Rear Shock

[Sideoftheroad]

Until I get familiar enough w/ the bike, I will probably be asking a 1000 questions. I just traded in my Honda VTX for this beauty.

 

Can you take a look at the pics. Does it look like the leak is coming from the 2 tubes (and what are those 2 tubes for) or does it look like the rear shock is leaking?

 

If you think it is the rear shock, do you think the bike is still drivable? Unless I am misreading the manual, it says for the shocks (front and rear) standard PSI is 0. I am a little confused by that. If it is 0 then why bother having air shocks? My thought process is, if I lose air pressure because of this leak, it won't hurt anything because the manual says standard is 0.

 

You can see the trail where I wiped up some liquid prior and you see the puddle forming again.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... 0007_1.jpg

 

You can see a droplet forming at the bottom of the shock

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... 0009_1.jpg

 

You can see the bottom 1/2 of the boot is wet and the top 1/2 is dry (I haven't ridden the bike in a couple days now)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... 010012.jpg

 

I checked Babbitts online and they are showing a new rear shock at $423. Don't really care to spend that kinda dough if I don't have to.

 

I am riding a 1999 Venture.

 

Thanks.

Edited July 5, 2008 by Sideoftheroad

[BuddyRich]

That's a bad rear shock. Mine did the same thing.

[BradT]

From the pictures it looks like a shock, but it could be from the spray back. Clean it up a little and see where it is coming from.

 

"0" was the front shocks, back shocks should have some air or it will bottom out. Shock can leak and hold air.

 

 

Brad

[1BigDog]

Until I get familiar enough w/ the bike, I will probably be asking a 1000 questions. I just traded in my Honda VTX for this beauty.

 

Can you take a look at the pics. Does it look like the leak is coming from the 2 tubes (and what are those 2 tubes for) or does it look like the rear shock is leaking?

 

Those two tubes are overflow/venting tubes from the top of the engine. It will leak excess oil if the bike is filled with more than 3.5 qts of oil.

 

If you think it is the rear shock, do you think the bike is still drivable? Unless I am misreading the manual, it says for the shocks (front and rear) standard PSI is 0. I am a little confused by that. If it is 0 then why bother having air shocks? My thought process is, if I lose air pressure because of this leak, it won't hurt anything because the manual says standard is 0.

 

I run 45 lbs in rear shock and 5 lbs in front forks. If its leaking then it needs replacing.

 

You can see the trail where I wiped up some liquid prior and you see the puddle forming again.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... 0007_1.jpg

 

You can see a droplet forming at the bottom of the shock

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... 0009_1.jpg

 

You can see the bottom 1/2 of the boot is wet and the top 1/2 is dry (I haven't ridden the bike in a couple days now)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... 010012.jpg

 

I checked Babbitts online and they are showing a new rear shock at $423. Don't really care to spend that kinda dough if I don't have to.

 

You may want to invest another hundred or so for a new works performance shock rather than going with a stock replacement.

I am riding a 1999 Venture.

 

Yep, I have a 99 also with 55K and if/when my rear shock fails im replacing it with a Works shock.

 

Thanks.

 

Your welcome......:rotfl:

[SaltyDawg]

It's the shock. Blow back would be dark in a 99 even if you just changed the oil.

 

I highly suggest the Works Performance shock. Go to www.buckeyeperformance.com and email RickH he can get you all the information. If you decide to go with the Works Shock I suggest you go through Rick since he is a dealer he has a better chance of getting it to you quicker than if you went through Works Performance.

 

The Works Performance shock is custom made for you and your bike. They take into consideration your weight, passengers weight, towing a trailer, and your riding style to design a shock to work for you. That's why it costs so much. They don't just have Venture shocks on the shelf. It is a lot beefier than the stock and can be rebuilt for less than $150.00 although I haven't heard of one failing yet.

 

Some folks have been able to get Yamaha to give them a new shock even out of warranty since it is a known problem with the RSV. Only problem is, the new and improved shock isn't exactly that. It's the same sock they only added a vent hose. From what I have been reading the failure rate is about the same as the old one. It's woefully inadequate for this big of a bike. Oh yeah if Yamaha gives you a new shock you have to pay for installation or do it yourself. It isn't a hard job if you have a lift.

[dfitzbiz]

I have an '99 and mine looked just like that. I changed it out just yesterday. I was lucky. When I asked Riders Edge Yamaha in Gettysburg, PA to order me a shock they hooked me up with a used shock from an '05 that they had converted to a Trike for half the price of a new one. It only took me about 20 min. to install. If you need any advise on installation PM me.

Fitz

[Sideoftheroad]

Thanks for the info.

 

The previous owner told me it is the original shock and he has not had any issues w/ it. I think I stated before I have a 1999 w/ 55k miles.

