EoEB

Right, here goes Big Nick's attempted walkthrough...

I bought a new shock recently and fancied a go at installing it myself but this can be used for cleaning/servicing your shock. I'll leave the setup to Darren at MCT but here's a run through of how to install the shock on your R1. This will work for the 04 to 08 R1, not sure about the others but it'll be similar. Lots of R1 owners on here now, so I thought I'd share with you all

Total time to install for a newbie: 45 mins
Time if you have an Abba stand and have done it before: 30mins.

Firstly you will need:

Rear paddock stand
14mm spanner
14mm socket set
19mm socket set
Grease
Abba stand or something to take the weight of the rear wheel/swing arm.
6mm Allen key
4mm Allen key
cable tie or electric tape
Cup of tea/coffee

1) If you have an Abba stand, use it now, otherwise you need to work out how to get the weight off your swing arm. I removed my seat and attached two ratchet straps to the rear sub frame and rafters in my garage, then raised the bike up a fraction to take the weight.



2) Tie on your front brake so the bike doesn't go walkies.



3) Use the 4mm Allen Key to undo the petrol tank cover. Raise the tank and support it with something.

4) Under the tank near the pivot, you will see a 19mm bolt, loosen this with your socket set.



5) Use the 6mm allen keys to remove your belly pan. There are 4 nuts each side.

6) From the left hand side of the bike unbolt the Exup Motor, this will then just hang down on the floor.



7) You can now get full access to the suspension linkage. This is triangular shaped and is mounted by the three corner, You only need to undo the top and left hand nut (attached to the shock). To do this you will need a 14mm spanner on the back of the nut and your 14mm socket on the front. When the nut comes off you will probably need to tap the bolt through with a hammer and screwdriver. When it comes out, clean and grease the bolts.



8) The rear wheel will now be resting on the floor as the shock is no longer attached.



9) You can either undo the 19mm bolt under the tank fully or you can simply twist the shock towards you (assuming you're still facing the left hand side of the bike). This allows you to get a 14mm spanner on horizontal nut that runs through the top of the shock. Use your 14mm socket to undo the other end of this bolt through the shock and then remove it.

10) The shock will now be free to be removed out of the top of the swinging arm.







11) Grease all nuts and bolts and then reverse the process to install your new or cleaned up shock.



12) Make sure you adjust the length of your shock before reinstalling. I made the Ohlins shock very marginally longer than the standard. This will be amplified by the time it gets to the seat height so be careful even 1mm is significant!









13) All installed, notice how my bike leans a little further on it's side stand as a result of the very marginal shock lengthening.





14) Install fully completed, dirty finger marks removed, smile on face.

Nice 'How To' Nick, cheers for taking the time to take pics along the way!

Have you tried it out yet even though you haven't had it set up?

Looking good Nick.
I will be removing the rear shock from the missus Honda for a good clean up.