cbr 929 shock upgrade for 95 vfr

[atheist]

will a 929 shock fit a 95 vfr ??or cbr 954??cbr 900??anyone done this??...i know its got better ajustment,looking for a little ride hight with passenger we drag parts...

[Rev]

The 929 shock is a nice choice for the 4G; it has a better spring rate and is two pounds lighter. You will need a preload adjustment wrench, called a Pin Wrench by Honda. You probably will need to adjust the preload on the shock; mine came set at the second click up from full soft which will not do. If you don’t have one, get one before you start this mod so it will be on hand for adjustments. I got mine from Service Honda, part number 89202-KY1-700. Don’t get the handle for it; the one from your rear hub adjustment wrench will fit it also.

Things to do before you start

• Measure ride height. Even though you will make your spacer the same length as the difference in shock length, it’s good to know what you are starting with.
• Loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheel. You’d be surprised how many people forget to do this prior to putting the bike on the C-stand or bike jack.

Disassembly

Put the bike on the centerstand. If you don’t have one, you will need to figure out a way to get the rear off the floor.

Seat, tank, inner fender/battery box, battery, rear plastic, exhaust, rear wheel and coils need to come out/off. Pull the starter relay out of its holder and move it to the side. I didn’t disconnect it, just pulled it out of the way.

Remove the metal portion of the battery box. This is also a heat shield and so can be awkward to remove. Leave the rubber shields in place.

Remove upper and lower shock bolts, freeing the shock to be removed through the top of the tailsection. You may have to turn and twist the shock to get it out.

Loosen and remove the upper shock mount. You will need to remove the bolt from the fork, which are spot-welded together. I have an anvil but any hard surface (concrete floor, etc) should suffice. I placed the mount fork-end down and, with a large ball-peen hammer, gave the bolt two or three hard swats, breaking the spot-weld.

Now you need to make the spacer. The length of it is the difference between the two shocks; in my case, 42mm. I also verified this measurement using this Ohlin’s spec sheet: http://www.rs-s.it/prezzi/listinoohlins.pdf (it is in Italian but it is easy to figure out). I chose 1.5-in. diameter (your metric version will vary but aim for that size). I contacted the local welding shop and they set me up. I bought a six inch piece for $4 and I suspect had I known what length I needed ahead of time, they would’ve cut it too. There is a flat area on the crossbar the mount bolts through and this diameter fits well without having to grind down the sides of the spacer.

A bandsaw works great for cutting the spacer but if you know how long you need before you buy, you might be able to get the place you buy it to cut it for you. You will then need to drill a hole through the center of the spacer for the bolt. A drill press is the best tool for this; hopefully you have access to one.

I used a metric bolt to replace the original in the upper mount. I had to shave the head a bit in order for it to not rub on the shock once it is mounted in it. I also used a lock nut; obviously I don’t want it coming loose while I’m riding.

Now you can install it for a test-fit. You will have everything removed so it will be fairly easy to put in. Install the spacer/fork combo first; use a regular nut to hold it in for the time being. The shock should be put in with the reservoir facing forward so all adjustments can be made from the left side of the bike. It also fits a lot easier this way (some people have put them in with the res facing backwards but I found that to be too difficult). You may have to work the swingarm up and down to get it to go in. Once you have it in, shove a bolt in the upper and lower shock mounts, and put the rear wheel on. Let it down off the center stand so you can push down on the tailsection and see if you have any binding. You shouldn’t but it doesn’t hurt to check. Put it back on the centerstand, take the rear wheel off and get ready for the fun part.

You now have to cut a notch in the metal heat shield. Since the reservoir sticks up past the upper mount bolt, the heat shield will not fit unless you do so. You could just cut off the part of shield that’s in the way but it will allow heat to get into the battery area and under the seat. You will be cutting into the right side of the shield about halfway back from the front. I made my cut larger than required to allow for possible movement. The tricky part comes with test-fitting and the final install. In order to install the heat shield with the shock installed, you will have to put the shield in place around the shock then install the fender/battery box, sliding the two together. This is a pain since the fender doesn’t just go straight in; you have to ‘finesse’ it into place. An extra pair of hands here can be a great help.

Once you have that finished, it’s time to decide where to mount the coils. If they will fit in the stock locations, you have it made. Just reinstall them and move on. However if that’s not the case, you have to get creative. This is the part of the mod that took the longest for me to figure out. I ended up taking the coils off the mount bracket, and moving the #3 to where the #4 was, using two spacers to move it away from the bracket. The #4 coil I mounted to the rear subframe; horizontally between the battery and the subframe rail. It will have to be mounted lower than the frame rail in order for the coil to clear the rail. I used some straps I made from aluminum stock I got at Home Depot. I bought stock that was 1-in wide by 1/8-in thick, length to be determined by how long you want. I made mine about two inches long. The rear plastics will clear the coil; just make sure you mount it far enough forward so the coil wires reach. At this point its time to start the bike and make sure it runs with the coils relocated.

Now its time for the final install and putting everything back together. Remove the upper shock bolt and tighten down the fork mount bolt; you can’t do it once the shock is in place. Then install and tighten the upper and lower shock bolts. Reinstall the heat shield and fender, and everything else you took apart. Now you can drop it off the centerstand and you should notice an immediate difference. You can now adjust the preload on the shock at this time.