AberdeenBikers

I know there are a few folk on here who own VFR's but has anyone ever had to replace the rear shock absorber on one? My one has leaked all of it's fluid and the bike now handles like a spacehopper. Consulted the Haynes manual and the first instruction is to remove the entire exhaust system. This is a huge amount of work and there is no guarantee that the exhaust can be sealed again as the joints look quite rusty. I was thinking that removing the swing arm and the linkage at the top and bottom of the shock might just be a better idea. All sensible advice gratefully received.

I'm pretty sure it can be done without removing the exhaust. It might look rusty, but the whole system's (low-grade) stainless, so it should clean up ok if you do end up removing it.

i changed out the one on my vfr you got one bolt at the top which i think was a pain in the arse to get back in when replacing it and the three bolts on the link plate at the bottom should be a straight forward job if your going to drop the swing arm down

The only reason for dropping the swing arm is that part of the exhaust sits right under the shock and as the shock runs through a hole in the swing arm there isn't enough height to get the shock out. The way I see it you either take the exhaust system off or drop the swing arm. I figured getting that top bolt back in under the tank might be a pain the arse but hey ho. Next question is do I get the original rebuilt, buy a new Honda one at £620 or find an alternative?

bill.m wrote:Honda one at £620 or find an alternative?

For that kinda cash, i'd personally be looking for an aftermarket shock (Ohlins / WP etc) but it's all down to personal preference.

If you shop around & check fleabay you could probably pick up a decent aftermarket shock along with new springs and oil for your forks which would leave you with an excellent setup for roughly the same price as the OEM shock.

bill.m wrote:Next question is do I get the original rebuilt, buy a new <FONT COLOR="#FF00FF">Honda</FONT> one at £620 or find an alternative?

Don't buy the OEM one. As Rowan says, get an Ohlins, WP, Maxton, etc. for similar price and if you keep the bike you can have it rebuilt for a couple of hundred quid, unlike the OEM one which you'll have to bin.

Try Nitron - http://www.nitron.co.uk/nitron09/index. ... _7_220_244

i sold my one to a lad in peterhead dont know if he used it he was going to see if it fitted his blackbird he might have it sitting in his garage will give him a shout and maybe a option getting it refurbished