Piaggio Beverly Rear Shock Upgrade: The 20-Minute Hack

If you want to really improve the ride of your Piaggio Beverly, forget the expensive exhausts and fancy variators. The best bang-for-your-buck upgrade is, without a doubt, the rear suspension.

The standard shocks on the Beverly are okay, but there's definite room for improvement. The units on my 2017 Beverly 350 were completely shot, with no fluid left and covered in corrosion. After a bit of research, I settled on a set of Bitubo Dual Spring shocks from a UK supplier, TW Suspension Tech. Best of all, they custom-tune the springs to your weight before shipping. A fantastic service.

The 20-Minute Hack (Forget the Online Guides)

Now, for the fitting. The online videos I found showed a horrifying process that involved removing almost all of the bike's plastic trim—a solid two-hour job. Bollox to that.

Here’s the simple process that will get the job done in about 20 minutes:

1. Remove the Top Box & Rack: Start by taking off your top box (if you have one) and then unbolt the rack that connects it to the bike. This is straightforward and exposes the rear of the main side panels.

2. Loosen Middle Fasteners: With the rear of the side panels now loose, remove the side trim's middle fasteners. That's it. Nothing more to undo!

3. Flex the Trim: This is the magic step. The plastic side trim is surprisingly flexible. Carefully pull the panel outwards, away from the frame, and use a small block of wood to hold it in the flexed position. This gives you plenty of space to get a spanner onto the top shock mount.

4. Swap the Shocks: Unbolt the top and bottom mounts of the old shock, remove it, slot the new one in, and bolt it up.

5. Repeat & Reassemble: Do the other side, then simply fasten the trim back in place and re-attach your top box rack. Job done.

I've since checked this on my Beverly 400, and the same approach is entirely possible.

A final word of warning: be gentle! Those side trims are tough, but they are plastic, not elastic. Flex them carefully and just enough to get access. If you hear any loud cracking noises, you've gone too far!