| Author | Message | ||
     Empire |
Captainkirk, If I use a floor jack do I need to take the pipe off. I have a bike/atv jack for cruiser style bikes. otherwise where do I put the floor jack and 2 x 4. I thought about just hanging the bike with ratchet tie downs from the garage rafters. I've also seen two opinions on ways to change them. Some say get the tool from harley and follow the book exactly. That seems like alot of work. The AMERICAN THUNDER BIKE method seems much easier by removing the whole mounting block. Do you know which method is easier. Thanks | ||
| Captainkirk |
Empire; I've seen the ATC method as well; it looks like the way to go if you can rig it up. The "cruiser-style" jack MIGHT work if you took the pipe off. Actually, pulling the pipe off is pretty easy if you leave the header on. You might consider pulling it off anyway, using the straps to support the bike and using the jack as a safety jack. As for which method works better, I can't say. The ATC method sounds like it would work. Motion Pro sells an isolator compressor/installation tool for around 80 bucks-I'm not sure what Harley gets for theirs. Keep me posted. | ||
| Bobpaul |
Henrick, So how does one measure this? If I use a tape measure I've got to eye-ball the dimension to the center of the pivot (isolator) bolt, because it's recessed into the frame hole. Maybe a giant vernier caliper? It's about 15.5", that's a big vernier! I was thinking about this some more and wondered if maybe the engine is out of alignment with the frame. After all it is mounted with those double-links that have a small amount of adjustment in them. The manual doesn't say but I'd think there would be an alignment procedure??? | ||
| Bobpaul |
Empire, why not see if you can figure out where the play is? It's either in the isolators-to-frame or the swing arm bearings. Get a friend to bounce the rear suspension up and down while you look at it. First look at the isolators to see if the rubber is moving relative to the metal plate... for that look in at the screw holes. It's supposed to wiggle but if the rubber has separated then you'll be able to tell. To check the swing arm bearings feel for motion between the swing arm and the aluminum carrier. Bridge your finger across the two and you should be able to detect motion... don't pinch your finger!!! Usually it will click if there is play. | ||
| Empire |
Bobpaul, I moved the suspension and there seemed to be alot of play in the isolators. Took the ATB method and dropping the carrier. So far so good. went pretty smooth except for the upper left carrier bolt. I need a right angle wrench to get in there. tried Lowe's and Home Depot but no luck. Will try auto parts or harborfrieght. As I moved the swingarm up and down it seemed like it would catch momentarily like flat spots in the bearings. What do you think. | ||
| Henrik |
Bob; a big honkin' vernier, that's basically what you'd use. Some folks have "built" one themselves. I've seen one for sale (i thought it was either Motion Pro or Two Brothers, but no luck). The ones i saw, were more like a compass with a ruler, and the ends of the compass had cones on them, to self-center in the axle and the swingarm pivot bolt. I've been eye-balling it myself. But I came across these in a catalog and thought that it'd be possible to make something work with those. Certainly would be cheap  As far as adjusting the vertical angle of the motor/swingarm assy, I'd be hesitant to dive in. My old Lowrider manual uses a magnetic angle gauge (??) that is attached to the brake disks with the bike upright, and then the angle of the rear and the front is compared. Not for the faint of heart to venture into. MCN tried it on an HD touring bike to fix a slight headshake ... got everything dialed in, and only made the headshake worse. Henrik | ||
| Empire |
QUESTION While I have the carrier and swingarm out to do the isolators are there bearings in the swingarm I should replace or any other items I should change while I have this all apart. | ||
| Bobpaul |
Empire, 1) while you have the swing arm out for sure clean and regrease the bearings. Make life easy on yourself and purchse new seals instead of trying to save the old ones. 2) you need a crowfoot wrench to get that last bolt. You can try for some kind of left handed offset wrench, but in the end you need a crow foot so you can torque it back up to specs. I got my crowfoot (crowfeet?) from Sears but most car stores stock them too. | ||
| Bobpaul |
