Wrong/Faulty Shock?

[vermin]

So, I bought a silver/white '89 FJ a few months ago, and is was much lower than my dark blue '89 FJ. I asked my mechanic about this, and he supposed that the dog bones had been replaced in order to lower the bike. Well, I have taken the bike apart, and I noticed that the dog bones have "3CV" stamped on them, and they don't look altered in any way, so that takes care of that theory. Below is a picture of the '89 shock (on the left) off the low bike next to a '91 shock. The '89 is definitely shorter than the '91, but I am wondering if the shock length is the reason that my bike is too damn low. Does this '89 shock look okay?

Thanks,

-Chris

[Harvy]

I'm confused..... .....you have 2 x '89s......... so where does the '91 shock come into the picture?

Harvy

[markmartin]

FWIW, here's a picture of the shock I took off my '89.  Looks the same to me, but you be the judge.  The center to center distance between bolts measures about 11-1/2 inches. 

Mark

[vermin]

I'm confused..... .....you have 2 x '89s......... so where does the '91 shock come into the picture?

Harvy

Harvy,

The '91 shock is from a parts bike that I bought. I have never torn down my dark blue '89.

-Chris

[vermin]

FWIW, here's a picture of the shock I took off my '89.  Looks the same to me, but you be the judge.  The center to center distance between bolts measures about 11-1/2 inches. 

Mark

Mark,

Thanks for the pic and the measurement of your shock. My shock is also 11.5 inches. Upon further investigation, the problem is the rear upper frame piece. The rear upper frame is tweaked worse than I suspected. Ordered another one already.

Thanks again for helping me diagnose this problem.

-Chris

[Harvy]

Thanks Chris....I understand now........So your seat was getting a little closer to the ground eh!

Harvy