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Looks like I may be the next victim of having to attempt this removal. Just finished a 4000 mile trip through Utah and Colorado and came back with the rear shock completely shot. The sad part is that my bike doesn’t even have 50,000 miles on it (a 2014 ES).
Hoping that CraigRegs will see this. My question is, can this be done on the center stand, as I don’t have a lift? Will the swing arm be able to drop down far enough to get the shock out from the top with the bike being on the ground?

The A shock comes off on centerstand. Don't even have to remove the rear wheel.

But you do have to remove a fair bit of stuff from the left and right:

One of the reasons I waited this long to get the ES model was because until recently, I was not aware of anyone that could service the factory shock, and $3K plus for a maintenance item was a tad rich for my blood. Now - we even have spring rate choices.

Removal and installation is considerably more involved than the A model for sure, but thanks for Craig, I now have a wonderful cheat cheat. When it's my turn, I will avoid taking the air box off like the plague, though. That seems to be a common thing with ALL motorcycles - re-installing the air box.

ScooterG was good enough to let me use his lift while he is strafing the Alps again for a month or so, so I will begin picking mine apart in the next day or two.

Mudslide Miller wrote: ↑Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:44 pm Looks like I may be the next victim of having to attempt this removal. Just finished a 4000 mile trip through Utah and Colorado and came back with the rear shock completely shot. The sad part is that my bike doesn’t even have 50,000 miles on it (a 2014 ES).
Hoping that CraigRegs will see this. My question is, can this be done on the center stand, as I don’t have a lift? Will the swing arm be able to drop down far enough to get the shock out from the top with the bike being on the ground?

Can't say definitively, but I think you might. With the rear wheel off, and mufflers removed, the swing arm should drop far enough. I see you have a lift now, so we may never know...

I've had several inquiries about how the new shock is performing. I have over 10k miles on it now. TBH, it's hard to compare it to what new felt like, as these things deteriorate over time, so any improvement is noticeable. And I'm not a suspension guru like some of you who can discern the effects of an extra click of preload or damping. For reference, I'm about 170# geared up. And I'm running a car tire, so I'm half nuts anyway. With those disclaimers, here's my $.02:

First, yes, it's an improvement. Before, even on Hard, 2-up, bumps in corners caused me much puckering. And the Soft setting was way too soft. With the rebuild, I've been running the preload at 2-up with Hard damping at +1, and Std and Soft damping at 0. The soft setting is good on frost heaves and typical bumps, but I found it a bit too bouncy on the "hoop-dees" (the dips that give your tummy a tickle) I encountered on my last trip. Back end tended to rise more than I cared for. Will probably up the damping on the Soft setting to +2 and see what that does. Std setting was ideal for cruising lots of miles with no technical stretches. Hard works well in the twisties. I had no trouble hanging with RoadRunner, Blind Squirrel, et al in SEO, and kept Puppy Chow and Bugnatr within reach while at the West Coast Gathering.

On my '07, I had Traxxion Dynamics upgrade to AK-20 in the forks and a Penske shock at the rear. I recall the amazing difference in performance there. This rebuild has not impressed me as significantly, but that may be 10 years of recall working against me. And again, I've still got $2600 in my pocket that MamaYama would have wanted for a new ES shock.

FWIW

Appreciate the feedback Craig. Another question, did you only pull the gas tank because you were doing a valve check also or was it required to access some of the airbox plastics underneath to get to the shock? The service manual doesn’t seem to require it for shock removal.

Also, wondering if you were able to drop down the swing arm without pulling the final drive & drive shaft or would that be required?

Mudslide Miller wrote:Also, wondering if you were able to drop down the swing arm without pulling the final drive & drive shaft or would that be required?

No valve check done at the time. Tank removal is for airbox access. Also, no need to remove the final drive or drive shaft.

So after two days of painstaking, hard labor, my shock is out and ready to be shipped off thanks to Craig’s write up, videos and feedback and of course, following along with the service manual; although there are a bunch of things in there that are vague & have to be figured out as Craig mentioned. Yes, the rear fender, the airbox, and the DC motor connector and stepping motor connectors are a PITA to get out.
With that said, it will certainly be a bigger pain in the ass to put it back together than it was getting apart, which, all of us that wrench on our own bikes, already know.

So while I have this apart and waiting to send off the shock, I lubricated the relay arm & suspension bushings.

My next issue is in the picture. Obviously, something is either clogged or a seal leaking in the pumpkin breather. I know nothing about that and couldn’t find anything in the service manual addressing it. So asking for any help anyone can give on taking care of this problem with it leaking oil at the breather cap. I don’t even know how to get that off and didn’t want to try without breaking something.

https://garymiller8337.smugmug.com/ES-s ... /i-PBx2L9x

Good to read you got the shock out Gary, it is quite the job. Final drive breather is pressed in. Reports are that it doesn't come out easily. Are you sure the final drive isn't overfilled? History has shown overfilling is a leading cause of oil misting at the breather.

Good luck!

~G

Thanks George. I just changed my final drive oil prior to this last trip & filled it to the bottom of the fill hole lip as per the manual. I’ll try a little less next time to see if it makes a difference.

Mudslide Miller wrote: ↑Thu Jul 06, 2023 2:09 am Thanks George. I just changed my final drive oil prior to this last trip & filled it to the bottom of the fill hole lip as per the manual. I’ll try a little less next time to see if it makes a difference.

Did you spin the wheel at all just prior to or during the procedure?

That misting is minor..... it will go away eventually. Vent is pressed in and you'll destroy it trying to remove it. Your fill method is OK as long as you don't rotate the wheel.

He better not be rotating the wheel. I taught his age-challenged ass better than that!

Thanks for the replies. Nope, did not spin wheel when changing final drive oil.

While I’m balls-deep in having this bike torn apart & waiting for my shock, would like to address another issue that I believe has been talked about here; just have to find it or get more advice from you experts. When bike is cold, the gear indicator display will not show 5th gear (just goes blank after shifting out of 4th). Sometimes it comes back after 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes stays out longer.

SkooterG wrote: ↑Sun Jul 09, 2023 5:01 pm He better not be rotating the wheel. I taught his age-challenged ass better than that!

The temptation is surprisingly high though, even when you know better.

OK, I found the thread about the gear indicator sensor and seems the consensus is trying to repair it does not work and needs to be replaced.

Mudslide Miller wrote: ↑Mon Jul 10, 2023 12:45 pm OK, I found the thread about the gear indicator sensor and seems the consensus is trying to repair it does not work and needs to be replaced.

Be sure to read the part on that thread about the o-ring.