Is there a simple way to evaluate the condition of these shocks short of putting them on a test machine ?

They should compress easily but resist firmly when you pull the shaft back out....use as fast a stroke as you can.....

Hey Jim,

FYI - If you're the original new purchaser of those, then IIRC they are lifetime warranty & you can send them to Koni for a rebuild/restoration. Otherwise, they'll charge a fee for it. Look them up online. IIRC their restoration center in in the Midwest.

I plan to have the 4 Koni's on mine that I got back in 1980 new (struts & shocks) restored by Koni, even if they only have perhaps 10-20K miles on them, but almost 30 years of aging on the rubber seals/etc.

Testing them before mounting is as noted above, but it's hard to put enough stress on them by hand in many cases, to get a good test. So they may still turn out to be soft & worn out once mounted on a 2200 lb. 914.

Cheers!
Tom
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Koni doesn't do that for free.

KONI Warranty
PASSENGER CAR, LIGHT TRUCK & MOTORHOME: KONI North America LLC warrants all new KONI shock absorbers (purchased after 5/1/1980) and suspension kits (purchased after 1/1/1995) to the original retail purchaser for use in the United States and Canada against defects in materials and workmanship, excluding mounting hardware and bushings, when used under normal operating conditions for as long as the original purchaser owns the vehicle registered for street use on which the KONI shock absorbers were originally installed. This warranty does not apply to, and KONI makes no warranty for, shock absorbers and suspension kits that have been:

As you can see, it covers defects in materials and workmanship. It does not offer unlimited rebuilds at no charge. It's a warranty, not a guarantee.

Thanks for that info; I don't have the original receipt. The pistons appear to move correctly. I was going to take them over to the C & C next week and have them looked at by Steve and Keith.

I intention is gonna be to sell them with the 140 # springs; just don't want to pass along junk.

I'll try to make a video when I test them again and post it.....

Bruce Stone sold me a set of two rears some time back. Grimy and scratched and from a bin of maybe ten or more shocks. He had a very simple way to "test" the usability of the two units. He went thru several bi-directional pushes on the shaft as it was firmly secured in his bench vise. Of the lot he had, he picked out two that, at the same setting for firmness, "tested" in the same fashion. He knew what he was doing.

Since that time, the two that Bruce picked from his bin of many, have performed perfectly for many many miles. bdstone914@aol.com is the Man on bench testing Koni's.


Sidebar: The two Koni shocks are on my 914 to this day and function perfectly. bdstone914@aol.com is the Man on bench testing Koni's.

Good tip Forrest. I did some tests using a vice and found them to work ok, a second opinion would be better. When I rode in your 914 in Prescott, I thought the suspension felt right; in fact, my brand new set of Bilsteins give a similiar ride....