Removing the rear shock

Ocklawanian

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Jun 17, 2015
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Ocklawaha Florida
Well, I've done this before sometime back on a 2013. Now I am replacing the shock on a 2012. The manual offers the handy tip to remove the shock between the frame and subframe. This seems impossible to me... a chinese puzzle. The alternative seems to be removing the exhaust to remove the bolt that holds the relay arm. I don't recollect having to do that on my 2013. Any thoughts??
 

RCinNC

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Aug 30, 2014
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North Carolina
I just did this a couple weeks ago, and it's pretty simple actually. Once you get the upper and lower bolts removed and pull the shock out of the upper and lower mounts, you just have to rotate it and pull it out from the right side of the bike, through the opening in the frame where the preload knob sticks out. Unless the 2012 is radically different than my 2014, it should come right out. You don't need to remove the exhaust or anything like that. I didn't think it would come out easily either when I first looked at it, but it did. In fact, the shock on mine is a rebuilt 2012 shock from Norwest suspension, so I can definitely say a 2012 shock is easily installed on a 2014 bike.
 

Ocklawanian

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Jun 17, 2015
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Ocklawaha Florida
Well, a flashlight revealed a cable guide that was the offending object in the way of a clean removal. All is well and the new wilbers is securely in place.
 

RCinNC

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Aug 30, 2014
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Yep, I forgot to mention that, and that was the thing that had be puzzled when I took mine out too.
 

SilverBullet

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Dec 30, 2014
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Harmaston, TX
Add me to the invisible cable guide group thanks to my bad eyes and bad garage lighting. I'm embarrassed to admit what I had apart before I stopped.

_

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Thrasherg

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Oct 16, 2017
Messages
319
Location
Dallas, TX
The above is all true, unless you have an ES version, then the additional hydraulic lines cause more problems to remove the shock!! plus the preload pump and reservoir under the right hand side cover all have to be disconnected and removed!! ::024::

Gary
 
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