Rear shock might be shot ... how can I tell..?

[Mad Dog]

Finally got a beautiful spring day today and spent it on the road. Strange thing though, when I pulled in and went to put my kickstand down it scraped the ground. Thats never happened before. Like the bike was lower.... Thinking back over the ride , we bottomed out a couple of times, but other wise things felt great ... smooth. 50 psi in the shock... but the kickstand scrapes...

I actually had to lean the bike over right to get the kickstand by....

Now full disclaimer... the wife was on the back .. so .... just saying. Maybe thats how it is, but I thought I’d remember it if that happened last year.

Is there a way to check the shock without taking it out? Any ideas?

And well... just in case .. seems bike bandit wants $560 for the shock!!! WTH??!!??

Is that what they cost? Is there a more affordable alternative, or recommendation?

 

Thanks as always

[M61A1MECH]

Normally when they fail they leak oil out, check to see if the dust cover at the bottom is wet with oil or if there is any oil trapped inside of it. If evidence of oil most likely it is shot or going bad.

 

There is a fellow member here that rebuilds them, requires you supply a bod one for a core and sends you a rebuilt one for a fraction of the cost of a new one.

 

Do a search here for rear shock and his posts should show up.

[cowpuc]

I am gonna be monitoring this thread with interest.. My experience with air over hydraulic shocks has been that the oil serves as a dampener and the air controls ride height by assisting the shock spring when adding weight (basic interp) which allows the shock to see full travel after adding weight. That said, it does not seem like your scoot should drop in height as long as its maintaining air pressure even if the oil escapes.. If we were talking about an 83,, I think I would be advising you to look closely at your frame (broken frames can cause similar symptons) but on these newer fangdangled 2nd Gens,, no idea.. Why is it that I have that feeling that I am about to be schooled on new techology again

If the 2nd Gens rear shock has a spring that carries the weight that is assisted by air, maybe it's a spring issue? :scratchchin:,, count me clueless

[BlueSky]

May sound stupid, but check the tire pressure.

[Du-Rron]

I am gonna be monitoring this thread with interest.. My experience with air over hydraulic shocks has been that the oil serves as a dampener and the air controls ride height by assisting the shock spring when adding weight (basic interp) which allows the shock to see full travel after adding weight. That said, it does not seem like your scoot should drop in height as long as its maintaining air pressure even if the oil escapes.. If we were talking about an 83,, I think I would be advising you to look closely at your frame (broken frames can cause similar symptons) but on these newer fangdangled 2nd Gens,, no idea.. Why is it that I have that feeling that I am about to be schooled on new techology again

If the 2nd Gens rear shock has a spring that carries the weight that is assisted by air, maybe it's a spring issue? :scratchchin:,, count me clueless

 

Oh puc... can't you see... this one is so simple. @Mad_Dog is blaming his bike kickstand dragging the ground on a failed shock... NOT on his wife gaining weight. That @Mad_Dog is a sharp one.... (read in his post that his wife is on the bike at the time. dunno how to quote it)

 

 

Sure is what I would do....

[Du-Rron]

Is there a way to check the shock without taking it out? Any ideas?

 

If there is an oil spot where you park your bike at the location of your swingarm joint your shock is junk.

Crawl under your bike with a flashlight and look at the shock. Push up on the rubber bellows. If it is oily under there your shock is toast.

Should be DRY under there.

 

[Mad Dog]

Oh puc... can't you see... this one is so simple. @Mad_Dog is blaming his bike kickstand dragging the ground on a failed shock... NOT on his wife gaining weight. That @Mad_Dog is a sharp one.... (read in his post that his wife is on the bike at the time....

 

Ok ... now we are all on the same page!

LOL

[Mad Dog]

May sound stupid, but check the tire pressure.

 

Ummmm,,,, hmmm,,, No, not stupid at all

i did not when we got back.

I’ll let you know

[grubsie]

Call me ignorant if you want, other people do so feel free, but a shock leaking oil would have nothing to do with the bike feeling lower or scraping the kickstand. The oil part of the shock only deals with the dampening of the shock.

The seat height is affected by the a few factors. 1) The spring is a constant so that can be ruled out. 2) The air pressure could be an issue if it is leaking. 3) Long winters affecting rider and passenger weight that can be somewhat compensated by air pressure but I am in no way eluding to what you are eluding to.

[Freebird]

I agree with the previous post and a similar one further up. The old will not cause the bike to drop. Not saying that oil leakage is not a serious issue, the dampening is important, but it is not the cause of the bike sitting lower. That would be the air. That being said, there have been MANY of the shocks that have leaked oil but I'm not sure I have ever seen one that has lost air. I would check the air pressure in the shock. If low, pump it up to 35 or so pounds or whatever you run it at and see if it maintains the pressure. If it bleeds off, I would use some soapy wanter and find out where it is leaking. Could be the Schrader valve, hose, or connection at shock.

[Mad Dog]

Yeah... I understand the oil thing. OK here’s what I found...

There is no oil where I park, but there is a bit more sludge and accumulated road grime at the bottom of the shock than I would have expected. I’ts definitely not the cleanest bike on the road, but this was a pretty messy. So, there’s that. While I was checking that out, and sitting on it, a few time it developed an awe full squeak that sounds to me like a shaft rubbing inside an unlubricated seal. IIRC when I first got the bike, it was making that same noise and the shock had to be replaced. Does that sound familiar to anyone? THis one has about 24k miles on it .. but mostly on Rhode Island roads, which are deplorable.

 

As a follow up, any recommendations as to a replacement shock? Air or not? OEM or not?

I heard someone here rebuilds the OEM shock? How long might that take? Is that something I can do?

And most importantly; how far into the bike do I have to dig to get this out? The service manual says fender & tire & .... well just about everything. Is that really necessary?

 

Thanks all!

Mike

[M61A1MECH]

As a follow up, any recommendations as to a replacement shock? Air or not? OEM or not?

I heard someone here rebuilds the OEM shock? How long might that take? Is that something I can do?

And most importantly; how far into the bike do I have to dig to get this out? The service manual says fender & tire & .... well just about everything. Is that really necessary?

 

Thanks all!

Mike

 

Here are a couple of threads you may want to read.

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?131145-RSV-Shock-Absorber-Assembly-Repair

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?132400-RSV-Repaired-Rear-Shock-2000-Mile-Update&highlight=rear+shock

[Mad Dog]

Here are a couple of threads you may want to read.

 

Thank you

[videoarizona]

If there is an oil spot where you park your bike at the location of your swingarm joint your shock is junk.

Crawl under your bike with a flashlight and look at the shock. Push up on the rubber bellows. If it is oily under there your shock is toast.

Should be DRY under there.

 

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=116399

 

That's the cleanest underside of a motorcycle I've ever seen....exception is a brand new one. But then...I may be wrong!

[Du-Rron]

That's the cleanest underside of a motorcycle I've ever seen....exception is a brand new one. But then...I may be wrong!

 

Well thank you. I like her purty when she lifts her skirt up. Here is a not so purty shot.

 

[videoarizona]

Now that's more like the Ventures I know and love!

[Mad Dog]

Just a quick follow up and a huge thank you to all who reached out.

The rear tire was low, so I need to keep an eye on that, and the shock was at 10 psi. Both things a where they belong, and the test ride was good. I still have the groany-squeak ... so bottom line is that the shock may have leaked. I'm going to ride this weekend if the weather cooperates, and see what happens. Then I think the shock may have to be rebuilt; and I have already been contacted by the member who offered to rebuild it for me.

 

Thank you all once again.