Removing the rear fender on a 5th gen

Discussion in '5th Generation 1998-2001' started by MooseMoose, Mar 27, 2017.

  1. MooseMoose

    MooseMoose New Member

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    OK, I've got a shock to drop in and Daugherty (in another thread here) says it's a lot easier to get the crap out of the way and go in from the top.

    Alas, none of my manuals show me the best way to do this. I've got all the shit off the battery box, the tank off, the back bolts clear -- it seems all that's holding it is the crossbar at the front, to which it attaches via what looks like some pretty beefy clips.

    Is this correct? And if so, is there a procedure for getting these clips unclipped easily without breaking shit?

    To be honest, I'd probably have crawled around under there and figured something out, but I ran out of daylight and hoped someone here might save me some head scratching and swearing tomorrow when I get back to it.
     
  2. GreginDenver

    GreginDenver New Member

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    I can't tell you the exact sequence of actions to follow, but when I did my big '99 5th-gen refurbishment in January-February of this year I remember being pleasantly surprised at how easy and logical the bike's rear fender was to remove and replace (Cudos/Respect/Props to Honda for their engineering on this bike).

    If you've seen my thread that documented the work here on vfrworld you know I was taking pictures of most everything as I went. The fact that there are no pictures specifically of the rear fender removal-replacement means I found it to be a very minor task.
     
  3. MooseMoose

    MooseMoose New Member

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    Like I said, it'll probably be clear in the light of day.

    I miss having a well-lit garage to work in at night.
     
  4. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    I fitted my Daugherty CBR929 shock into my 5th gen from underneath. I removed the rear wheel and jacked the swingarm up and down to find the best position to let the shock slip through. However my 5G does not have a cat so yours may be different.
     
  5. RVFR

    RVFR Member

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    Wow you're making this to hard on yourself. Like Terry, unless your 5th gen is a 00-01 not sure then but mine was way easier to come from underneath. Obviously, take off the can, then the rear wheel, get a floor jack put light pressure on the rear of the swing arm. now get down hand s and knees and take one side of the triangle piece off the rear linkage, nut side. Since you have the tank off, I didn't have too, but I did remove the tank hinge, then laid a block of wood like a 2x4 under the tank, now reach down in there and undo the top mount bolt nut. Now go back down under pulling the lower shock mounting bolt and finish taking the rest of the linkage out, pay a bit of attention here which way they go back , there's also an arrow pointing the right way just in case you lose yourself. Now back to the top side and slide that top shock bolt out. should now just slip down. but not quite? then jack up the rear swing arm till it does, doesn't take much. Wala.. Now when putting it back, it's good time to re pac the lower linkage bearings with fresh grease. Good luck, ain't too bad, 1 1/2 hour tops ;)
     
  6. MooseMoose

    MooseMoose New Member

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    Why am I making it hard on myself? I have literally done NOTHING with the shock. Haven't even pulled the rear wheel and held the new shock up to the swingarm and said "Hmmmmm..." like you do when you're trying to decide how something will fit.

    I stripped the back end and tank for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being the previous owner, while a very nice guy, isn't someone I trust. He modded stuff, and did some clever things, but I don't get the sense he understood the details of what he was doing mechanically. As I've been moddng and maintaining, I've been taking the time to clean the shit out of everything, to do little maintenance items, and especially to check up on the PO's not always perfect handiwork. Besides, rear outer plastic is 4 bolts and 3 electrical connectors, so I'm not too worried about that effort.

    I also want to learn how to do this stuff. I knew everything on my '91 in great detail. Fifth gen isn't the same, so I'm learning as I go. Anyway, since Jaime and the only tutorial on the website said it's best to go in the top, I figured I might as well figure out how to pop the inner fender, too.

    I got a lot done between work and sunset. I put on the centerstand yesterday, which I think I'm really going to like. Tonight I pulled the PAIR, which was definitely making life hard on myself, but I was planning on doing it anyway. While I was in there I changed the plugs, and inspected and cleaned the air filter (which needed it) and cleaned up all the connectors and electrical bits along the way that needed cleaning.

