Penske Traxxion Remote Reservoir Mounting

[Indy_tdi]

Installing my Penske Traxxion rear shock and ran into a bit of a problem with mounting the reservoir.  I assume the bracket is to mount where the passenger peg bracket mounts, but it appears the holes don't line up.  Or this is not were this bracket is intended to mount.  Even if the holes on the bracket lined up, the bolts aren't long enough to accommodate the extra thickness. It seems like Traxxion would have used the existing OEM reservoir mount to mount the bracket.  I'm also not too keen on using hose clamps.  I suppose the panniers will hide them, but for the price paid, I was hoping for something more elegant.  Does anybody have a picture how they intended for the reservoir mounting?  What am I missing?

 

[4bikes]

If I remember correctly, the bracket you show gets sandwiched in between the bracket that holds the passenger peg mount. Yes, you need to use the clamps they supply. You can paint them black because they will show. I agree from your photo that those holes don’t line up. Maybe they sent you the wrong mounting kit?

The connection hose on the Penske shock is a wee bit short so don’t follow the OEM route since you need to account for the swing arm travel.

If you bought it from Traxxion their customer support is good, so they should be able to send you the correct mount if that is your issue. Hope this helps.

 

[Indy_tdi]

Thanks for the reply 4Bikes.  Even if the bracket had the correct distance between the holes, the bolts that hold the passenger foot peg bracket on just are not long enough.  Without the Traxxion braket, the bolts come even with the subframe of the bike.  With the Traxxion bracket I might be able to get one or two threads into the subframe and that is not acceptable.

I cobbled (I won't use the term fabricate, since this would insult true fabricators) this bracket out of 3/16" aluminum I had lying around the shop in about an hour.  I am no fabricator, and don't claim to be one, so no judging on the craftsmanship.  At least I can get it out on the road this week.

I will give Traxxion a call on Monday and see what they have to say.

 

[4bikes]

Sounds like something I would do. In the end it works, so you should be good.  :motonoises:

 

[ghostrider990]

Jeffrey --

Make sure you email back to Dan at Traxxion and tell him how that bracket doesn't work.

We've all had the same issue, and they continue to ship this non-solution with the shock.

I told Dan they should either leave it out, or improve it - but this one doesn't work.

I copied JDSCO's approach, and wrapped the SS worm-drive included clamps in HeatShrink Tube, and added a backing plate to secure the reservoir to the left side hanger.  It's simple, costs virtually nothing, and works.

Another thing i  have to knock the Penske for, is that the smallish thumb-wheel adjuster knob on the reservoir is difficult to turn with fingers.  Once it's mounted in that tucked away position, it becomes more difficult to adjust even with a pair of pliers.  Even worse, the pliers will surely make a complete mess of that aluminum knob.  Minor gripe, maybe - but for those guys who "set-it and forget it", you wont be bothered at all.

gr

 

[ScottyT]

Mine was mounted by the suspension guy who did the work for me. I don’t know if the rubber “saddle” came with the kit, or if that was something he had. Here is how mine is mounted:

 

[Just Cliff]

Mine fit like a glove, everything aligned just right. It's been probably 5 -6 years since I installed it, don't know what's changed. Fits & looks good. 

 

[ghostrider990]

The two hard rubber blocks come with the kit.  :beerchug:

 

[4bikes]

Here is a photo of my installation and the pinned saddle bag.  I don't recall the bracket being an issue, but I do remember those rubber blocks.  The line could have been a bit longer to follow the same route as the original shock, but otherwise fits. 

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

) ) ) )

:great: :great: :great: :great: :great:

Thanks for those photos,
The most interesting part I noticed, even before mentioned by 4Bikes,
was the clearly visible Bag Pins....
Great work fellows
:great: :great: :great: :great: :great: :great: :beerchug: :beerchug: :rotflmao:

 

[Steve in sunny Fla]

The problem is that the bracket was built for the early shocks, and the shocks changed around 2011. I told Traxxion about that when I did my setup some years ago. guess they never fixed it. Steve

 

[ghostrider990]

The problem is that the bracket was built for the early shocks, and the shocks changed around 2011. I told Traxxion about that when I did my setup some years ago. guess they never fixed it. Steve

Which is precisely why I'm asking everyone who has or is going purchase a Penske, to email Dan @ Traxxion and tell him this.

