Will i damage my rear air shocks?

[daryooshers]

Hey all, i’m changing the tires on my 84 gl1200 aspen, and at the same time searching for the cause of my rear air suspension leaking air. both wheels are at the shop till monday probably. i stupidly didn’t locate the leak before removing the rear wheel, and i don’t want to have to wait until monday to get the wheel back, so i’m wondering if i can pump up the shocks unloaded without causing any damage. either way i will be replacing the o rings at each connection because it’s easy and i have a ton of o rings spare. but i really want to know if i should be ordering new oil seals for my shocks, and like i said i want to test by increasing the pressure. Thanks.

[Rambozo]

No problem with the air in unloaded shocks. You can even dunk them in a bucket of water to look for leaks.

[WingAdmin]

Or use the tire leak method: pump them up and spray them with soapy water, then look for bubbles.