 

After a couple days of riding the bike I checked air pressure when I 1st got it. The rear shock was at 10 psi.

 

I had one friend of mine suggest this.

The shock may have gone bad due to running it with so little pressure, it was using the oil as the damper instead of the air, thus blowing the seal out.

 

So I am wondering if my friend might be right. The funny thing is I now have pumped the shock up to 39 psi and it seems to have slowed the leak. I have to wipe up the oil (again) and keep an eye on it to be sure.

 

Thoughts?

 

I know it is going to have to be replaced, but any danger in riding the bike until it gets fixed?

 

What were to happen is all the oil drains but the shock still holds air (if that is possible)?

 

I don't know the mechanics of this shock so these may sound like stupid questions.

 

Thanks for the patience.

 

Jerry.

[flb_78]

Thanks for the info.

 

The previous owner told me it is the original shock and he has not had any issues w/ it. I think I stated before I have a 1999 w/ 55k miles.

 

After a couple days of riding the bike I checked air pressure when I 1st got it. The rear shock was at 10 psi.

 

I had one friend of mine suggest this.

 

 

So I am wondering if my friend might be right. The funny thing is I now have pumped the shock up to 39 psi and it seems to have slowed the leak. I have to wipe up the oil (again) and keep an eye on it to be sure.

 

Thoughts?

 

I know it is going to have to be replaced, but any danger in riding the bike until it gets fixed?

 

What were to happen is all the oil drains but the shock still holds air (if that is possible)?

 

I don't know the mechanics of this shock so these may sound like stupid questions.

 

Thanks for the patience.

 

Jerry.

 

The air pressure has nothing to do with the shock. The air pressure fills a bladder to set the preload on the spring. Unfortunately, yamaha made this an "all in one unit" and it is not serviceable. You can ride the bike with the shock leaking. The ride will be more bouncy. It's the same as having blown shocks on your car or pickup, just boing boing boing boing.

[Sideoftheroad]

ahhhh. That makes sense. I haven't ridden a car w/ blown shocks but seen plenty of them so I know what you mean.

[spear]

Yep. Shocking, isn't it? (ETP!)

My rear shock on my 2004 crapped itself at 29,000kms.

Replaced it with a genuine unit from Yamahaha. Imported it from the USA and paid just over of half what the local Yamahaha stealer wanted for it.

Like someone said above, it's a fault built into the bike by Yamahaha.

Wouldn't you think they'd out-source the thing to Works to supply the shock so the bike was a 100% item?

[BradT]

I agree with flb, mine was leaking for a short while before I replaced mine, just made sure there was air in it. I have a 99 and it went out at about 40,000 miles.

 

Got a good deal on a Used 03 shock.

 

Brad

[M61A1MECH]

Hey Jerry

 

Over on the STAR forum there was a guy who just triked his venture and was selling the left overs. I do not remember if he had a shock or not , but it worth checking into it.

 

Or you just may find a bit of help over there also, if you post your problem there.

[Sideoftheroad]

Steve,

So that's how you knew. LOL. I replied to your e-mail.

 

A couple days after I got the bike I checked the PSI and it was only 10. I now have it up to 40 and the strangest thing is it is not leaking anymore. I wiped up the oil last night and I just checked it. No fresh oil on the ground so far.

 

So now I have 2 thoughts. All the oil has leaked out (while riding and sitting in the garage) or the seal didn't bust (at least completely) but the oil was being pushed out due to low PSI.

 

Thoughts?

[M61A1MECH]

Jerry

 

I would bet that you have lost all of the oil, that's why it is not leaking any more.

 

As I said in my reply email, I would think that with a high air pressure in the shock with no oil you could get a pogo stick affect, where as with a low pressure charge you would still get some dampening, but the shock may bottom out on hard bumps.

 

Keep us posted on your progress.

[SaltyDawg]

My experience with a blown shock is that me being a large man close to 300lbs the shock would bottom out quite often and would pogo down the road after going over RR tracks and hitting a pot hole. The worst was trying to track a straight path through a corner. Pretty much impossible, the bike wants to wander and wobble through the corner. Unsettling to say the least.

 

Deciding factor for replacing the shock was when I was in traffic going about 50Mph in the left lane and had to make a swift lane change to avoid a hard braking cage. Whipped the bike to the right hard and back left hard to straighten her up and at the same time hit a pot hole and bottomed out almost high siding the bike at 50Mph. Got to work and promptly pulled 10 inches of leather out of my rear. Got on the net and ordered a new shock.

[hig4s]

0 psi is stock, but even at 0, a sealed shock will be stiffer than a leaking shock,,

 

They put it at 0 because that is where the ride is cushy soft,, but I run 5 psi front, max is 7.1 psi, and 40 psi rear max is 57psi. If you ride 2 up or loaded for long trips, 0 is definitely not enough with a stock shock..