Henrik, wow, that's just what I was thinking of. Forgot the name, "Trammel points". That would do it, it'd be nice to get two ends with the pointers instead of the ones with a lead pencil.... are you going to go for it? on the alignment, I wasn't thinking so much about the vertical alignment (although I checked my bike and it's within 0.1 degrees), rather I was thinking the angle between front and rear when viewed from above the bike. So the first thing is to align the rear axle with the engine using the tools you've suggested, then align the whole engine-swingarm mass in relation to the front wheel... | ||
| Henrik |
Bob; it actually crossed my mind to get 2 sets and only use the "pencil" parts. Then, if you could get someone to machine a couple of cones and attach them to thin steel rod - thin enough to fit the pencil holder, you'd have the cones to make sure the pin was centered at least in the axle. The swingarm bolts would be a bit trickier, but a very shallow cone ought to work. Make the cones of delrin or similar. RIght now, my project list is full and then some, but come winter, I'll likely pick up either those, or something similar - if I find something that might be even easier to modify for the purpose. Let me know if you try out something that works for you. And yes, the order of adjusting you mentioned, is how I envision it done. Henrik | ||
| Empire |
Just about there. USed the American Thunder bike Method to do the isolators. Not too bad. Getting parts was the hardest part. Local dealer stocks nothing. Had to use crowfoot wrench for the carrier bolts. Used the old isolators and made the compression tools. Carrier slid right in. after removing the compression tools I used a wooden block and 3 lb. hammer to tap on the frame and get the isolators in place. Whole job took me 8-9 hours but that is with running into alot of first time glitches. Next time i could see doing it in half the time. Plus I did swingarm bearings as well. Thanks for the help | ||
| Cayucosbiker |
drill M2 fork drain holes? Anybody tried drilling & taping M2 forks with drain holes to avoid pumping? | ||
| Mikej |
XB swingarm grafted onto a 'tuber Buell: Will it work, and what would need to be done to make it work? Sort of playing around with some crazy ideas, thinking if I were to put an XB swingarm on something like an M2, then the oil tank could go away since the oil will be placed in the new swingarm, and with the oil tank out of the way it would make room for an upper shock mount like the XB's have. Also, will an XB swingarm accept an M2 wheel assembly, and vice versa? There's more, but this will be sufficient for now to begin a discussion.  | ||
| Bomber |
Cayu don't know of anyone that's done the mod, but I'm considering it (again) this winter -- have to be a fairly small hole with fine threads, as I don't know that the material in the form leg is thick enough to allow anything very large | ||
| Blake |
Mike my gut says not only "no" but "no freaking way." Please take that as a challenge. | ||
| Joesbuell |
Hey Mike I have had the exact same thought for my S3. let us know if you do it! Good Luck! Jodie | ||
| S2pengy |
Wow I like this idea.. Keep us updated.... | ||
| Se7enth_sign |
While my bike is more or less in boxes, I'm looking at some options... I would like to put the 2004 front end on my X1. Other than custom triples, what other problems would I run into? | ||
| Empire |
Question? I've got a 2001 S3 with a rear fender that is rubbing the tire on the left side. I just did the rear isolators and wondering if i tweeked anything. Seems like I could put some washers in there and shift the fender. Is this possible? | ||
| Rick_a |
Not likely. Check the rear wheel alignment. | ||
| Rick_a |
Has anyone installed a RaceTech kit on their early Showa shock? My shock has STB and I can't afford an aftermarket shock. The newer Showa does nothing for me. | ||
| Jmartz |
About 2 years ago, just prior to retiring my S1 from daily use, I replaced its factory installed PM wheels with a new set of Marchesini magnesium hoops. I have begun using the bike again after some crash repairs and the suspension seems stiffer than I remember it. Is it possible that the lower unsprung weight of the new wheels requires less compression dampening? | ||
| Tripper |
As close as you are to Traxion you should carry your forks in there and describe what you want. It's a cheap improvement. Alternate solution. Buy a 916. Let wife ride it. Transplant forks from remaining crash onto Buell. | ||
| Drfuyutsuki |
Hey all, Looking to replace the forks on my S1. I ride only street, haven't done a track day yet, and as I am new to her not very agressively. Any suggestions and second what size am I looking for. I'm out of country at the moment and unable to measure them personally. Josh | ||
