Adjusting the length of a Penske shock
 

My VTR sat lower and steered more slowly after I replaced a set of well-worn Metzeler M-5's with a set of Pilot Powers. I decided to increase the length of the Penske shock to compensate. I had adjusted the shock several times previously with the shock or the swing arm off the bike but I wanted to experience the adventure of adjusting the length of the shock without removing it or the linkage. It turned out to be slightly less fun than winning the Nobel Prize in literature or having sex with twins.
Some things I did showed signs of intelligence. I bought a 1" 3/8" drive crowfoot wrench, I had a good light source and I marked a flat of the length adjuster nut so I could tell how much I'd rotated it.
Both the lock nut and the adjuster nut are difficult to access with the very attractive Penske 1" wrenches I have. I ended up using the crowfoot wrench on a 1/2" breaker bar with a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter to loosen the lock nut. Fortunately, the adjuster nut turns more easily than the lock nut which, I suppose, is as it should be. The easiest way to rotate the adjuster nut is to put the crowfoot wrench on the nut from the rear exhaust side of the shock, i.e. the inside, rather than from the rear brake side, i.e. the outside. The crowfoot wrench can be turned with a ratchet connected to the crowfoot wrench with a 3" and a 6" extension and various amounts of fiddling. It helps to be in a state of inner peace before starting the job.
Please feel free to post better ways of doing it.

How much Zen time did the job require?

With the way the rear pipe is routed and how the linkage is set up, the only easy way to adjust the length is on the bench before you install it.

So yeah it is a bit of a challenge to do on the bike ;)

That is like a novel about it.

There is just a locknut that needs loosening then you adjust it, then tighten the locknut.

If you experiment alot of diff types of wrenches will work.

+1 8541Hawk

+1 smokinjoe73
The concept is simple. The execution was frustrating.

thetophatflash
It took a bit less than an hour. A lot of time was spent making sure that the crowfoot wrench was on the nut squarely, going a number of times from the garage to the basement to get tools and trying enough positions and methods to get at the damn thing to create a decidedly unerotic kama sutra. I think that I could do it now in about 20 minutes.

I worked as a mechanic for 25 years and any "gumption trap" that lasted less than a couple of hours and met with success was indeed a "religious" experience!

To do shock swaps I engineered these high tech instruments. Put a barbell pole under the pass pegs and the rear is hung so you can yank or disconnect the shock.

It is diff than my swingarm stand cuz there is no wieght on the swingarm. I have used them about 100 times since their manufacture.

I'm just too lazy to make something that fancy....:rotf:

The last time I pulled my shock I put the bike on the rear stand. Loosed the top mount bolt and the took a piece of 2X4 around 5-6" long (I don't remember the exact length but just a little longer than the distance between the sub-frame and the swingarm on the brake line side)

Lifted the rear and set to block in place and then pulled the shock.

Yeah sure you could knock the block out, if you tried but it worked well for me. ;)

Though I have also used the weight bar and a set of jack stands, sitting on blocks to get the right height, before also. It is more stable but you use what you have. :cool:

Find a gold's gym, grab a couple of guys who are doing a legs day and have them each stand on the side of the bike and dead lift it. Pull shock out, make adjustment, put shock back in. Fist bump your new bros, hand them each a high-mass protein shake and you're done... ;)

That is a cool little setup smokinjoe...

Fancy? 2x6's stolen from your neighbors yard?

7moore, if you wanna bring home sweaty gym guys, maybe thats your roll but I just built those things......