[spear]

Steve,

So that's how you knew. LOL. I replied to your e-mail.

 

A couple days after I got the bike I checked the PSI and it was only 10. I now have it up to 40 and the strangest thing is it is not leaking anymore. I wiped up the oil last night and I just checked it. No fresh oil on the ground so far.

 

So now I have 2 thoughts. All the oil has leaked out (while riding and sitting in the garage) or the seal didn't bust (at least completely) but the oil was being pushed out due to low PSI.

 

Thoughts?

My bet is - all the oil has gone.

My observed leak on the workshop floor was no more than a teaspoonful.

That's all that was left for me between rides. I'd say if I had stayed on the road for a couple of days or not parked on concrete I wouldna found it. Probably still be riding on air and spring. (Ouch!)

[VentureProf]

I don't think you lost the oil from the internal shock cartridge (or your bike would bounce due to lack of damping of such a large, sprung mass - the bike). If you lost all of that oil your bike would be undriveable. You lost the oil that helps to lube the seals in the 'outer' chamber (the air preload that gives extra stiffness when you carry heavier loads) which keeps the air from leaking. Just my .02.

 

Kelly

[PBJ]

trade it in for a 1st gen. A 99 and 2000 shock blowing its gut ? is it the weight of the load or the miles ridden?! LOL!

[VentureProf]

Rick Butler has beautifully described the two functions of the RSV shock unit on this site (the actual damping cartridge and the air-adjustable preload portion). One can stay intact while the other fails. The nitrogen-filled shock cartridge at the core of the combined shock-airpreload assembly really doesn't fail much in the RSV, it is the seals for the air preload chamber (really just an 'air spring' that allows us to adjust the spring strength with air) that fail. In most cases the oil that is dripping is not from the shock cartridge itself, which provides the critical viscous damping that keeps the rear end from bouncing uncontrollably from the normal small bumps and dips in the road surface. So the bike remains rideable. You lose the ability to adjust the springiness for load (the so-called 'preload' that most motorcycle suspension systems provide by adjusting the length of the spring around the shock). Now, if you see oil AND the bike is starting to show underdamped oscillations (it gets bouncy) then you've lost the viscous damping from the internal shock cartridge. Such a bike rapidly gets dangerous to ride, in contrast to one that lost the oil for the air adjustable part of the unit.

[Sideoftheroad]

Kelly,

Lots of good info. I can say the bike is definetly not bouncy and rideable. My ride to work is about 98% straight line. I only have to turn at stop lights. Even just going out of the neighborhood, there are plenty of bumps, dips etc and no bouncing. So yes I took a chance and rode to work yesterday and today. It did feel a little sluggish backing it out of the garage, but once I got going, it felt normal.

 

And if I am understanding your info. correctly, I will lose air pressure due to preload ability loss, but I am still ok. The reason why I ask is I pumped it up to 37.5, due to weather it sat for 3 days and now it is down to 32.5.

 

So having lost the preload ability, I ride mostly 1 instead of 2 person Again if I am understanding correctly, I really only need to worry about preload if I add another rider, trailer, etc... since it stiffens the suspension. But since I mostly do 1 up, I should be ok to ride, correct?

 

I know a couple riders that have said they have run 0 psi on their shocks for years and haven't had any issues.

 

Thanks.

[Sideoftheroad]

update. I took it in the dealer to check it out. They don't believe it is the shock. They showed me what they thought it was. So others might want to check too before thinking it is the shock.

 

Just in case I sent them the pictures of what it looked like w/ the leak as the leak did stop.

 

Whoever did the last oil change (wasn't the owner or the dealer I bought the bike from) put in a quart too much. They drained an extra quart of oil out. When looking at the window that shows you the oil level it was completely filled. The bike was level and had been sitting long enough for the engine to cool down. They said they like to have it in the middle of the hash marks.

 

So from what they were saying is oil goes to the breather box (under the tank), since it is under pressure goes out the crankcase breather(?), towards the back of the bike, follows that plastic tray under the seat and down around the shock.

 

They showed me all the gunk that had accumulated under the tank. They took some simple green around there and washed it off really good for me. They said allot of gunk came out when they cleaned it.

 

They did say just in case keep an eye on it still. I went for probably 250 mile ride yesterday and did not have any bouncing issues or nothing like that.

[VentureProf]

that's good news. And yes, with the bike level fill the oil to only the middle of the site glass. Many of us learned that the same way as you did.

 

Kelly

[RedRider]

Yup, I did that too. If you fill according to the service manual, you will overfill the oil. Fill a quart short then watch the window for the balance of the fill. Once you get in view, start the engine to fill the filter. Let it sit, and fill it to half way up.

 

This will help keep your new bike from marking its territory.

 

Welcome to the site.

 

RR