Well this shouldn't be rocket science.How tight can the nuts on the threaded shock shaft be so tight??I guess I need to ask the obvious question first,right tight,left loose??I cannot begin to loosen those nuts with 12" open end wrench,wants to twist the entire shock assemble,rather than loosen.There is not enough room to hold the shock,using the H.D.tool,and an open end wrench at the same time to turn the lock nut.If left is loose,there must be 200 ft lbs torque on that lock nut.Help?

 

i had the same problem... i CAREFULLY put a little heat to them and they came out... good luck

 

Did you heat the nut,left loosen,as usual??

 

i used my foot to turn the wrench. since my legs are a lot stronger than my arms, and i could get better planting. i can also play the guitar with my feet!! haha no i just kinda booted the wrench and broke her loose.

 

where the shaft goes in to the shock theres apart where you can use a open end wrench
to stop it from twisting, right? those were not nearly as tight as the 3/4 bolts thats on the
rear of the shock now that was a bitch.

 

agreed. the ones in the back were the hardest!!! And yes, you can stick an open end wrench in there to stop it from twisting.

 

On the stock shock there is a set of flats that will allow you to hold the shaft while you break the jam nut loose. Use a 1 1/16" wrench on the jam nutanda 9/16" on the stud (just in front of thejam nut andthreads you'll find the flats).Then, with the aid of your bestHD mechanics language it will break loose. After bandaging your knuckles and much more HD mechanics language you will be able to remove the shock from the bike. I just installed a Ness lowering kit on the wife's FLSTC. While I found the mechanics language to be the most helpful,I did build a tool for the rear bolts from a sacrificial Chinese3/4" wrench and a brokenTaiwan1/2" drive socket. I shortened the wrench to approx.3" (using the box end) and welded the socket to the cut off end so a ratchet could be inserted. It's a little cobby but it works and didn't cost $45 like the SnapOn unit. Also if you are installing a lowering kit just afew secondsof heat on the stock stud with a propane torch will loosen that stud right up. It doesn't have to be red hot to loosen up the factory loctite, just a few seconds.!!DON"T HEAT THE SHOCK BODY !! - unless you want to hear a big bang andhave a fondness forstitches.
Remember: to adjust the spring preload you have to hold the stud while you use the spanner wrench and make sure both shocks are adjusted equally.
Hope this helps.

 

I had the same problems you guys described here on my 2007 Fat Boy when I put my low-profile shock set on her...and I only had 200 miles on the bike! I'm thinking that a damn gorilla with a 4' cheater bar tightened all of my shock bolts...and laughed hysterically while doing it! They were ridiculously tight! I was very close to breaking out the cutting tools doing that job!

Ended up doing what boone432 did...used my leg and a cheater! But I can't play the guitar with my feet, hmmmm...

Steve