Gen 3 Shock removal crisis

BoyoBoy. Ensconced in my luxury workshop, my various tools from years past found and assembled before me (including the SSSA axle-stand donated by the PO), I successfully removed the uncountable pieces of plastic, I note with delight the vast quantity of caked-on grit and grease that will soon fall victim to my spray can of WD40 and rag collection; I decide to start with the removal of the Fox shock. I have arranged to bring it in to a shock specialist for a re-and-re. I shake my head at the fact that the shock cannot be seen at all until I remove the gas tank (gas spurts from the overflow spigot and now the wife won't come in here) and the battery case. Impossible to adjust preload without dis-assembling the bike. Whatz with that?

Rear wheel off (huge bar-breaker found and used). Now I can see the lower shock nut, the manual says this comes off first. Oops - no, that is the the nut for the dog-bone linkage. The shock bolt is tucked in behind, and as far as I can tell is completely inaccessible to a socket, or even to the enclosed end of a box wrench. I can barely get the open end of a 17mm wrench around the nut and I have no idea how I am going to move it even the slightest bit.

Of course the axle stand will have to go, and I have to figure out a safe spot for the floor jack in order to take the pressure off the swingarm before removing the shock, but I thought I should loosen the bottom bolt of the shock first.

So, to make a short story long, and wondering of this should be in the tech section: surely others have removed their Gen 3 shock without committing seppukku? Any tips????

 

So I take it nobody has removed his shock here . . . alrighty then . . .

 

dude i like how you only gave it 2 hours before making another comment.. ... put that bad boy up on a jack.. and get under there with that open ended wrench.. i promise it works

 

I will be attempting to remove my shock in the next couple of weeks, It looks like a pain, Please keep us informed on progress... Thanks

 

:bump: :bump: your bike ( like mine ) is a little bit older. I am sure someone has tackled this job, we just got to wait for the right person to read it, but here is a freindly bump to keep ya near the top of the list.

BTW alot of our resident mechanics on here are still getting used to the new forum layout, so maybe the right people just havent seen the thread yet.

You might shoot a PM to TOE CUTTER or Squirrelman they ( among others on here ) ussually have the answers.... ( those two just come to mind as TOE CUTTER is my bike mechanic, and likes the gen 3's. Squirrelman ussually chimes in with advice also, but I havent seen him on here lately.

Also vfrhusband is a wrench who has prety much built a gen 3 from the ground up for his wife, I have never PM'd him before, but he seems a reasonable enough fellow that might point ya in the right direction.


If you PM any og these gents, please include a link to this thread, so they can comment here rather then just replying back to your PM ( that way we have valuable info for later referance )
Pateince is hard when your bike is down, beleive me I know. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

The deed is done! Here's how I finally accomplished it: (btw - I waited 26 hours, not 2

The lower shock bolt is not accessible until the weight is taken off the swingarm and the dogbone bolt is removed. At that point you can easily complete a left-hand entry with a socket extension, under or over the chain. Box wrench on the right side to hold the nut still.

I originally had the bike on a SSSA axle stand, which of course does not take the stress off the shock linkage. With the rear tire already off, the bike doesn't need to rest high. I lowered the stand so that the rear footpeg brackets came to rest comfortable in the cup-like comfort of a pair of car jack stands set at their highest position. Remove the dogbone bolt and bobz yer uncle.

Now how the hell do support the front of the bike to get those pesky forks off?:loco:

If anyone thinks a pic or 2 wold be helpful, let me know.

 

Now you can do mine

 

OK, so nobody wants pics, but here they are anyway. One shows the placement of the axle stands at the passenger pegs (these seem to hold the bike steady as a rock), the other shows additional support from the old ride-in stand I had fabricated years ago. I have to move the front onto the front stand now, to get the front suspenders off, without knocking the bike off the stands at the rear.

 

Looks like way to much fun... Fuel Filter looks rough..

 

The PO apparently had knee problems and liked to lay on the chain lube. I've never seen a bike this mucky below the waist. I bought a tri-pack of WD40 to get me started. The rear sprocket is black and I think it may be actually that colour. Just bought a new bag o' rags today.

 

When I do a tear down like this, I you an engine hoist, with straps wrapped around the frame (near the neck) and the sub frame. That way you can remove anything you want. Although it you're careful, you might be able to put blocks under the lower frame, and move the jack stands to the sub-frame.

Good luck
Robert

 

+1, a good time to remove the entire assembly for cleaning, inspection of bearings and seals and new lubrication.It is no longer a spring chicken and is sure to need a little luvin.

 

Just installed my fox twin clicker today, i am beat down! Glad to see other guys are tackling the same job as me.

 

Replaced mine last week..way to much fun.. I need to invest in a bike lift my aching back...............

 

As for the bike lift... Dont think i wasnt drooling at the ones at Harbor Freight. Like you, i am having back issues now.

 

I just put my Fox tc in last night as well. I used my floor jack - the hydraulic kind with the pump handle and steel wheels - to jockey the swingarm to help line up the holes on the shock bottom and then the dogbones. Now the forks and the shock are back in all torqued and everything. Feels good!

VFRness is in. Now to tackle the wheels, fender and calipers . . . while watching the Olympics!