[silverluxe]

I was bored after I got home tonight so I pulled off my rear shock.

Since I didn't want to pull the passenger peg mount (swingarm bolt) I sawed an 8mm allen wrench to make it shorter so I could remove the bolt at the lower mount. That worked and there's barely room to remove the bolt.

I used a car jack under the engine and had my front wheel chocked. That way I could get the height just right to unload the suspension and easily pull the bolt out of the lower mount first. If you get the jack just right you can finish unscrewing it with your fingers.

The top shock mount has a one-time-use sort of nut on the back side of the bolt. It's 15mm and my box wrench barely fit back there to hold it still while I unbolted it.

So what did I learn? Three things.

1) Crud can collect down under the lower mount. I had some rocks in the swing arm just chilling.

2) I thought the shock was Sachs according to literature I'd read, but it looks like it's a KYB?? What gives? edit:// I read wrong. Kayaba is spec'd.

3) Like I had already seen on another forum when someone else pulled off their shock, the lower bushing is crapping out and I only have 2000 miles on my bike. The rubber is cracked and the eyelet is off center meaning this thing might start banging around at any moment. Lovely...

I cleaned out the rocks and reinstalled the shock with no drama. I had to use a magnet to get the shim washer out of the lower mount and getting the washer back in took a bit of wiggle work. Otherwise the front wheel chock and car jack competed for MVP in terms of what tools I used. Don't pull your shock off unless you think you know what you're doing.

 

[Phil McAvity]

Should be no problem for me. I watched almost an entire episode of American Chopper the other day. How difficult could it be?

No seriously - job well done. I'm surprised at how that bush is wearing out. So, a suspension upgrade could be on the books after all...

 

[silverluxe]

The top is plastic mounted, so we could probably press out the bottom bushing and put in a new rubber or polyurethane one. Then again, why? The shock is less than desirable

Removing it (and putting it back on) wasn't difficult at all, but I did get up to grab a handful of various tools that I'm fortunate enough to have just hanging around. I just worry about people without a jack or something trying to pull either of the bolts and then the bike collapses and drama ensues.

 

[eisfeld]

silverluxe thanks for documenting this. You might have stumbled upon a similar issue like owners of Yamaha MT-07 bikes are finding in that their fork bushings have abnormal premature wear: Wrong fork bushings installed at factory - heavy wear ensues | FZ-07 Forum

Interestingly, the MT-07 forks are from Kayaba too, same as as our shocks (and forks)! The root issue on the MT-07 was a parts mixup by KYB it seems.

I think this warrants further investigation by people who know a bit about these things (not me).

 

[tonyjuliano]

That bushing deformation is going to end up being a serious issue - I pulled my shock off yesterday, just to check some things on the bench - and mine was pretty much the same.

I'm not going to pitch a fit about it with Ducati, as I will be replacing it within the next 30 days, but others certainty should. I would, however, recommend that users remove the left-side passenger peg bracket, it's dead simple - only takes a minute or two, and makes shock removal much easier.

Thanks for the write-up, I have a feeling a lot of people will be needing to do this soon.

BTW - my aforementioned bench testing of this shock absolutely confirmed to me that it is absolutely a terrible unit, but I guess I knew that already.

 

[silverluxe]

@tonyjuliano is the rear swingarm bolt easy to remove and install? I wasn't sure what all was going to fall apart when I pulled the bolt. There's a bolt on both sides right, rather than one long bolt like I'm used to on classic bikes?

 

[tonyjuliano]

@tonyjuliano is the rear swingarm bolt easy to remove and install? I wasn't sure what all was going to fall apart when I pulled the bolt. There's a bolt on both sides right, rather than one long bolt like I'm used to on classic bikes?

The bolt that you think goes through the swing arm actually doesn't.

To remove the left side peg bracket, do this...

First disconnect the shift linkage bolt at the location shown, following by the exhaust hanger bolt (red arrows), then remove the 2 bolts shown with blue arrows. !!Caution!! - the bike must be supported by some means other than the side-stand, the left-most of these last 2 bolts also secures the side-stand to the frame.

Next, remove the last bolt as shown - it does NOT go through the swingarm, there is actually another bolt behind it that does.

The just slide the whole bracket off - towards you. Just takes a minute or two.

Putting it back on is just a reversal of this process.

 

[jhwalker]

"Don't pull your shock off unless you think you know what you're doing. "





I don't have a clue what I'm doing, BUT great thread. (and fools rush in, where angels fear to tread...)
There is so much good info posted on this forum that we need a thread that points to the really good stuff. Or is there is already such a thing?

 

[silverluxe]

That's good to know. There was some other reason I wanted to remove the passenger foot peg mount, but I can't remember it now.

 

[tonyjuliano]

That's good to know. There was some other reason I wanted to remove the passenger foot peg mount, but I can't remember it now.

Probably to swap the counter-shaft sprocket.

 

[silverluxe]

Yeah, that was it. People were using a metal file to remove material from the thing to fit their 16 tooth sprocket up there and I was like

 

[PERPETUAL MOTION]

Is ducati aware of this premature wear and is there going to be a recall in the works?

 

[scrambling]

After the shock bolts are out how do you get the shock out, seems wedged in there

 

[tonyjuliano]

After the shock bolts are out how do you get the shock out, seems wedged in there

There is a bushing in the bottom clevis that easily gets hung up in the cavity. There is a washer in there too. Get the washer out first, and the rest will pull out easily.


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