Here’s the rear springs and lordy are they rusty. It’d be nice to have them apart but who has a spring compressor around?
Rear Springs Removed
Well $1.78 at the local hardware store gets you those two stainless steel pipe straps. So to earn 7 points toward my CBMMA* merit badge I picked ‘em up. Unscrew them so you can thread them thru the springs like this …
Cheap Spring Compressor 1
Then just tighten them up. You only need a bit more than 1/4″ in order to get the washer and split ring holder (upper right) off the spring.
Cheap Spring Compressor 2
Looks like this just before ‘good things happen’. Compress, push the spring down, then you can get the thing apart. Easy to clean that way. Reverse the process to reassemble.
You do have to ‘fish’ that strap thru the springs, but the two smaller screw drivers make it easy. You can pull with the channel locks once you have the strap out the other end.
Piece o’ cake – Esta papita
* Cheap Bastards Motorcycle Maintenance Association
November 11, 2009 at 11:51 pm |
Please forgive my newbie question: are the rear shocks still “good” despite the rust? The rear shocks on our CL are a little rusty, but we can clean that up. Are there things in the internals that can go bad after being neglected for so long?
November 12, 2009 at 10:52 am |
A little rust won’t harm the springs, just clean them up and keep them sealed with a wax or polish. The shock absorber is probably OK, mine are. You can check yours if you dismantle them from the springs and operate them with your hands.