Finished cleaning the bike, now onto fitting the new Penske.
Bolted the top up first, then tried to fit the bottom end. But it's quite off, the shock is extending about 1'' below the lower mount.
I will have to take it off and adjust the ride height to correspond with the OEM shock's free length.
From what I've read, one full turn of the adjuster is 1.5 mm of ride-height. That's a lot of turns to get the shock were I need it to be.
Am I missing something here?
/Nat
Edit: The bike is an 85.
Where did you get the shock? Is it the right shock for your bike?
I can't imagine a Penske dealer would send you a shock fully extended or even over extended.
I have in front of me the Penske Tech.Manual open to page 4 and it reads in big bold letters:
Caution!!! Do Not exceed this length; .470" (12mm) Yes, it really had 3 exclamation points after the word caution
Even if the shock was sent to you fully extended, it should not be extended more than 1/2 inch..... so I doubt you will get 1" out of the adjustment.....unless it was sent to you way outside of the adjustment range, so again, who sent you the shock?.
Go ahead and thread the shaft all the way in and see if it gets the lower eye where it needs to be.... Keep in mind:
You do know... on the early FJ's the only way to raise the back end is to increase the shaft length on the shock..?
...and by consensus, everyone here on this forum recommends the back end to be raised on the FJ's?
With the bike on the center stand and the lower shock linkage undone, put a piece of 3/4 plywood under your rear tire and see where the lower mount ends up.......maybe you don't need the full 1" adjustment.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 18, 2012, 07:22:39 PM
3/4" plywood under your rear tire...
Mine is less than 1/4" (Ohlins shock)... don't you want the rear pretty high? I think 3/4" is right at stock.
Frank
Not that I remember. On my '84 it was ~1.25" off the ground when the bike was on the center stand.
I recall a 2x4 flat (1.5") would lift the rear tire just a smidge.
Frank, how's your project coming along? Ready to ride in 2 weeks? Been to the dyno yet? Any numbers?
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 19, 2012, 12:04:13 AM
Frank, how's your project coming along? Ready to ride in 2 weeks? Been to the dyno yet? Any numbers?
Bike is with Randy, but engine not complete quite yet. I had travel pop up that will interfere with the WCR, so I won't see you guys this time (quite bummed). As a result, we've pushed the engine installation back into mid june (I'm traveling from May 29 through June 16). The middle part of my trip is vacation in Germany during which time I'm picking up an Audi TT RS (http://models.audiusa.com/tt-rs (http://models.audiusa.com/tt-rs)) on their Euro delivery program and driving it around for a week before they ship it to me in the US... so I don't think the bummed feeling will last.
I think Baldy will have a chance to see my bike when he visits Randy's place, without engine of course. I think it is turning out very nicely and have decided to go for a paint job as well once she's running and riding again... maybe an XJR looking scheme. Maybe even with the '84 colors. Suggestions welcomed!
Frank
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 18, 2012, 07:22:39 PM
Where did you get the shock? Is it the right shock for your bike?
I can't imagine a Penske dealer would send you a shock fully extended or even over extended.
I have in front of me the Penske Tech.Manual open to page 4 and it reads in big bold letters:
Caution!!! Do Not exceed this length; .470" (12mm) Yes, it really had 3 exclamation points after the word caution
Even if the shock was sent to you fully extended, it should not be extended more than 1/2 inch..... so I doubt you will get 1" out of the adjustment.....unless it was sent to you way outside of the adjustment range, so again, who sent you the shock?.
Go ahead and thread the shaft all the way in and see if it gets the lower eye where it needs to be.... Keep in mind:
You do know... on the early FJ's the only way to raise the back end is to increase the shaft length on the shock..?
...and by consensus, everyone here on this forum recommends the back end to be raised on the FJ's?
With the bike on the center stand and the lower shock linkage undone, put a piece of 3/4 plywood under your rear tire and see where the lower mount ends up.......maybe you don't need the full 1" adjustment.
After reading this, I decided to take
one more look, so I went out and pushed down on the tire.
It dropped down to the floor, it had been suspended in midair without me seeing it!