    She's pretty on the outside, but she's 16 years old and a filthy, filthy girl underneath.

    Anyway, Thanks for the instructions. I'm glad to know I can wedge the thing in without pulling the fender. All I need now is daylight.
     
  7. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

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    I did the shock swap on my 2001 as well without removing the guard.
    A bit fiddly, but not impossible.
    I placed a plank under the center stand to give me more clearence, and removed the rear tank bracket.
     
  8. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    As long as you don't have an access issue caused by a cat, you can fit the shock from below. Be prepared for some wiggling and rotating of the shock, and moving the swingarm up and down to solve the puzzle. If you're worried about such things, wrapping the spring in tape will stop it getting scratched.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  9. RDMCD

    RDMCD New Member

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    I've had my 929 shock in and out with no problem from below ( cat exhaust)
    Just remove the rear wheel and put a jack under the swingarm.
     
  10. zoom-zoom

    zoom-zoom Member

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    Hey MooseMouse

    I installed one of Jamie's shocks on my 2000 VFR and like you I decided to go from the top. I did an install thread that's got a lot of photos. Hope it helps. The black fender does clip over the seat subframe spar near the front but it doesn't hold on with anything in particular, but it is quite a tight fit. Here's a link to the thread.

    http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthre...amie-Daugherty)-Rear-Shock-Upgrade?highlight=
     
  11. MooseMoose

    MooseMoose New Member

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    I ended up having more trouble getting the old shock out than the new one in. Had to pull the last connector piece off the exhaust to get it to drop far enough, then I pulled it out through the top. Actually, I probably could have done some jacking and maneuvering and such, but the extra room made it easy.

    The inner fender was just clips. I put a 2x4 I had nearby underneath and popped it off with my fist in one go. Went back the same way, a little pressure and it clicked on. Super easy. TOTALLY worth going in from the top for me, as I could see everything I was doing and had zero issues getting it all back together.

    Alas, I worked until 6 so I didn't get started early enough to finish and get it all buttoned up. I wasted a lot of time cleaning, I repacked the bearings on the linkage, and scrubbed all the grease and schmutz off the parts that are just going to get grimy as all get out in short order, so it was getting dark at the end and I was being eaten alive by mosquitos. Still need to button up the fairing and test ride it, but I guess that's something to look forward to tomorrow.

    I'm sure it will be awesome because the spring is red now, and red is the best color for motorcycles.

    Oh, total aside, but part of why I don't trust the previous owner is that is the self-proclaimed king of overtorquing. He'll torque the living shit out of anything. I busted an allen wrench trying to get a fairing fastener off the first time I stripped the bike. To break the bottom bracket loose on this shock I had to do the double-wrench routine to get that extra foot of leverage, since I don't have a breaker bar and socket that size. Thank god I bought my wrenches when Craftsman were still made in the USA.

    Still, what the fuck, man? What ever happened to a dab of blue locktite when needed and torquing it to what the book says? It shouldn't take 250 ft/lbs to break loose a nut that was put on only 2000 miles ago. Especially a nut and bolt combo that has no stress on the threads -- that bolt runs through the inner race for the bearing. The forces on it are 100% in sheer and, technically, the nut doesn't even have to be tight as long as the bolt can't slip free. 30lbs is plenty. Especially for a locking nut.
     
  12. MooseMoose

    MooseMoose New Member

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    I didn't see this when I was searching. Kept coming up with a different write up, but your pictures are awesome. Thanks a lot for them.

    I installed mine with the reservoir backwards. Not forwards. I didn't have any problem getting the tail back in place and the previous shock was installed that way, too. Oh -- the old one was also a 929 shock. Racetech internals. It's probably a great shock, but the PO was 145lbs soaking wet and I couldn't get it balanced for me. It'd either wallow, or I'd have problems with it packing up making bigger bumps kind of harsh. I just need a higher spring rate for my level of fatness.
     
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