| Author | Message | ||
     Buellbum |
i'm ••••••• things up and i'm really angry. i started to change the trans oil but couldn't get the exhaust to come down so i loosened the bracket bolt but didn't realize that the top one also held the shock in-place. what a screw-up. so now that shock bracket won't go back in it's hole so i have to lift up the bike to get it back on then after i lift the bike i can get the muffler off and FINALLY change the chaincase oil. what lift do you guys recommend for this bike. i want something cheap that works. i may not keep this bike for long if it keeps pissing me off. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
If you pop off the seat, you can use a couple of ratchet straps with and engine hoist or rafters. | ||
| Kc_zombie |
Service Manual? | ||
| Buellbum |
no, i'm working on it in my house. here's the problem right now. i need to get that shock bracket lined-up so that i can reinstall the exhaust bracket bolt that runs through the engine case. you can see with the arrow that it needs to move up to here to align with the bolt hole.  | ||
| Hootowl |
"i may not keep this bike for long if it keeps pissing me off." You unbolted the rear shock. The bike didn't piss you off...you pissed it off.  Yes, ratchet straps from a rafter or even a tall step ladder straddling the back of the bike. There's not a lot of good places to throw a jack under these things. You can jack from the muffler on the XBs, but not the tubers. If you have a rear stand that operates on the footpegs (rare) that'll work too. | ||
| H0gwash |
I recall if you squeeze a slim scissors jack on top of the rear tire between the tire and the seat subframe using a scrap piece of plywood or something similar, you can expand the jack and effectively shorten the distance between the shock mounts front and back. | ||
| Buellbum |
yeah, but having to drop the exhaust to change the trans oil is a GD stupid design. i jacked it up on the kickstand using a floor jack under the foot-peg so i solved that but how do i get that shock mount back in the hole? | ||
| Lasbuell |
i did something similar, the shock fell off, the bike tipped over I was pissed off too. I used an engine lift and a ratchet strap. It was a bitch, 1 went right in the other took a lot of B.S. It wasn't easy and it was bad I called my brother to help me and I NEVER do that! I think we took the back of the shock loose too to get the front bolts in. I wasn't changing the oil I forget what the hell I was doing. Something with the muffler too? | ||
| Hootowl |
"yeah, but having to drop the exhaust to change the trans oil is a GD stupid design." You shouldn't have to do that. It's tight, but it will come out. The bolt is short enough that it'll slip out of there once you back it out. Make a chute out of tin foil to keep the oil off your exhaust. Or do you have an aftermarket exhaust that mounts closer to the engine? If so, I agree...bad design. Gerard's suggestion regarding a jack in between the frame and rear tire is a good one. I had forgot about that option. I suggest that once you get the weight off the rear suspension, you remove the front or rear mounting bolt from the rear shock, which will enable you to freely move the front shock bracket so as to more easily align the hole and slip the bolt through, then reattach the rear shock. | ||
| Williamscottrobertson |
I must admit I did that on my first Tuber doing the regulator bracket/y-mount upgrade. Put the kickstand down, put a jack under the opposite foot peg and jack till you can get the holes lined up. | ||
| Buellbum |
lasbuell: i don't know why it DIDN'T fall over. i now have a jack on the right side so it can't. Hootowl: yes, after-market exhaust. i have it low enough to change the chaincase oil but must get that shock mount back on first. Williamscottrobertson: i tried that but it didn't move at all toward the hole. i'll try again tomorrow. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Just like the other two threads you've got going... BUY THE GODDAMNED SHOP MANUAL. | ||
| S1owner |
I am with rat in this one. Not to be a complete azz but slow down and look. I mean you took the bolt out holding the shock while it was under load. You had to wonder why it was not coming out easy? If you cant move slow and methodically at minimum read the service manual first! Heck the 97 S1 manual in the knowledge vault is free and would give you most of the info you need!!! | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
You could support the rear of the bike by the passenger footpegs by putting them on upside down so the will fold down but are ridged when folded up. Then use jack stands to support the bike under the footpegs. I agree with the advice from Rat and S1 and would add; 1. Keep a notebook, take photos 2. Before you start working, put some time into getting set up for the job 3. Get rid of distractions so you can focus. Turn off the radio, send your guests home, put the dog in the other room, etc. 4. Beer after work only. No 'beer breaks" | ||
| Buellbum |
i have THE GODDAMNED MANUAL. IT'S A POS. what i think i have to do is put weight on the seat. i'm going to do that with hold-down straps today. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