Thanks for the input Steve.  :beerchug:

gr

 

[Indy_tdi]

Looking at the pictures of the older bikes, it is apparent that some where along the line, kawasaki changed the pillion mounting bracket bolt spacing.  Looks like kawasaki also changed the length of the hardware.  As you can see from my picture, the bolts are space further apart.  Also notice that the front bolt barely comes flush with the frame of the bike.  The rear bolt protrudes much more because it is the bolt that came with my canyon cages.  Even if Traxxion provided the mount with the correct hole spacing, it still isn't a workable mount because of the hardware.  And even then, i'm not thrilled with hose clamps.  I'm working on a solution, but it will have to wait until Sunday.

on a side note, how do you put the image in the body of the message, instead of attaching it as a separate file?

 

[mtnrider]

on a side note, how do you put the image in the body of the message, instead of attaching it as a separate file?

In the details of your photo in the media folder, just copy the "BBC embed code" & paste it into your post.

 

[ghostrider990]

THere's been some really good work-arounds done by the guys here that have switch to Penske's.

When I got mine, I emailed Dan to tell him what I thought of the included bracket, and he asked me to send pictures of how we mounted the Reservoir without the bracket.

I agree, the hose clamps and bracket are not the prettiest things to look at, but Concours guys typically follow function over form and don't get too bogged down with details.

If enough of us raise our hands....... 

gr

 

[Bud]

THere's been some really good work-arounds done by the guys here that have switch to Penske's.

When I got mine, I emailed Dan to tell him what I thought of the included bracket, and he asked me to send pictures of how we mounted the Reservoir without the bracket.

I agree, the hose clamps and bracket are not the prettiest things to look at, but Concours guys typically follow function over form and don't get too bogged down with details.

If enough of us raise our hands....... 

gr

I have to thank Jerry Holland for dropping the coin to put an Ohlins on my son's C14, so I don't have to look at those clamps.  :great: :great: :great:  If I were to spend that kind of money on a shock, I'm expecting to get perty along with performance.  I agree we tend to follow function over form, but we're not talking about a shade tree mod or a $300 shock.  The fact that they have had complaints that they ignore just makes it worse.  SISF's work wouldn't be very popular if he operated that way.  Just sayin.

 

[Just Cliff]

The problem is that the bracket was built for the early shocks, and the shocks changed around 2011. I told Traxxion about that when I did my setup some years ago. guess they never fixed it. Steve

This explains why mine fit so well!

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

Looking at the pictures of the older bikes, it is apparent that some where along the line, kawasaki changed the pillion mounting bracket bolt spacing.  Looks like kawasaki also changed the length of the hardware.  As you can see from my picture, the bolts are space further apart.  Also notice that the front bolt barely comes flush with the frame of the bike.  The rear bolt protrudes much more because it is the bolt that came with my canyon cages.  Even if Traxxion provided the mount with the correct hole spacing, it still isn't a workable mount because of the hardware.  And even then, i'm not thrilled with hose clamps.  I'm working on a solution, but it will have to wait until Sunday.

I can't back that up, without parts in hand.... and I can't "measure" pictures
(a part supplied from a third party source, i.e. Traxion, doesn't always mean they gave you a good part, or had a good dimension from the start).

So, please measure the Center to Center distance of the bolts on your '15 model, both side please, and I'll measure my '08... and post up; and we will know for certain.
:great: :great: :great: :great:

so, I had to look anyway, as this has me always curious about "frame part changes", and should allow others to make choices if they break something...
first off, the mounting bolts for ALL years, for that Frame Stay set (rear peg mounts) remain unchanged, always been the same bolts...

There ARE 2 different sets of mounts tho, per below, and noted by model years.

I also, checked on the Bag Mounting Hook part, as I was curious if that changed also, to tighten up the bags so to speak... it seems they did.... and when/model year also noted...

This all come about because the Rear Frame bolt on section was changed I assume...
and likely the frame change was to accommodate something they added back there that needed a simple mounting hole...
and again, year/models noted below...

