OK so here's where I'm at. the bolt that adjusts the height on the right side of the picture, the oval chrome peice right next to it, turned with the nut... the left side did not ..

What does that mean >


the large nut, that adjusts the firmness / softness, when I turned counter clockwise, thw whole entire shock turned with it.

What does that mean ? is it now loosening properly ? How do I fix this ?

 

Now turn the small nut on the back side- the one that was blue- out to tighten the shock to the frame there.
The big is a LOCK nut. Put a wrench on the hex next to it to hold the bolt, then loosen the big nut all the way til it stops. then use the spanner in those holes to turn the adjuster. the whole body will turn as you are doing that. clockwise to soften, counterclockwise to stiffen.

 

And don't forget to tell us how it works out.

 

I think I got it.. but I don't think all the bolts were even.. one of the shocks turned as I was loosening the lock nut .. I didn't mark them yet at that point .

there's also two hex nuts right under the beam of the frame of the bike, so you can't see them in the picture, do I not adjust those at all ?

when I tighten the nut that lowers / raises the bike, how do I keep it from spinning on its own, does that other peice hold it in place tightly as soon as I take the bike off the stand so there's weight on it ?

 

As you hold the shaft from spinning by putting a wrench on the flats that are on the shaft, tighten the "blue" nut against the frame so that the 2 nuts farthest away from the shock body are clamping on the frame. This has lengthened the shock, lowering the rear of the bike. Now with the big lock nut loose, use the spanner to turn the adjuster plate clockwise to soften the ride. I suggest marking it so you can count the turns. Turn it all the way in, counting the turns, and back it halfway out. Tighten the lock nut. Take it for a ride, and see how it feels.

 

OK, I finally got everything done. My biggest problem was being able to fit a wrench on the bolt that holds the inside rubber peice tight against the frame.. I ended up buying a needle nose vice grips to get in there.. I could not fit a regular standard wrench at that angle.. The wrench would either hit the frame, or the can on the shocks ..

Overall, I think the bike rides 2X better than before, especially the stock shocks with the cheap lowering bolts ..

I took it for a nice 100 mile ride this afternoon, and it rode great. like riding in a cadilac

Right now, I have it set at slightly lower than stock ride height, and on the softest setting, that's by far the best setting for me.. I bought the "HD Heavy Duty" 422, not the regular one.. I weigh 300 lbs and I think it's set perfect for my weight .. I would probaly go stiffer or more preload if I went lower ..

Thanks to everyone that helped me on this thread, not sure I would have been able to do it myself otherwise. ..

 

Tight quarters in there for sure. Glad you got it done to your satisfaction. Thanks for letting us know how it turned out.