Rear shock height

[cfennell1832]

Does anyone know if they make a rear shock that's maybe 1 inch taller than the stock shock so I can get the bike up on it's stand easier? I'm thinking that this would let me keep the 60 size tire on the rear and not sacrifice tire stability with higher side walls (that would contribute to some loss of control with a mushy side to side action). Hopefully they make one that's not real pricey (like $1,000 or something).

[Viking]

If you rebuild your rear shock with a Traxxion spring, and their transfer hose, and get the fluid filled up (service the shock system) it will add about an inch in height. You can do this yourself, or you can send it to Traxxion and they will do it, or you can buy one already done from Traxxion.

[thrasherg]

Exactly as the viking suggests.. I fitted the traxxion spring (less than $100) and it raised the rear just over an inch, made it much easier to put on the stand, significantly improved the handling and increased ground clearance when cornering.. A superb improvement with lots of bonuses and all for less than a hundred dollars!! You cant beat it!! Getting the rear shock in and out is a major pain, count on a full day, but it's worth it!!

Gary

[WingAdmin]

You should keep in mind that lifting (or lowering) one end of the bike without also lifting (or lowering) the other end will change suspension geometry - particularly with the front wheel.

Lifting the rear end without also lifting the front will reduce the rake angle of the front forks, decreasing caster (think the difference between a Wing's fork rake and a sportbike's fork rake), which will decrease resistance to wobble and displacement. You may hit a bump and suddenly find yourself suddenly in an unrecoverable tankslapper.



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[cfennell1832]

Is not the front tire already 0.5" taller than the rear tire?, would the front rake need to change by the exact height of the new rear shock or just by 0.5" to make it equal one inch?
Is there a way to check if the rear shock has been lowered by any amount without pulling it all apart?

[cfennell1832]

I have seen the videos of people putting there wings up on the center stand by pretty much just standing on the center stand arm, but there's just no way that can be done like that on my wing at 900lbs, i saw the tech at the dealer rock it back and forth 3 times before he got it on the stand.

[Wingsconsin]

Placing a Wing on the center stand is more about technique than strength -
Techs at the dealership no precious little about actually OWNING and USING a Goldwing.
They are nearly all younger than 35 and ride sport bikes (at least in my area)
Even a professed Goldwing shop near me had mis-information about the 1800 I own
He was telling me with conviction that the 1800 was a hydraulic lifter and never need valve adjustments
Raising the rear 1" would unlikely cause a problem with the steering geometry - I have used the 70 series on my bike in the past as well
It was not an issue but not worth the change so I use the 60 series now
Avon Cobra's 60 series seems a bit larger than others 60 series - about 1/2 way to the 70 series

[cfennell1832]

Does not matter what i do it will never go up on the stand without the 2x4 i place under the rear wheel.

[Viking]

Does not matter what i do it will never go up on the stand without the 2x4 i place under the rear wheel.

This could be because your shock adjuster is not adjusting much any longer. The plastic hose that comes stock swells a bit and then it does not move the adjustment as much as it used to. Therefore the bike sits lower even up on 25 on the adjuster. Doing the traxxion rebuild would change this. Even if only the hose and fluid top up are done, it will make a difference in the way you can get the bike up on the center stand. That said, what WingAdmin has mentioned about doing both front and back is sound advice, as it will also keep the bikes engineered posture intact. You can also do these things with Progressive Dynamics springs, but they do not sell a hose replacement.

[PastoT]

Never had a real issue with my 02 and my bags are always packed and heavy. one thing that will stop most of us is being left in gear! Always grab and pull the left grip and clutch lever - it saves the left heated grip from damage and overrides the possibility of having left it in gear. If you haven't filled your preload compression cylinder its worth an couple hours to ensure it is topped off, many have little impact as they arrived from factory with a large air gap inside and simply don't lift the rear until you hit 10-15 on the scale.

[Chappie]

I seem to recall your question a while ago on another forum? The issue could be that the bike has been lowered with an aftermarket bracket which makes the center stand totally useless. I have lowered my Wing with this bracket and had previously modified my center stand by removing 1" off the stock stand. With my new lowered wing it was impossible to put the bike on the center stand without first backing up onto a 3/4" piece of wood (even with my shortened stand). If it were me I'd investigate the bracket first and it may be a simple fix to restore the Wing to stock.
Regards
Ron

[cfennell1832]

I seem to recall your question a while ago on another forum? The issue could be that the bike has been lowered with an aftermarket bracket which makes the center stand totally useless. I have lowered my Wing with this bracket and had previously modified my center stand by removing 1" off the stock stand. With my new lowered wing it was impossible to put the bike on the center stand without first backing up onto a 3/4" piece of wood (even with my shortened stand). If it were me I'd investigate the bracket first and it may be a simple fix to restore the Wing to stock.
Regards
Ron

Is there a way to check if the shock was lowered without taking the bike apart?

[Chappie]

A good source for information is the manufacturer:
Tom
Lowerwingproducts.com
330-289-6893
The newer brackets were black anodized aluminum and clearly marked with the lowering dimension ie; 3/4 inch, 1 inch, 1 1/4 inch.