| Jmartz |
Tripperman..! I have the gold valve in the front. Put it in once when the front suspension started bottoming out. Turns out the spring holding the valve plate fatigued and stopped working. Bike is just shy of 50,000 miles so when it reaches there I will do a front fork service and inspection. Yes traxx dyna is here in Atlanter. I am not all that happy with the design of their shock. It is rather heavy and the reservoir cannot be put in the stock location but considering the alternative I will have to go with it. BTW they offer it with a Titanium spring. | ||
| Tripper |
Ti spring... ultra trick. Your favorite excuse to spend money! Got the 916 home yet? I fear you will lose interest in the Buell after a few nights of leering at the Duc. Every part on it is gorgeous. | ||
| Swede |
S1 -98 WP fork. Does the lower end axel mounts come off by just unscrewing bolts or is it press fitted? Anybody disassembled and know? Anyone know if the inner tubes of any other WP fork will fit? Need longer tubes as I am using the fork for a HD Dyna. Thanx. | ||
| Chewy  |
Any one now which, if any model rear shocks will interchange with the S2's? | ||
| Rick_a  |
Hey, if anyone is looking for a RaceTech Gold Valve kit for X1 or S3 Showa forks I currently have one in stock. There was a misprint in this catalog so it'll be getting sent back this week unless someone wants it. | ||
| Rick_a |
Nevermind...the boss wanted it sent back ASAP. | ||
| 99x1  |
(This is probably common knowledge, but I've searched the archives..) Are all last recall Showa shocks (K1400x) the same (on S1/X1/S3)? The springs may be different (S3 progressive wound?)? Should I want to swap springs: If I unscrew the preload off all the way, how much tension is left? (ie do I need a spring compressor?). Is there some other way to identify shock origin? Bought a '99 S1 (?) shock off eBay: The shock has the blue dot on it from the last recall. TIA | ||
| Vr1203  |
I have a fork that blew a seal,(leaky) and disassembling the front end is sooo much fun, is there some stuff I should look at when I'm there? oil recommendations? | ||
| Tripper  |
would recommend oil, yes. | ||
| Henrik  |
If you go ahead and completely disassemble, do your best to clean out sludge from all the nooks and crannies. Seems to accumulate in a year or two. Near surgical cleanliness is recommended during the work If you haven't already done that, a fresh set of quality springs in the correct spring rate will do wonders for handling. As will a slightly heavier fork oil. I'll - as usual - recommend Traxxion Dynamics for parts, supplies and advice. I blew a fork seal on the SV on my last track day, so I'll be diving in myself this winter ... unless I can score a cheap GSXR complete front end ... Henrik | ||
| Rick_a |
I just put in some Race Tech springs. What a difference. Now the fork doesn't compress through most of its travel on the brakes and the ride is a little stiffer but still fairly compliant. Definitely more stable braking into corners. I had to cut spacers due to these forks having no preload adjustment. I've gotta wait for a couple parts to put in the Gold valves. These forks are very user friendly. I love 'em. Anybody have a blown 16.5" early Showa shock they'd like to part with? When you disassemble the forks check the bushings for wear and sliders for any scratches or dings from rocks/debris. Fork oil is 5W. Has anyone noticed how close the front tire gets to the front tie rod mount on the frame under full compression? Pretty scary. | ||
| Rick_a |
Over the weekend I installed Race Tech Gold Valves in my shock and forks. So far I've only installed the forks due to having the shock re-charged at a shop. What a difference. It's a bit on the stiff side, but man does it feel planted and stable. It feels like a new bike. I couldn't be happier of more excited about it. I found some troubling things in the forks. The compression side bottom out bumper had been crushed to pieces. No more jumping railroad tracks! The same side lower bushing had pretty bad wear on one side...no doubt due to brake torque. I did the steering head bearings while I was at. The amount of sand in there was troubling. Luckily there was enough grease in there that it stayed mostly out of 'em. That damn fork lock hole in the spindle was at fault. I'm going to put a plug in the bottom of it. Something to watch for. Thanks to Hootowl for the spare shock. That was awesome. That shock had a totally trashed bushing and the shaft was marginal but I polished 'er out best I could. BTW...the outer shock collar makes a great fork spring compressor. |