If the back wheel is off the ground, just unbolt the rear suspension and line it up. That front mount is a hassle. I upgraded my exhaust mount to the new one a few months ago, now it's practically impossible to even get the stock exhaust off. The V&H comes off because you can pull off the can and are just left with the short elbow midpipe, put with the stock exhaust on, to be able to pivot it down enough to get it out of the upgraded exhaust hanger, I had to lift the rear of the bike a foot and a half of the ground. It was ridiculous. Maybe I'm missing something? Also, a HUGE help with this stuff is a mini(it's about 12"x5") scissor lift. I bought one online for about $40(which people will say is Chinese garbage and not to trust it, but honestly it works fine for what I do with it). It's perfect for being able to lift things in tiny degrees, and is great for when you're trying to lift parts of the bike *just* enough to get holes to line up right. It made changing the front isolator a breeze because I was able to lift the engine just enough until the holes lined up and the bolt dropped in. That would've been a headache with ratchet straps or a hydraulic jack. | ||
| Hootowl |
We're all trying to help you. But in your second post you implied you didn't have a manual because you were working on it at home. Maybe I misinterpreted. (Message edited by hootowl` on January 09, 2018) | ||
| Ratbuell |
Nowhere in all three of these threads have you implied that you had a manual; quite the contrary, you are asking questions that are ALL answered within the manual. RTFM goes a long way. I've built Buells from the ground up with nothing but tools and the factory manual, and ridden them for years afterwards with no issues. As for picking it up, get a stepladder. Spread the ladder open over the bike. Ratchet strap the bike up, using the ladder as the support. No rafters required. Weight on the seat is NOT what you need - the weight of the motorcycle is what is keeping you from attaching the suspension in the first place. Again - read the manual. It details (with pictures for the big words) how to lift the chassis to service/replace the suspension. Once you see the pictures of how the factory does it with standard shop tools, you'll be able to visualize how to do the same job with household implements (like a stepladder). | ||
| Buellbum |
ratbuell: the manual isn't helping me get that shock bolt mount back in-place. i can get the rear wheel off the ground but that's not helping one bit.... as a side-note. i just recycled YESTERDAY an aluminum scaffold ladder that would have worked perfectly to get this bike in the air.... i THINK that i have to put weight on the seat and that mount will move backwards. i'm going to try with hold-down straps to see that works. | ||
| Hootowl |
I've noted it before, as have a few others... Now that you've unloaded the rear suspension, remove the bolt holding your rear shock to the mount. This will let you position the mount freely and get the bolt back in. Once the mount is attached properly, bolt the rear shock back onto the mount. Problem solved. | ||
| Phelan |
You could ratchet strap the rear wheel to the front wheel and pull it tight until the bolt lines up. | ||
| S1owner |
Loosen the ither bolt and lift up on the seat that will pivot the bracket back, Dont be a jerk because you f’ ced up. If you had the factory manual and read it and paid attention why the hell did you pull that long bolt. It connects the exhaust mount to the motor the exhaust is bolted to the mount. I am out of the conversation! | ||
| Buellbum |
ok, i looked at how the shock works in good light. putting weight on the bike will pull it the wrong way so i jacked it up on the kickstand and shined a light through the bolt hole to see how far and which way i had to move it. you have to get that hole lined up exactly. so i tapped it with a hammer until it lined up and i got that bolt in! now that it's up i can drop the muffler and change the trans fluid. | ||
| Buellbum |
---You could ratchet strap the rear wheel to the front wheel and pull it tight until the bolt lines up.--- yes, i tried that but it just pulled the forks and i didn't want to screw them up so i stopped. after i calmed down and looked at it in good light i was able to get it done. see post above.. | ||
| Buellbum |
---why the hell did you pull that long bolt.--- to get the aftermarket exhaust to drop down far enough to get to the trans drain plug. i moved this thread here at request so you didn't see all the posts. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Yeah...as the BOOK states, you do NOT LIFT THE WHEEL. What you need to lift in order to attach the suspension, is the FRAME. The wheel and swingarm need to DROOP. This is why, when you pulled the bolt, the wheel "lifted" and the frame "drooped". You need to do the opposite in order to line stuff back up. Buell tube frame suspensions PULL when you compress them, where other suspensions with upright shocks PUSH. But...all of this is in that POS book you've been ignoring. Now...depending on which bolts you took off to move the aftermarket muffler...READ THE BOOK when it comes to exhaust installation. Unless you want to snap off header flange studs at the heads. (as an aside, the factory muffler has a dimple in the top, to allow for easy primary drainage; it's not Buell's fault here, it's the aftermarket). | ||
| Buellbum |
RatBuell: ---This is why, when you pulled the bolt, the wheel "lifted" and the frame "drooped". You need to do the opposite in order to line stuff back up. --- yes, i figured that out by looking at how the swing-arm connected to the shock in good light. no, i didn't remove the header bolts at the head. i will add my own dimple to that muffler next oil change.  | ||
| Hootowl |
Glad to hear you got it fixed. I've had my share of 'oops' moments that didn't end as well... | ||
| Ebutch |
Lifting a tuber  | ||
| Ebutch |
Nate does this:  |
