Rear Shock Spring Replacement
by
Mike Wolf

My wife and I regularly load the saddlebags and jump on the bike for long weekends strafing canyons and experiencing the sights of Northern California and beyond.  Immediately after purchasing the bike in May 2005, we noticed that out of the box, the Multistrada is under sprung for two up riding.  So, we made it work for the summer, but I knew I would be working on the shock over the winter.  Fast forward to March 2006, and I telephoned Aftershocks Suspension to pick up a new spring.  They recommended a 6" 500lb spring.  Since the stock Multistrada spring is 7 5/8" long, they offered to make me a 1 5/8" spacer to go along with the spring.  $100 later (plus shipping and tax) and the spring and spacer were on the way. 

Getting the shock off was a snap.  I dropped the rear wheel, unbolted the left front footpeg and swung it out of the way, and unbolted the top and bottom of the shock.  After removing the knob on the pre-load adjuster and unbolting the adjuster from the frame, the shock was free. 

Next step was to remove the existing spring.  This is done with the use of ratchet tie down straps.  Crank the preload all the way down and then tighten one strap on each side.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the disassembly, but here is how you'll thread and attach the tie down - remember, you'll need one on each side.  One is not enough.

Once the shock spring is compressed, you'll be able to pull the inserts which hold the spring on the bottom - they are like two halves of a large washer.  Once these are removed, you can drop the spring from the shock.  Now, lay the spring on your workbench and release the first tie down.  Be careful, though, they are under quite a large amount of tension!  Once the first is released, move on to the second, and you're done.  Now it's time to install the new spring.  Compress with tie downs (put some oomph into it!) and reverse the above instructions.  Here is the fully assembled shock and spring:

Now, reinstall the shock in your chassis.  I've included some reference shots below.  After securing the bottom eyelet and tightening the bolt/nut, use a jack to properly align the upper eyelet with the hole.  It's much easier than trying to hold the swingarm steady while you try to insert the upper bolt.  After mounting the shock, reattach the remote adjuster and reinstall the knob.

Now, it's time for the rear wheel.  Make sure you line up the four posts with the four holes on the inside of the wheel:

After sliding the rear wheel onto the axle, place the cone shaped insert with the beveled edge towards the wheel.  Next comes the washer, then spin on the nut as tight as possible by hand.

Now, pull out your handy dandy $39 (on sale!) full set of 3/4" drive sockets that you purchased from Harbor Freight. 

Use the 46mm socket and torque the rear nut to spec.  Make sure you line up the hole in the axle/spindle with one of the notches in the nut and install the keeper.

Reinstall the rubber plugs in the swingarm and put the front left footpeg bracket back in place.....and you're done!

 © 2006 WolfCentral Productions