Question about rear shock removal

[TDuff]

Asking the Valkyrie "Pro's" out there (and there are alot of you!):

My Clymer manual for the IS says I can remove one rear shock at a time ( to replace the bushings) with the bike on the side stand.  As I don't yet have a lift this sounds promising.  HOWEVER - I have not seen a single posting on this tech forum that did it that way, and I have reason to doubt the Clymer manual.  It told me to drain the coolant to remove the Carbs!  I did not do  that.

Has anyone pulled their shocks off one at a time like this - replace the bushings, re-install it and then go to the other side?  Is it possible to re-compress the shock "manually" to re-install it?  I've done that with Jeep shocks, but they don't have the spring on them!!

Thanks,

Terry

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

That's how I did my bushings; one shock at a time.

I found that the bike drops marginally when one shock is removed, but you can reinstall it easily by grabbing the fender rail and lifting up a bit. Don't sweat it. Doing it like that worked fine for me, and many others I'm sure.

[hubcapsc]

I jack my bike up until the wheel is barely touching
the ground, the shocks are not in tension or compression.
The bolts come out easy and the shocks come off easy
and go back on easy.

-Mike

[Willow]

It certainly can be done one at a time on the sidestand.  It's easier if you have a second person to lift on the rear.

[txtriathlete]

Would recommend having a partner to help hold the bike. Also, if you put a piece of 2x4 under the side stand it will make the left side easier.

[TDuff]

Thanks for pointers everyone! I hope to tear into it in the next couple of days.
 

[Bagger John - #3785]

Set both shocks up to their maximum preload position (5).

Get a pair of jack stands, cover the horizontal load-bearing areas with a copious amount of duct tape (to prevent scratching) and use them to support the bike under the crash guards. My preference is the ratcheting type which allows for fine adjustment and lets you alternatively extend each while rocking the bike slightly from side to side.

When the front end is snugly supported - albeit with a minimum amount of weight on the rear wheel - remove each shock from the upper mount, replace the bushing and reinstall. I find that I get very little rear-end sag when doing this and I've used the method to replace a number of Valkyrie shock bushings over the years.

[TDuff]

Bagger John:

You have me slightly corn-fused.  Wouldn't the highest setting put the most upward load on the upper bolt?  Why is that where I want it to be?

Thanks,
Terry

[Warlock]

Bagger John:

You have me slightly corn-fused.  Wouldn't the highest setting put the most upward load on the upper bolt?  Why is that where I want it to be?

Thanks,
Terry

From keeping it sagging so much. If you pull one shock off and the other side is bad it will sag a bunch and hard to pick up to put the shock back on.
David

[TDuff]

Ah - got it!  Thanks!

[h13man]

That's how I did my bushings; one shock at a time.

I found that the bike drops marginally when one shock is removed, but you can reinstall it easily by grabbing the fender rail and lifting up a bit. Don't sweat it. Doing it like that worked fine for me, and many others I'm sure.

Also, if you put a piece of 2x4 under the side stand it will make the left side easier.

+1!

Just finished reinstalling with the assist of being on the jack but pretty much you have to lift the rear wheel slightly.