For what it's worth here is my experience of both Maxton and Nitron.
First of all on my 1997 900 Monster, when I bought it from my mate it was two years and less than a 1000 miles old, I also owned a 1996 GSX-R750 WT SRAD so was rather spoiled when it came to handling but the Monster was fun- just a lot slower by comparison.
I put up with it for a while as it wasn't all about speed but as I realised the Monsters' home was country lanes not the (at the time) three figure dual carriage ways of Sussex and Surrey that the GSX-R liked to play on it was time to try and do something to stop the Monster from kicking off bumps at the front and jumping me out of the seat in near equal measures.
So a Nitron Sport shock was ordered and I started playing with oil weights and quantities with the forks- I will say at this point my Monster was fitted with Marzzochi forks so things were somewhat limited compared to the more tuneable Showa options.
I also dabbled with an S4 around this time so had a comparison of the later type and I have to say it was a fair bit better to start with but I had fallen in love with air cooled 2v motor so the S4 was sold on.
The Nitron was fitted and it was an improvement but the front still kicked about when pushing on but over time I just kind of rode around the problem forgiving it as it was so fun to ride.
Fast forward to 2012 and I had started racing a 1965 Ducati 250 Mach 1 in a Classic club and I had a lot to learn about going fast on an old bike so after the first season I contacted Maxton who reworked the forks with GP20 cartridges and made me some lovely twin shocks to replace the aged Hagon items. It was a revelation and more importantly a feeling I could recognise and have confidence riding as fast as I could on -just the drum brakes to get used to after that
So 2014 and I was giving the Monster a going over and it was an easy decision to contact Maxton again to work their magic on the old Marzzochi's which they did with another set of GP20 cartridges and again what a difference- I honestly wish I had done it much much sooner.
No more kicking off bumps, our pot holed roads are no longer something to fear and the bike generally is a delight to ride either pootling through towns or pushing on a bit down the lanes.
On both bikes I went for the base level GP20's with adjustable rebound only and I have honestly never felt the need to adjust them as they are perfectly set up for what I use the bikes for- obviously suspension is a personal thing to a certain degree and some people can't resist a fiddle but remember too many adjustments can just as easy turn it into a horrible pogo stick of a motorcycle.
There is always Maxton's NR4 non remote reservoir mono-shock to consider perhaps (they'll discount with forks too).
Whereas Nitrons' Sport shock adjusts the rebound and compression together in a predetermined ratio the Maxton unit does them individually for a more accurate and personal feel but somewhat awkwardly you have to remove the spring to access the compression adjustment screw- you pays yer money and takes yer shock!
Anyways, Maxton and Nitron have fabulous customer service- I cannot recommend them enough- so much so that when my Nitron went back for a service and new spring to be fitted after ten years or so (I'd put on a few pounds ~ahem~) they fitted a new top mounting piece free of charge as it had been redesigned in that time to give better clearance.
The Magic 'M':
Shockingly beautiful:
Forkin' Hell:
Ten+ years old:
