Repair of rear shock absorbers. I guess everyone owns an Aquila knows the rear shocks are not the strongest elements in this bike. Just ride with a passenger on relatively level roads and you quickly feel the impact of the rear suspension. This effect is due to a soft shock spring mounted at the factory. One of the many solutions is to exchange the shock with a shock from another bike. Those that fit include the Yamaha V-Max (2007), Honda Shadow ace 750 and the Harley-Davidson Dyna Sportster. It is important that the distance between the centers of the holes in the damper does not exceed 330 mm. The factory distance is 294 mm. Another problem may also be that it will be necessary to replace the shock mounting bushings. The factory shock diameters are 10 and 12 mm. Harley has the largest two holes with a diameter of 13 mm and the Yamaha has 10 and 8 mm. In addition, I recommend replacing with progressive shocks. Then, whatever the style of driving (alone or with a passenger) you will be confident of good damping on uneven roads. If someone does not want to invest in replacement shock absorbers, or have no means of buying new liner s, and mostly travels alone then they should read these tips. List of necessary tools: - Bike lift platform, hydraulic would be best - Fork spanners or box spanner 14 and 17 mm - Set of ribbings to springs - Hammer - Flat screwdriver - Soft material for the spring planting - Patience and efficient both hands ;) 1. Raise the motorcycle to such a height that the rear wheel is a few inches above the ground 1
2. Shock absorbers should be set to the softest damping. For reasons of convenience, I propose that the shocks be dialed sequentially. If you are going to loosen both at the same time, the cover the drive belt must be removed completely. The thing is, depriving the suspension arm of the lift provided by the shocks can cause the shield to be damaged. I sequentially dialed the shocks but first dismantled the drive belt guard. 3. Now, using the 17 and 14 mm wrenches (spanners) remove the shock bolts from the frame and swing arm. 2
The damper is easier to remove from the top, while the bottom mount may require the use of a hammer (obviously cover the strike area with a cloth so as not to damage the finish). After removing the shock we have a view like this: The yellow circle indicates where the rubber element has been damaged by compression on uneven roads. 3
This is the damage to the upper mantle (the cup) when the shock is compressed up on uneven roads. 4. Now we need to use our spring pullers. They should be set at the maximum length of the shock. In this way we will be able to squeeze quite a spring. 4
The top cover is a screw that allows you to spin the shock. Just squeeze the spring with the bolts and the nut at the top of the cup is revealed. Then with a 14 mm spanner unscrew it to the end to freely remove the spring cover. So it looks like after ramping up (yellow nut have said that we must uncover compressing the spring) 5
5. As you can see the rubber bushing is completely cracked. This implies that the impacts we have been feeling has damaged the suspension. In my opinion, the factory limiter is too weak to support the weight of the motorcycle driver and passenger. Too often hitting the suspension may lead to damage to the whole shock and swingarm bearings. After removing the damaged item I measured it. Its inner diameter is 10 mm. The rubber from which it is made is quite soft. The following image shows the state of both rubber bushings. 6
I went to the nearest automotive shop to match the new rubber. I chose the harder rubber but about half as thick as the factory. I got two pieces to mount on the shock. Their outer diameter is also greater but it is less important. The bottom line is that once the measure is not blocked from their spring. View after installation. 7
In addition, I decided to extend the shock travel a few millimeters. To this end place two washers over the nut. The yellow box shows where. This allows the suspension to be lifted higher by about 5 mm. 6. Then, assemble the spring and the upper cover and tighten the whole. It is very important that the twisting does not loosen the collars. We do this at the very end, when the screw is screwed up in the top cover (cup). Now we can mount the shock absorber on the motorcycle, and then remove the shock from the other side. 8
After repairing and replacing the shock absorbers I would recommend that both be set to the stiffest position. After my modification, I felt that the suspension is a bit stiffer than the factory. While driving with a passenger, I did not feel any unpleasant metallic hitting on the back of the motorcycle. Raising the suspension after the application of pads is not noticeable during normal driving. My way is one of the proposed ways to do a home repair of rear shock absorbers. This is probably the cheapest and quickest method but not the best. If someone drives one, my modification will allow him to driving many more miles. The total cost of repair is around 6 $. Any questions or comments can be sent to the e-mail: tom740509@wp.pl 9