If you can decode it, it makes sense; so now we know "something" changed, can't say for sure if it was actually that bolt mounting "hole spacing" or not, unless I had the different parts in hand... But I would like to measure them next time I'm near a '10 and '14 and up model..
also... I have found p/n's like those for the Stay's, when they have a suffix with a "letter and number" like xxxxx-xxxx-XYZ are almost always noting a difference in PAINT only, actual "fit" is unchanged... it's a silly Kaw thing; note in the part "decription" one is noted as "F.Black", and the other is noted as "F.S. Black".... kinda like "Flat Black" vs "Flat Satin Black"

enjoy;



2008

35063B 35063-0359-W9 STAY,RR,LH,F.BLACK

35063C 35063-0360-W9 STAY,RR,RH,F.BLACK

92151 92151-1372 BOLT,SOCKET,10X30 4


ASSEMBLIES WHERE 35063-0359-W9 IS USED
2008 CONCOURS 14 (ZG1400B8F) - Frame Fittings
2008 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400A8F) - Frame Fittings
2009 CONCOURS 14 (ZG1400B9F) - Frame Fittings
2009 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400A9F) - Frame Fittings
2010 CONCOURS 14 (ZG1400DAF) - Frame Fittings
2010 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CAF) - Frame Fittings
2011 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CBF) - Frame Fittings
2012 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CCF) - Frame Fittings
2013 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CDF) - Frame Fittings
2014 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CEF) - Frame Fittings

27012 27012-0123 HOOK,LH
this p/n is noted a used on ALL model years and also show it superceded by -0762 also used on all model years,

27012A 27012-0124 HOOK,RH
this p/n is noted a used on ALL model years and also show it superceded by -0763 also used on all model years,

32160A 32160-0294-18R FRAME-COMP,RR,BLACK
ASSEMBLIES WHERE 32160-0294-18R IS USED
2008 CONCOURS 14 (ZG1400B8F) - Frame
2008 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400A8F) - Frame
2009 CONCOURS 14 (ZG1400B9F) - Frame
2009 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400A9F) - Frame


2010
rear frame changed
32160 32160-0472 FRAME-COMP
ASSEMBLIES WHERE 32160-0472 IS USED
2010 CONCOURS 14 (ZG1400DAF) - Frame
2010 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CAF) - Frame
2011 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CBF) - Frame
2012 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CCF) - Frame
2013 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CDF) - Frame
2014 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400CEF) - Frame
then was superceded by p/n
32160-0704  for the 2010 thru 2014 models
when a search is done on the -0704 part,
it reverts back to the -0472 part number for usage.



2018

35063A 35063-0359-18R STAY,RR,LH,F.S.BLACK

35063B 35063-0360-18R STAY,RR,RH,F.S.BLACK

92151 92151-1372 BOLT,SOCKET,10X30 4


ASSEMBLIES WHERE 35063-0359-18R IS USED
2015 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EFF) - Frame Fittings
2016 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EGF) - Frame Fittings
2017 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EHF) - Frame Fittings
2018 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EJF) - Frame Fittings
2019 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EKF) - Frame Fittings

27012 27012-0762 HOOK,LH 1
27012A 27012-0763 HOOK,RH

32160A 32160-0775 FRAME-COMP,RR

ASSEMBLIES WHERE 32160-0775 IS USED
2015 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EFF) - Frame
2016 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EGF) - Frame
2017 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EHF) - Frame
2018 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EJF) - Frame
2019 CONCOURS 14 ABS (ZG1400EKF) - Frame

 

[Indy_tdi]

MOB
Mine are 3-3/16" center to center - both sides.  The bracket Traxxion sent is 2-3/8 center to center.
Jeffrey

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

MOB
Mine are 3-3/16" center to center - both sides.  The bracket Traxxion sent is 2-3/8 center to center.
Jeffrey

WELLLLLL...
now we have an answer....
just measured my 2008 ABS model....
and it is 3-3/16" span also....(didn't pull out calipers for micro measurement... so it may be like 81mm as "designed")

:great: :great: :great: :great:

So Traxxion is off on their part.... as it fits neither bike correctly... :-[

:great: :great: :great: :beerchug

if you go to the National Rally this summer, find me, and I'll pull my Peg Mount off my bike, and we can try it on yours, and see if the bag sits on it correctly also... only takes 2 minutes, I always carry the tools..
:beerchug:

So I'll go back to my original theory, the only difference in the parts, is paint color/finish.

 

[ghostrider990]

Just want to reassure everyone, that I've been in contact with Dan at Traxxion, and he is well aware of this issue, and they are going to be working to build a new mounting option for the Penske Reservoir very soon!  :great:

He said they'll be looking for someone to "donate" a c14 to the cause in the ATL area, in order to build and test a newer version that will fit the +2012 model brackets.