Then I put a piece of plywood underneath and I am proud to say the shock is now on the bike and looking GREAT!
:crazy:
I adjusted the ride-height so that the rear tire almost touched the ground.
Haven't had a chance to ride it yet though. Still waiting for CraigO's rear caliper to arrive.
Secondly, I also had to order a new "footpeg-holder-bracket" , which, as you can see, is not what it used to be.
(http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/PussinBoots2011/IMG_0915.jpg)
After I had removed the OEM shock, the bike came off the centerstand, resulting in that fracture. :dash2:
I ordered a used one from Germany, so waiting for that to arrive as well.
Trying to think positive...
Thank you Pat and Frank. Didn't mean to waste your time.
/Nat
No worries Nat, glad to help. Enjoy that Penske! I know you will...
hate to ask, but what caused the fall
I had to move the bike...
it came down off the centerstand... hard because no shock was fitted.
Lesson learned... but it hurts.
ouch, expensive lesson , how much did the new hanger cost
€35.
Thought it would be worse.
But the frustration of not being able to put the bike back together makes up for it.
When they arrive, I will put on the rear caliper, new brake line (thanks Craig) and this bracket at the same time. Also change the brake fluid to DOT 5 instead of 5.1.
Will do some searches and read up on what that involves, I guess the system has to be totally cleansed from the old brake fluid before I put the new one in.
that's pretty cheap for a new one, will be worth all the extra effort , new rear shock makes the Fj feel like a late model bike
Yep, I think it is in decent condition, but it wasn't new though, came off an 84.
I just want to get it in my hands ASAP.
In the meantime, I'm cleaning away the rust and grime I found in all of the nooks and crannies that were hidden away behind the bracket.
must be a good one then ,, only issue I found with installing a new rear shock was it showed how much the standard set up suck, now I need rpm,s awesome fork valves , sooooon I hope :good2:
Can't wait to try it out! :yahoo:
The front forks are my next project. But it is difficult to get cheap parts over here. My strategy is to wait it out until I can get them for a decent price.
I want to do the 17'' conversion at the same time as the RPM valves.
Then... R1 calipers.
Then... SS steel hoses in the front.
Then... who knows?
IF you have to do the brake mods in stages, do the SS brake lines first. Not only are your original lines way past time to be replaced, but this will make the greatest difference in how the brakes feel and in how consistent the brake operation will be.
Arnie
+1 on that. I made way too many changes to know what had any effect on the changes. Your lines are way too old. Change them first if you have the funds.....
Got it!
:good2:
The Penske is now in place and has had its maiden voyage...
what can I say...
:crazy: :yahoo:
Will take pictures and post up when I have the chance.
After much trial and error, the reservoir ended up sitting nice and snug next to the battery under the left side cover, hidden from view.
The broken foot peg bracket was also replaced and all is well for the time being.
But a question to those of you other Penske owners out there - how do you access the ride height flat at the bottom of the shock, and the 1'' jam nut, when the shock is sitting on the bike? The only way I see is to take of the metal foot peg bracket again, in order to stick my huge 1'' wrench in there and try to reach the shock...
:rofl:
But it sure is worth it!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Go to a hardware store and look in the plumbing section for 1" plumbing wrenches. They are much smaller than a traditional wrench. I think Traxxon offers these same wrenches for a huge price increase.
DavidR.
Set it and forget it......
Yeah, I think I will do that.
Is the general rule of thumb to raise the tail until the wheel almost touches the ground?
Depends, how tall are you? With the back end raised, will you have trouble putting your feet on the ground?
I'm 6'3" so I have the rear raised to the max.which leaves ~ 1/4" to turn the back tire so I can lube my chain.
Cheers! Enjoy that shock. You did good. Pat
Quote from: WhiteBeard on August 30, 2012, 12:57:08 PM
Yeah, I think I will do that.
Is the general rule of thumb to raise the tail until the wheel almost touches the ground?
I've got the rear raised so the rear wheel is just off the ground when the bike is on the center stand. I'm 5-11, have a Corbin seat and have no trouble reaching the ground.
Thanks!
/Nat