Is it a PITA to do this ? Are we into droops and drop offs or just simple switch em over without pulling wheels off etc. 
Swapping front and rear shocks
- Thread starter Captain Black
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newboy
mechanical buffoon
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There is a great explanation on here somewhere.
I think it's Steptoe
May be wrong....
Edit:
I was
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229263
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I think it's Steptoe
May be wrong....
Edit:
I was
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229263
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Thanks newboy but was thinking of the 1150 GS/A I can't turn anything up on the search though.
newboy
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Sorry
I just re-read my link
I have seen it somewhere
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=869627
- with bike on center stand, support the rear of the bike under the engine if necessary, although mine kept its weight forward with the wheel removed.
- remove rear mudguard
- remove rear brake caliper (to clear wheel for removal)
- remove rear wheel
- support the swing arm
- remove lower shock bolt (to gain enough clearance to remove the lower shock bolt, I needed to remove the muffler by loosening the clamp at the bottom and removing the bolt to the fame about halfway up and then pulling it out)
- remove upper shock bolt (again, to gain enough clearance to remove the bolt I needed to remove the right side seat rubber seat mount, just two small bolts).
- unbolt the remote adjuster and cut the zip tie holding the line, and pull the line down from between the plastic boxes.
- pull the shock back and out of the lower mounting and down out of the top mounting.
-installation is reverse. Top mounting bolt is torqued at 50nm, bottom at 58nm. Neither Clymers nor Haynes mentioned using thread lock on the 1150GS bolts and I didn't notice any already on the bolts when I removed them. Clymers mentions putting some moly paste on the rubber mounting for the upper shock bolt (assuming you are putting the stock shocks back on, as after market shocks don't always have the rubber insert).
Welshman
Registered user
Front shock, tank off or back a long way, undo top nut and bttom bolt, slide out forward and down....no loctite used.....
Fanum
Toubab
Swapping your front and rear shocks about?
Oooooh, you don't wanna be doing that , nooooo! your arse will end up on the ground and your head will be up your arse!
Ooh no, that's exactly what I'm saying....you don't want to be doing that!
Oooooh, you don't wanna be doing that , nooooo! your arse will end up on the ground and your head will be up your arse!
Ooh no, that's exactly what I'm saying....you don't want to be doing that!
ahebron
Registered user
Common sense and spanners will do the job.
Just keep a beltie on hand for hard to remove parts.
Adrian
Just keep a beltie on hand for hard to remove parts.
Adrian
Swapping your front and rear shocks about?
Oooooh, you don't wanna be doing that , nooooo! your arse will end up on the ground and your head will be up your arse!
Ooh no, that's exactly what I'm saying....you don't want to be doing that!
Bendy toy
Registered user
Unless it's a GSA with a full tank. 
Sent from my widget
Sent from my widget
Unless it's a GSA with a full tank.
Sent from my widget
That's not really a problem, it's just heavier. Really make sure everything is free, have enough space to move and something soft on the ground to put the tank on
Less than an hours work to change both including taking the tank off
That's all I wanted to hear! Thanks
My fear was things may have moved when I took them off.
Tank Back Small Distance
The tank only needs to slide back a SMALL distance to expose the top shock mounting - I don't think you even have to unplug the tank electrics? - certainly no need to remove the tank
The rear shock CAN be more of a problem.
You need the silencer and rear wheel out - to get bottom screw out - and achieve room for shock to swing back and down - into the space where the front of the rear tyre would be.
Tho problems depend on what shock your fitting - and any difference in the width of the bottom eye. The bottom mounting on the swinging arm has a "sliding" sleeve fitted where the head of the fixing cap-screw locates. If your fitting, say an Ohlins, it's bottom eye is often very slightly wider than the space and won't fit so you have to devise a method of jacking back the sleeve slightly - it's usually siezed
- I use a long fully threaded bolt with two nuts - one to lock bolt to s/arm, the other nut can then be used back against the sleeve while holding head to jack the sleeve back slightly.
It's also important that this sleeve is able to move ok even if the shock fits in ok, because the sleeve is meant to slide and clamp the sh/absorber to the back face of swing arm when torqued up, and the outside part of swing arm casting is only supporting the sleeve and shock absorber mounting - but is not under any "bending/fracture" tension.
Hope this makes some sense?
Cheers..........................Grizzly
The tank only needs to slide back a SMALL distance to expose the top shock mounting - I don't think you even have to unplug the tank electrics? - certainly no need to remove the tank
The rear shock CAN be more of a problem.
You need the silencer and rear wheel out - to get bottom screw out - and achieve room for shock to swing back and down - into the space where the front of the rear tyre would be.
Tho problems depend on what shock your fitting - and any difference in the width of the bottom eye. The bottom mounting on the swinging arm has a "sliding" sleeve fitted where the head of the fixing cap-screw locates. If your fitting, say an Ohlins, it's bottom eye is often very slightly wider than the space and won't fit so you have to devise a method of jacking back the sleeve slightly - it's usually siezed
- I use a long fully threaded bolt with two nuts - one to lock bolt to s/arm, the other nut can then be used back against the sleeve while holding head to jack the sleeve back slightly.It's also important that this sleeve is able to move ok even if the shock fits in ok, because the sleeve is meant to slide and clamp the sh/absorber to the back face of swing arm when torqued up, and the outside part of swing arm casting is only supporting the sleeve and shock absorber mounting - but is not under any "bending/fracture" tension.
Hope this makes some sense?
Cheers..........................Grizzly
The tank only needs to slide back a SMALL distance to expose the top shock mounting - I don't think you even have to unplug the tank electrics? - certainly no need to remove the tank
The rear shock CAN be more of a problem.
You need the silencer and rear wheel out - to get bottom screw out - and achieve room for shock to swing back and down - into the space where the front of the rear tyre would be.
Tho problems depend on what shock your fitting - and any difference in the width of the bottom eye. The bottom mounting on the swinging arm has a "sliding" sleeve fitted where the head of the fixing cap-screw locates. If your fitting, say an Ohlins, it's bottom eye is often very slightly wider than the space and won't fit so you have to devise a method of jacking back the sleeve slightly - it's usually siezed
It's also important that this sleeve is able to move ok even if the shock fits in ok, because the sleeve is meant to slide and clamp the sh/absorber to the back face of swing arm when torqued up, and the outside part of swing arm casting is only supporting the sleeve and shock absorber mounting - but is not under any "bending/fracture" tension.
Hope this makes some sense?
Cheers..........................Grizzly
Thanks for that Grizzly
I've not decided on the make of shocks yet, but it won't be ohlins.
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