How do I know if I have a bad rear shock?

[Guest 05RSMVTEXAN]

I'd like to know how do I know if I have a bad rear shock. When I ride with a passenger it seems to bottom out easily. But I'm 300 lbs. & my wife weighs about 140 lbs. So I realize there is some weight on there. I have one of those hand pumps and I give it a few pumps before we both ride, but it seems we still bottom out easily. When I ride alone it takes a pretty extreme bump to make me bottom out.

[sarges46]

Usually you can see an oil puddle under your bike from the shock leaking.

 

When you say you give it a few shots with the pump...what is the actual lbs reading....you can pump the rear up to 50lbs for its max. The front is very low...something like around 6-7 lbs max.

 

A bad shock will not just bottom out though...it will be unstable at the littlest bumps cause it doesnt absorb any of the road energy and continues to bounce.

 

Would that be correct ...gang?

[captnmidnight]

As I recall the max pressure on the rear shock is 56 lbs. If you are using a hand pump for the rear shock you probably aren't getting enough pressure in the shock. If you max out the pressure and the seal is bad in the shock you may be able to hear it leaking out. Try and read the pressure again shortly after you ride for awhile and see if the pessure is consistent with what you put in the first time. If it"s not you know your loosing pressure. I run mine at about 46 lbs, and the front forks at zero. I weigh 215 and the wife weighs about 125. Most of my riding is two up and I don"t ride to aggressively. Stay tuned you'll probably get some better answers from others shortly.

[sarges46]

Rick

 

I've got the progressive hand pumps for mine....a very small shringe type for the front and a larger hand pump for the rear. Both very accurate and no air loss when I remove them.

 

I weigh in at 240...and am solo usually, but I run em similar to you.

 

That is the way to go in my eyes.

[V7Goose]

I'm 250, my wife is 130 or so, and we do a lot of touring FULLY loaded, so we've had the bike at least to maximum weight capacity, and I have NEVER had it bottom out.

Goose

[Eddie Fulmer]

I beg to differ with you on the hand pump. I have a little progressive hand pump and it will put any amount of pressure that I want in the shock. It also doesn't loose any air when you take the connection off. Most other types of devices do loose air and therefore you don't really keep the pressure you want in it. The capacity is so small in the shock that it is easy to put to much in if you use a high pressure line to do it. I ride mostly solo and run it at about 36lbs.

[SaltyDawg]

Besides the tell tale oil around the bottom of the shock the ride will be bouncy if the shock is bad. Going over rail road tracks for instance takes on a whole new meaning. Going into corners the bike will want to not settle in and will wander a bit through the corner, at least that's the way my shock was acting when it was bad.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I beg to differ with you on the hand pump. I have a little progressive hand pump and it will put any amount of pressure that I want in the shock. ...

 

 

Eddie, he may have a 30# unit, yours may be a 60# unit. Those little handpumps are made in different ranges.

 

[Guest 05RSMVTEXAN]

I have one of the 60 lb. progressive pumps. That's the one I've been using. One pump and the needle swings up to maximum. How do you work this thing?

[Freebird]

It may go high when you pump it but should drop back off as you retract the plunger for the next stroke. You want to read it while you are not pumping.

[Vance]

I have one of the 60 lb. progressive pumps. That's the one I've been using. One pump and the needle swings up to maximum. How do you work this thing?

 

Could be you don't have the fitting screwed down enough to depress the schreader valve in the valve stem.

[Guest 05RSMVTEXAN]

Okay, so don't screw it down all the way? I've been screwing it all the way down.

[sarges46]

Sounds like you are screwing it right....oh God...forgive that awful pun!

 

Yes you are doing it right by ensuring its all the way down.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Hey dude, when you first screw it on, the gage should jump up to read whatever is in the shock...assuming there is air in it, and assuming the gage is working.

 

Then lets say its reading 10 pounds...stroke the pump several times, then stop and read the gage...maybe its 20 lbs now...then if thats where you want it, unscrew the connector and you may hear a tiny...and I mean a TINY...little wisp of air. This is normal, and you should be fine...

 

If you screw the connector back on, it should still read right near 20lbs...this is how it SHOULD work...if something else is happening...you may have a bad shock, or maybe a bad handpump, although there is not much there to go wrong.

 

Let us know.

 

 

 

[V7Goose]

No way that gauge should go all the way to max with one pump (or even 10). Something is wrong, and it sounds like you may have a bad valve stem in the shock. I'd first try to remove it and make sure it seems to be working correctly. The other possibility is a bad valve in the pump. Put it on a tire and see if you can pump it without it going to max.

Goose

[bmxndad]

If the shock is bad:

If under warranty,see if it can be replaced under warranty.

If warranty is not an option, invest around $600.00 and buy a Works Performance Shock.

Our riding weights are about the same, and this shock is great and no more air to worry about.

[Guest 05RSMVTEXAN]

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I'll check everything ya'll suggested.

[50btripn]

Don't want to sound stupid, but I want to make sure...Oil leaking from the rear shock is a definite sign of a bad shock? I have not noticed air loss or bottoming out in the rear, but I do have a definite oil leak from the rear shock.

[V7Goose]

Don't want to sound stupid, but I want to make sure...Oil leaking from the rear shock is a definite sign of a bad shock? I have not noticed air loss or bottoming out in the rear, but I do have a definite oil leak from the rear shock.

ABSOLUTELY!

Goose

[SaltyDawg]

Don't want to sound stupid, but I want to make sure...Oil leaking from the rear shock is a definite sign of a bad shock? I have not noticed air loss or bottoming out in the rear, but I do have a definite oil leak from the rear shock.

 

It all would depend on where the oil is coming from. If you can definitively determine that it is coming from the shock, the yes the shock is as good as gone. On the other hand, if the bike has too much oil in it the oil will blow out the crank case and can blow back on the shock. Look all around the back of the engine and see if there is oil there. If so, try and determine if what you see is motor oil blown back, it shouldn't be too hard to tell there will be oil in other places than just on the shock.

[Vance]

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I'll check everything ya'll suggested.

 

Were you able to have success getting air into that shock?

[WIKD]

Not sure yet if mine is going bad but I have noticed that lately the ride is a little bouncy and it just doesn't seem stable in the corners. I have lowered the front, I'm wondering if they'll give me grief about the warranty because of that or if they'll even notice.

[StorMand64]

Could it be as simple as a bad schrader valve?

[rougeray]

No way that gauge should go all the way to max with one pump (or even 10). Something is wrong, and it sounds like you may have a bad valve stem in the shock. I'd first try to remove it and make sure it seems to be working correctly. The other possibility is a bad valve in the pump. Put it on a tire and see if you can pump it without it going to max.

Goose