I have no idea how they'll go about doing that.....but if you're interested in having your suspension upgraded, and live near the Atlanta Metro Area, you might want to inquire within.  :beerchug:

gr

 

[gixerhp]

MOB
Mine are 3-3/16" center to center - both sides.  The bracket Traxxion sent is 2-3/8 center to center.
Jeffrey

If you bought the shock new ,,,, Just call Traxxion and explain what is going on.. Ask for Dan, He will fix it for sure.. As stated,, there is different brackets,, it could just be a simple mistake.

 

[Scooter Trash]

Well, not to hijack the thread but the new shock from Traxxion is leaking at the reservoir. I did call them and spoke to  Eric at Penske...it will have to be removed and sent to Penske for repair. Anyone else had that issue?

 

[Indy_tdi]

Until Traxxion develops a different mounting solution.  Here is mine.  I had to go back to the bracket that Traxxion supplied. The written instructions were not provided, so during a telephone call with Dan, did I realize that they are only using 1 of the 2 holes on the supplied bracket.  They do supply a longer bolt so that you can get a nut on the protruding part.  The dilemma now becomes if you have canyon cages, the bolt now needs to be a whopping 75 mm long, and a 1.25 thread (fine) which is difficult to source.  I found a staging clamp that fits the reservoir nicely, they even had it in black.  As pictures are mandatory:  Especially the one for MOB - you know which picture is for you!!

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

  As pictures are mandatory:  Especially the one for MOB - you know which picture is for you!!

umm...
I'm missing something, and sorry, I don't have an aftermarket shock installed.. I only entered into the conversation, when questions about the actual bracket people showed, were inferred as "Kaw changed the mounting point dimensions" and/or dimensions of same, which we have verified now as "No.. the hole spacing is the same on all models"..

therefore there really is nothing I needed, nor said, other than that bracket on the bike remained unchanged dimensional, and the only change was the paint/powder coating.

 

[Indy_tdi]

MOB...Bag pins ) ) )

 

[Amphibsailor]

That's a much more elegant solution than the worm clamp provided with mine. At $8.00 a pop, I'm in.  Just ordered one. (That shipping, though...)

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

MOB...Bag pins ) ) )

sorry, I was lost on the comment.. now I see, and it was a compliment.. :great: :beerchug:
thankz
:rotflmao: :great:

 

[bigk64]

Jeffrey two questions: why did you do away with the bracket that used the original mounting holes? And does your reservoir vibrate with your current setup? Mine does and not sure how I feel about it. (Tried to Copied your setup) .

 

[Indy_tdi]

Kevin,
The bracket I cobbled together ended up being a failure.  When riding 2 up and fully loaded in 'tour mode' with a top case, the swing arm brace came in contact with the reservoir...luckily no damage, just cosmetic scratches to the swing are brace.  It's amazing the range of motion.  So I ended up using the bracket that Traxxion provided.  I originally thought that the bracket would be attached using both mounting holes.  This is not the case. The bracket is attached to the bike with a single bolt.  Traxxion provides a longer bolt for the rear-most passenger peg mount.  This allows additional length for the bracket and the Traxxion supplied nut.  In my case, because I have canyon cages, which also mount to the rear-most passenger peg bolt, I had to special order a REALLY long bolt, which was tough to find since it is fine thread. I did not use the radiator clamps, that was not the look I wanted.  So I used the single staging clamp.  I have not noticed a vibration, although I really haven't looked for any.  I'm not sure what adverse effects would be caused by vibration.  My understanding is that the reservoir is filled with oil and nitrogen.  Traxxion has heard many complaints, but I don't think they have any interest in making a better solution.

 

[bigk64]

Swing arm issue, had it too with my first mounting on my 2017 along with the one hole alignment problem. ( moved shock from my 2008 before selling, work great on there.) Never liked the hose clamp straps either, so jump on your lighting mount idea. Not sure if it is all the extra holes I drilled in the Traxxion bracket to make it work or what. But if I bump the reservoir it vibrates like a tuning fork. I think I want to make a bracket that uses the light bracket and the original mounting holes. I will let all know if I get one done. 

 

[bigk64]

Well after a little trial and error here is pictures of the bracket I came up with. Use the original reservoir mounting holes and clears the suspension arm. only issue (not for me) is adjusting the damping. I don't change mine. As you can see it has about a 3/4 inch offset. And fits inside the lighting bracket. Not as pretty as I would like. After further testing I may take it off and clean it up. 

 

[Bud]

Don't have that problem
with the Ohlins. :nananana: