Are there any gotcha's I should look out for in swapping the rear shocks on a 2014 Limited?

I have the service manual and have read the procedure. I have a good jack (J&S). I already had the air shocks previously removed and replaced with HD Premium adjustable shocks at the dealer, so the whole air line thing is non-issue.

It seems like it will be a fairly straight forward procedure.

Remove saddle bags.
Jack bike up with rear wheel barely touching the ground.
Two bolts per shock.
Do one at a time.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

 

You've got it! 30, maybe 45 minutes. Depending on what shocks your using, just pay attention to which bushing your using and in what order they go, other than that...no brainer.

 

some times laying a 2x4 under the rear wheel can help align the holes when lowering the jack.

 

You mean to sort of use the 2x4 as a lever to make fine adjustments?

 

Torque on the bolts is 35 ft/lb, less than you'd think.

 

Even if the new shocks are nominally the same length as the ones you are taking off, they will probably not just slide on. You may need to make an adjustment so they fit easily. Last bike I did that on I used a screw scissor jack under the frame, bike parked on the jiffy. With the rear wheel still on the ground (no weight on it) that enabled me to easily adjust the distance between top and bottom shock mounts. Doesn't need anything fancy and you already have the principles sorted!

 

Ah, good point to ask questions about.

The bike has HD 12" shocks on it now. I'm replacing them with Progressive 944's which are 13" when extended and designed to "sag" to 12" under load.

Will I have issues getting the first 13" shock on with a 12" still on the other side? i.e. will the swing arm not drop low enough to get the first 13" shock on? Should I remove both shocks at once or is that asking for trouble?

The bike will be up on a J&S jack stand during the process.

OK, here I go overthinking it. LOL.

 

And don't be the least bit suprised if your top shock mounting bolts are loose. Mine were barely finger tight. When I posted that up I was pretty suprised to learn quite a few others went and checked their bolts, and found theirs loose as well!

 

Ha, better than so tight you can't get them off I suppose.

 

You will need to remove both shocks. It is safe to assume that your new ones will be roughly 13" long out of the box. Ignore the marketting hype and assume you have to jack the frame up an inch, after taking off your current shocks.

I'm not familiar with J&S jacks (they aren't available here in the UK), but if it has the means of adjusting in a controlled manner both up and down you will be fine. My cheap Chinese one doesn't do down except in a big bang - all or nothing! It'll take you a beer to walk around the bike and size things up, then another to do the job, after which the rest of the pack is yours.....