Wilsons Sandbox

I just received & installed the progressive 420-1030 rear shock on my 2001 KLR. Everything was torqued to spec. I find that there is about the thickness of a washer of lateral movement at the upper bolt, I can push / pull the shock. Is this normal? The 2 (upper) side bushings are where they should be. Up & down movement appears tight. Brian

I don't have the shock but my first impression would be "No, that is not normal" You may actually feel that slop going over stutter bumps and it may cause abnormal wear in the region of the movement. Others will chime in ... West____ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have the 500/560 Progressive rear and paid around $400. At the time, this Moab shock wasn't available. My thoughts on the L.R. Progressive rear (and front, too) are all positive. I noticed a huge difference over stock--mostly not bottoming out which is why I rushed to replace the stock shock. It has adjustability, but I'm not a fiddler so I set it and forget it. I certainly didn't test it in a lab, but I'd conclude it has performed well for over 12k combat miles. It has met my expectations and it's hard to beat the price. I'd be happy to give it a go to provide feedback for the vendor, but it's hard for me to believe it's a break-through compared to the Progressive. Again, like many of the items discussed here, people have different needs and experiences. Few are backed by more than anecdotal evidence. For example, I for one had a horrible experience with comfort and performance with the Corbin dished seat. Fine quality but comfort scored a D with me, and I didn't appreciate (nor my rider) always being forced into the dish. Others seem to really enjoy the seat. I don't recommend it, but the those that do I'm happy for you. And exhausts...again we can argue all kinds of things, but frankly I like the sound (tone and quieter) and extreme durability of the stock exhaust. Note I replaced my original with another when it started tweeting. I didn't like the tweet, but for $50 I'm back in the game and happy for nearly 12k tweet-less more miles. Plus, I like the durability. Smash it on rocks, etc. it's virtually maintenance-free and bullet proof. In fact, at 50 yards a .22 cal won't penetrate it, but that's another story. The bottom-line is people will have different experiences. That's what we're here to share. Personally, I do take cautious comments saying something is "the best" especially when there are vested- interests in a product's success or the part was supplied gratis for testing/review. Truly, I think to review independently in a product, you need to buy it yourself with your own hard-earned money. Outside this, in order to do a competitive review, you need to acquire all the competitors and subject them to the same (scientific) tests and conditions and then simply present the results. I respect manufacturers' gusto and pride behind a product, but claims aren't always substantiated. Then again, if the consumer is happy with the product and the price s/he paid, what difference does it make? In the end, I'll tell you I'd rather be riding a KTM 990 Adventurer and love for others to buy one, but when it comes to weight, cost to maintain, and parts/support, I'll choose the KLR 100% of the time. The