jrhendryx Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 I pulled the right side shock off tonight because it was the only one i could take off without removing anything else, and measured it out so that i could start looking at new shocks. how can i tell if these are worn? I was almost completely unable to compress it when i had it off the bike, at least not by just pressing down on it, though both do compress when i sit on the bike. They are adjustable shocks, with 4 positions. They are currently set at the 3rd of 4 settings, towards the stiff side. I looked at mikesxs.com to see if i could find shocks, and i like some of the ones that they have. basically, i need to know how i can tell if they are worn, and how much travel i should expect out of them? also, the shocks on the above website are made for the xs650. does anyone know what the curb weight of the 650 was? my bike only weighs 500 pounds, and i am concerned that even if they bolt in properly, that they might be too stiff if the 650 weighs a substantial amount more than my bike does. so, your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator mervin Posted September 24, 2007 Moderator Share Posted September 24, 2007 what you really need to do is get the spring off, you need to compress the spring then remove the collet at the top, pull spring off then compress the shock if it pulls straight back up without ny resistance it is shot, you can also get a fair idea by bouncing the back of the bike if it comes back up with a bang when you press it down and let go it is fair to say the shocks are weak it it comes back up steadily then they are ok, but it is difficult to tell this unless know what they should be like, merv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Difficult call on this one. How about 'on condition' and by that I mean if they are not leaking gas or oil, they should be ok. Then if they have done more than 50,00 road miles, they probably need changing. Heavy loading will also require you to change them more often. Off-road work will require more frequent changes. Spring length unloaded must be the same and any preloading must also be equal. Copout is to refer to the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted September 24, 2007 Author Share Posted September 24, 2007 Difficult call on this one. How about 'on condition' and by that I mean if they are not leaking gas or oil, they should be ok. Then if they have done more than 50,00 road miles, they probably need changing. Heavy loading will also require you to change them more often. Off-road work will require more frequent changes. Spring length unloaded must be the same and any preloading must also be equal. Copout is to refer to the manual. psshhhh, manuals? we dont need no steenking manuals! i already checked the haynes and yamaha manuals, and the only useful one was the haynes. it says to remove the spring, and then compress the piston fully. if it comes up rapidly for half its distance and then slows down for the last part, it should be fine. im just pretty much sure that these are the original 1975 shocks, though the bike probably only has about 10k miles on it (has had the tach/odo replaced, only reads about 3000 miles) they are pretty rusted and pitted, so i was considering replacing them, but if they are fine, im not going to bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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