I had the opportunity to install a Shotgun Shock on a buddies bike yesterday and took the opportunity to take sum pics so I could write a new how to thread for those who want to see what is involved. Here is the shock. All new black version and the compressor and bracket.


1. Put the bike on the lift. The Harbor Freight hi point lift makes this the easiest and a floor jack to raise and lower the front wheel. We had to make do with a Sears yellow jack and a floor jack for this isntall which took a bit of extra time, but we still got it done. Remove stock shocks. On 2000 and up bikes the front shock bolts are 11/16" and the rear shoulder bolts are 3/4". I use a socket for teh front bolts and a ratcheting wrench for the rear bolts. The rear bolts are much easier to get off if you heat them a bit. I used Mapp gas as that was what I had on hand.


2.Once the bolts are removed remove the rubber bushings from the front of the shock and they will come right out. You might need to twist them a bit.

3. Remove the battery from the battery box (10 mil socket or wrench) and the splash guard.
This was a California model so we had to remove the EPA canister as well. It si mounted to the bottom of the transmission where the compressor bracket mounts.


Here is where the Compressor mounts now.


Do not tighten the pinch bolt on the compressor until the bracket is mounted and and teh compressor is situated where itneeds to be. The head of the compressor goes on the exhasut side of the bike towards the front. On 2007 and up softails the holes for the compressor bracket are already tapped, just screws the provided bolts in. Careful not to pinch the wiring for the compressor when tightening down the pinch bolt.
Here is the compressor as seen from the side of the bike.


Route the wring harness up through the back of the battery box and secure the relay behind the splash gaurd with a crew if possible. A zip tie will work too but I always screw it in.

Mount the switches on the horn bracket and run teh wioring back to the batery area. I zip tie the switch wiring under the tank to the breather lines to keep them out sight. You could alos lift the tank and run them along the main wiring harness if you wish.

All the wires are plug and play. Hook the positive to the battery and the ground to negative or the ground post on the frame. Plug in all connectors and route the wiring behidn teh splash guard so taht it is out of the way of the belt and any other possible hazards.

Bolt on the rear of the shock using the stock 3/4" shoulder bolts. I put anti seize on the shoulders and red loctite on the threads. For the exhaust side of the bike put the bolt through the eye on the shock and the ratcheting wrench over the bolt before threading the bolt in as there is a minimum of space to work with on this side. Start the bolt. Start the other side.
It should look like this.


Attach the air line from the compressor to the shock body. The air line comes already attached top the compressor so just plug in the one end. No need to cut it to length, it is ready to go the way it comes.

Raise the swing arm using the jack under the rear wheel a bit so that the shock body will clear the frame boss. Once it ahs cleared teh framzae boss puivot it up and lower the swing arm a bit so that the shock lines up for the front 12mm bolts (3/4"). ensure the rubber bushings are in place and attach both of the front bolts which come with anti seize applied. No loctite on the front bolts. Repalce splash guard and ensure all connections are secure.

That's it. No test the shock and make sure it moves up and and down. Thsi will now allow for 4 full inches of travel in the rear of the bike and allow you set the ride height/pressure and rebound independently of each other and on the fly if you wish.

here is the rear raised all the way (1" over stock)


Here it is slammed all t he way


It was pouring rain so i was unable to get any better pics as my buddies garage is kind of small and he has several bikes in there. More pics to come next weekend.

Enjoy your new shock and ride all you can.

Drew

 

I took a few pics after the install. Also rode it after you left and it rode much smoother than the stockers. My problem was the limited adjustment the preload setting gave me when 2 up and loaded for overnighters. It was also a PITA to unwind and wind up the preload when switching from solo to loaded down. Looking forward to putting it to a fully loaded test run over the weekend. So far I'm impressed with the quality of the unit, the ease of install and the flexibility to adjust the ride height/rebound on the fly this system provides.

 

Hey Doc, do you have to drop the front end of the shock to drain the tranny oil?

 

You do. It is 2 3/4" bolts that take about 30 seconds to remove each.

Drew

 

Just saw this thread
How long does it take to do this?
Sounds real simple.

 

With the proper jack I'd say 2 hours or so. With the wrong setup like I had when I took the pics 4 hours.

Drew

 

What about with one of these Drew?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Americana-...item2569c34e9f

 

I don't know about that one. I use this one.
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-po...ift-99887.html

The possible issue is if there is a enough room for the shock to swing up in between the arms of the lift.

Drew

 

So your saying that was not much in adjustment for preload for an extra load. Also adjusting the preload was not that easy after riding solo and going to 2 up. What were you issues with that?

 

This system offers plenty of adjustment for ride height (preload) and rebound. It offers a wide range of adjustment and will provide a much better an smoother ride for a softail than almost anything else around. Maybe a few of the guys who have this system will respond and let us know what they think. We have a guy that works here that has it on his bike too and he loves it.