Shock absorbers test and refurbishment

[El__burro]

Good day,
I "may be" a bit heavy and the fact that I chopped the rear off doesn't help.
I have tried adjusting within the 3 settings but still I have the feeling that something might be wrong.
is there any way to test if the rear shocks are doing what they are supposed to do.
Is there a tutorial on how to refurbish them,
Is there an alternative ( not too expensive) out there.

thanks
el__burro


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[Johnwebley]

don't worry tomuch about weight,
I am about 14 stone with jacket and riding gear and have my spring pre-load set to minimum,
with a passenger  I move to max preload,

 I am still using the 43+ year old standard rear shockers,


 not sure if they are able to be overhauled ,

[Nurse Julie]

What have you got fitted at present?. I use TEC shocks and find them great on my old Hondas,  you can find them on ebay. At around £50 they work out alot cheaper than a refurb I expect.
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[Bryanj]

Its not possible to refurb the actual dampers as they are a sealed unit, you can only change the springs and covers

[AshimotoK0]

Its not possible to refurb the actual dampers as they are a sealed unit, you can only change the springs and covers

Chris Saxby  described here how he rebuilt CB450K0 Bomber Shocks ....but they are 'rocking horse poo' so not really worth it on 'our' bikes (i.e Honda 4's)

http://www.hondatwins.net/forums/60-miscellaneous-discussion/6136-cb450-rear-shocks.html

[SteveD CB500K0]

Frank Cooper "Oldboy" on here drilled and tapped his shocks, drained them and replaced the oil. That was on "Silver Machine" which I sold to Tom Exelby.


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[Nurse Julie]

There is a company in Greenwich that do complete refurbs but I think it is a very expensive thing to have done. Like Ash says, OK on rocking horse poo when no other option available.
http://allbikeengineering.co.uk/

[SteveD CB500K0]

I've used them in the past and can vouch for them. They used to specialise in Hinckley Triumph parts. I guess they have diversified (hence the name).


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[El__burro]

Thanks, i have what you can see on the picture (original Tec like).
I guess the best thing to do is to play with the adjustment and rear fender.

Thanks
el__burro

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[Nurse Julie]

Does your back tyre hit the inside of the mudguard?. It looks very, very close.

[El__burro]

its not touching while it's not moving but if i hit a bump or a hole, yes, even when I ride alone. I'll have to play with the rear mudguard to clear some distance.
thanks
el__burro


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[Nurse Julie]

Gosh, that all sounds very dangerous to me. If it were mine I would take it off the road immediately and not ride it again until it's fixed...properly.

[MarkCR750]

I agree with Nurse Julie, that can't be safe, either the tyre could rip the mudguard off and then jam the rear wheel or if you hit a bump mid corner whilst leant over the tyre hitting the mudguard could cause a momentary skid and you'd be into a high side, there is obviously not enough clearance in its current configuration, on my CR I put the battery in the tail, I set the bottom of the battery platform level with the top of the frame tubes, even so hitting a severe bump would result in the tyre scuffing the battery platform, I added 20mm to the bump stops in the shocks, this results in 20mm less travel (but so would carrying a pillion), anyway I think you either need longer shocks (not too long or your steering will become too quick), or you need to raise the frame hoop and mudguard.
PS I don't think just altering the angle of the mudguard will be enough, it looks from the photo that you only have a couple of inches clearance from tyre to frame hoop, that's not enough.
PPS a lower profile tyre, longer shocks and repositioning the mudguard might just do it if you don't want to rework the frame hoop, please note that any comments I have made are not recommendations and that you should have any alterations checked out by a suitably qualified mechanical engineer prior to use (phew!😄).

[MrDavo]

As cool as it looks, for your own safety, and to pass an MOT probably, you've got to have some clearance left at maximum bump. You can always use ratchet straps to squash the bike down as low as it will go to test this rather than just sitting on it. The thought of the guard folding up under the gap between the tyre and seat doesn't bear thinking about, you'd be straight on your ear.

I once ruined a new tyre on a race bike by forgetting about the bolts that held the mudguard on, too long and sticking out from their nuts - they ripped into the tyre at full bump.