What other vehicle in our price range has factory piggyback shocks?
I have to disagree with you there, Vehigaz - the OEMs aren't "crappy" - they're actually very decent dampers. It's just that they have a floating piston instead of a bladder to contain the nitrogen so it's inevitable that a little N2 is going to escape past the seal over the course of thousands of miles. And it will get worse over time as the nitrogen piston seal wears. That doesn't mean it's a bad design. Some of the best shocks in the world utilize it. Look how many top racers run Ohlins on their bike. It does mean you'll probably have to give your shocks a shot of N2 every now and then. If N2 pressure gets too low you get cavitation which creates lots of bubbles. Bubble-filled shock fluid causes loss of damping just like old, sheared, thinned-out shock fluid. Only difference is tired shock fluid is tired all the time - so you can do the "bounce test" with the vehicle sitting in the driveway and tell something's not right - but bubbles separate out after a few minutes of sitting - so when you walk out and do the "bounce test" in the driveway it feels good - then you head down the road and after the first bump you're driving around in BoingBoing City. Try the bounce test immediately AFTER you've driven the vehicle over a good set of bumps or if you're not off-road at least find a dirt road with some washboard or some braking bumps right before an intersection. And bounce the back - the rear overhang accentuates the effect of shocks gone soft. If it's bouncy, your shocks are in BAD shape. I've found that the ride and handling suffer long before the thing fails the bounce test. When I feel the rear compression damping starting to go away, I know it's time for a nitrogen fix. If you wait until your rebound damping is gone (bounce test failure) then you've been riding around on bad suspension needlessly.
Killinformula, if you like the original ride, you might want to try pumping up the OEMs before installing a set of aftermarkets. You might be able to revive them and restore your original ride quality pretty cheap. The bike shop up the road from me charges $10 to do all four. I've been surprised at how long the original shock fluid has held up - 85K miles and still damping well. If a N2 recharge doesn't do it and your OEMs are just plain worn out or they're leaking, you still don't need to pay $2000 for a set of new ones - all wear items can be replaced. They are totally rebuildable unless you have a bent or dinged-up shaft. And it doesn't cost much more than a set of aftermarket, non-reservoir shocks. Actually, if you wanted to buy the parts (sealhead, piston seals, various o-rings) and do it yourself, it would be cheaper than the Bilsteins but it would cost you in time. From what I hear, the fronts with their upside down reservoir are a PITA to bleed. I know when it comes time to rebuild mine I'm calling The Shock Doc, aka Bruce Triplett.
Life's too short to to rebuild shocks...
