirm I didn't dream it? If anyone used it, was it any good?

Ta
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FreshTopEnd
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3/30/2020 9:08am
What years are you referring to? The definitely had a couple different versions for 78-maybe 81, after than I think Fox Factory had shifted to the spring only Fox Factory Shox for the later YZ rear suspension set up,
1
3/30/2020 9:22am
What years are you referring to? The definitely had a couple different versions for 78-maybe 81, after than I think Fox Factory had shifted to the...
What years are you referring to? The definitely had a couple different versions for 78-maybe 81, after than I think Fox Factory had shifted to the spring only Fox Factory Shox for the later YZ rear suspension set up,
78-81 The pre Unitrak/Prolink type mono
tydog
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3/30/2020 1:06pm
Is this what you seek? Lonestar had several of them.
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newmann
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3/30/2020 3:33pm
Yes Lonestar does and he leaves them all over the country to get flooded!Laughing


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The Shop

tydog
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3/30/2020 3:45pm
Harrrr!!!
mxracer666
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3/30/2020 5:39pm
Pretty sure it was '77-'79 models only. After that it was spring shocks for everybody
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3/30/2020 11:57pm
Yeah, that's the boy.

So how did they compare with the stock Yamaha set-up? Anyone out there use one?
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lostboy819
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3/31/2020 3:00pm Edited Date/Time 3/31/2020 10:16pm
Achahoish wrote:
Yeah, that's the boy.

So how did they compare with the stock Yamaha set-up? Anyone out there use one?
I got suckered and bought one used from a guy who said it was great, but he just wanted to recoup some of his money by selling it to me and I didn't know any damn better.
3/31/2020 5:46pm
I have one for a '79 F as above and plan on running it filled with nitrogen and the heavier poppet valve spring inside
MaxPower
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3/31/2020 6:19pm
Those old YZ mono shocvs look like off road truck/buggy shocks to me
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4/1/2020 8:54pm
I don't know how good the fox air shocks were but my stock '79 YZ250 was not great back in the day.
The hot setup in '79-80 was the RM250 with the fox air twin shocks, nothing would track over the braking bumps like those babies.
The YZ with the stock shock would kick sideways on the first bump!
2
wfoyz250
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4/2/2020 8:26am
I have a nice FOX that I used on my '79 250. Wasn't too happy with it, pain in the arse to adjust so it hangs as garage art.
I changed it over to an old Al Baker dual spring with LUFT reservoir. The LUFT was then removed and installed with a "clicker" res. from a '85 CR500.
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wfoyz250
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4/2/2020 8:31am
Al Baker setup..........
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4/3/2020 1:57pm
I had Steve Ashkenazi do mine back in the day, it was a copy of the white brother two spring set up.

It really helped with the small ripple and I was able to get it to turn, finally.
2
4/3/2020 1:59pm
Similar to the Al Baker set up,
I had Steve Ashkenazi do mine back in the day, it was a copy of the white brother two spring set up.

It really helped with the small ripple and I was able to get it to turn, finally.
1
450exc115
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4/6/2020 6:13am
It's pretty easy to bring the 77 to 81 YZ shocks up to near modern performance. Yamaha and KYB were good about using a 46mm bore for 30 years so modern pistons fit on the shaft and there are plenty of aftermarket remote reservoirs with compression adjusters. I've retrofitted about 5 sets of shocks to be "modern" and they work 100x better than stock, two 79s, two 81s and a 78 steel body. I did stumble upon a 81 Fox Twin Clicker which I had to rechome the shaft and it is pretty awesome too.

Never been a fan of air shocks, the ramp up rate of the air spring is too aggressive IMO.

2

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