Shock measurement

[pocket aces]

Is there a way to measure the shock without having to remove it to get the true measurement? 

[Gryphon Rider]

Just remove the seat and unload the suspension.  If you have a lift, this is easy.

[Gryphon Rider]

I suppose I should elaborate, as I have no idea what your mechanical abilities and knowledge are.

Remove the seat to give you access to the top shock bolt.  Use a lift to take all the weight off of the suspension.  You want to measure the centre to centre distance between the shock's mounting eyes.  This needs to be carefully done if there is wear in the shock bushings, because if the bushings are worn the centres of the eyes might be slightly different than the centres of the bolts.  The bottom bushing usually wears more slowly than the top one, so it's less of a concern, but it would be helpful to remove the bolt and washer at the top end of the shock so you can better see the centre of the eye.

If you don't have a lift, you and a friend might be able to block it up under the back of the engine by having one of you pushing the bike hard towards the kick stand while the other is putting blocks under the engine.  Be very careful.

[Jess from VA]

My aging 13 inch 440s still measure 13 inches (center to center of upper and lower shock bushings/mounts) even without taking the load off them with a jack.

Course, holding up and eyeballing a tape measure is not an exact science, but round to the nearest half inch.  There have never been any quarter or three quarter inch increment shocks available.

Though I suppose if these shocks are originals, at 20 or so years old, maybe you do need to take the load off them.  I dunno.