Shock removal but turned into a "proper questions debate" thread.

[Hoosier_Daddy]

so i can clean up the shock and get the spring powder coated, Without it going off in my face preferably.

[JohnR.]

On what????

[Erics350x]

leave it mounted on the bike and remove the line after releasing any pressure, then loosen the big nuts on top with a spanner wrench

[3Razors]

You dont have to remove the line or release any pressure. Just loosen the spanner nuts all the way which will allow the spring to slide up. Then remove the base plate on the bottom and the spring will slide right off.

[Hoosier_Daddy]

The spring won't have any stored energy when I unscrew the last ring the spring won't go flying off?




On what????350x

[250RNUT]

NO you will be able to loosen the spanner nuts all the way

[racerxxx]

Hoosier,

Seriously---- Read your manual, section 13-4 tells you how to do it. Not to sound too much like a dick but are you that lazy?? I don't even own a 350X and yet I'll go to http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manuals/honda/85-86_ATC350X_Service_Manual.pdf

And open it up, scroll thru, find what YOUR asking for, then post a reply for you, really dude come on just read it a bit. I have the manuals for my trikes and if I have a ?? I'll look for it in the manual, then figure it out. Then if I'm stumped I may start a thread or shoot a PM to someone.

Please just try your manual first.

Oh yeah and big thanks to OSCARMAYER for hosting the manuals for all of us and the same to whom else hosts them as well!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,

Racerxxx

[3Razors]

The spring won't have any stored energy when I unscrew the last ring the spring won't go flying off?



350x


No it wont go flying off. That is why there are lots of threads on the shock body.

Also I agree with Racerxxx, read the manual..it will give you the info. needed because it is a step by step repair book for the 350X....something this forum is not.

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Hoosier,

Seriously---- Read your manual, section 13-4 tells you how to do it. Not to sound too much like a dick but are you that lazy?? I don't even own a 350X and yet I'll go to http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manuals/honda/85-86_ATC350X_Service_Manual.pdf

And open it up, scroll thru, find what YOUR asking for, then post a reply for you, really dude come on just read it a bit. I have the manuals for my trikes and if I have a ?? I'll look for it in the manual, then figure it out. Then if I'm stumped I may start a thread or shoot a PM to someone.

Please just try your manual first.

Oh yeah and big thanks to OSCARMAYER for hosting the manuals for all of us and the same to whom else hosts them as well!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,

RacerxxxHear is some food for thought. I DO read my manual. Do i come here and ask every question that could be covered by the manual? Absolutely not. If I don't undertsnad what the manual is saying, I come here and ask for experienced advice.

Some of you need to keep in mind that those manuals are made for mechanics that have training and sometimes the manual doesn't go into detail about what kind of injury may happen if you do it wrong. It simply states how to do the job with the fact in mind that mechanics are trained to know the proper way to do it SAFELY. The manual shows HOW to do it, but not always the safety aspects. Anyone who doesn't have a degree in mechanics/or extensive experience in the field and blindly follows the manual with no reguard to safety is asking for trouble.

I don't care what the manual says, there is no way i was going to just release a shock spring with that much pressure before i found out first what the safety ramifications are.

And yes, i do ask a lot of questions. Sometimes the manual is not explicit in its explanation or the diagrams are shady at best so i come looking for advice. I would appreciate in the future people not make a judgment about a person they know nothing about and the way they go about things. I have a manual for a reason. i use it. I don't always understand it. And tearing into Honda 4 strokes are new to me so i need a little extra guidance.


One last thing, this is a message board designed to help people with their trikes. this forum spacifically is exactly for general maintenance. If people can't come here and get mechanical advice without being scalded, what do we do? Leave and go to ORG? Start a new site that is more friendly? I bring this up because i have seen many other members who have been around a while tear into guys who are fairly new for asking question that this forum is SUPPOSED to help them with.

Not talking about you racerxxx but there are some real arrogant jerks around here who treat people like they are below them because they are new and trying to learn. That is not the way to keep a forum healthy. And contrary to the belief of a lot of older boardies on here, posting about things, and NOT holding back from posting about things feeds forums and keeps them going. If you only have a certain amount of thread and tell everyone to do a search, you have a dying forum. That is the last thing 3 wheeler enthusiasts need right now.

[ThinktwiceZ71]

/\...well put Hoosier....the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. :beer

[Hoosier_Daddy]

/\...well put Hoosier....the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. :beer

Thank you. Some of the old timers need to remember that they were noobs at one time asking lots of questions and after learning the answers, they passed down the knowledge to the newer ones who in turn continue to pass it down. That is the way it is supposed to work. Unfortunately, that is lost all to often around here.



There are a lot od good guys like Scooterroo, Dirtcrasher plus many more etc the list goes on, but there are a lot of jerks who act like it breaks thier fingers to type an answer on a keyboard to help out.

p.s. racerxxx you have been a lot of help and i'm not mad at you nor am i directing anything at you. i'm just venting a bit.

[The Goat]

were you the one I talked to in the middle of the night when I was in...michigan? lol. or was it gag halfront?

I can never differentiate between you two. I have no idea why...

[Hoosier_Daddy]

were you the one I talked to in the middle of the night when I was in...michigan? lol. or was it gag halfront?

I can never differentiate between you two. I have no idea why...
haha must have been gag

[3Razors]

Its all good Hoosier. I can understand your concern for safety. For future reference if there is a safety concern while performing a repair in the manual Honda or Clymer always will make a note of it on the same page.

[DeePa]

you shouldnt even need a manual to take a spring off of a rear shock...

[Dirtcrasher]

Here's the thing (NOT meant directly towards HD either) SOME things can be elaborated on and discussed again and again but sometimes it's something very simple and like Mike said, you really don't even need a manual for that. If you just started loosening it, you'd see whats up.....

I have honestly learned more from taking things apart myself than from asking other people what to do. But, that certainly is the purpose of this message board.

I repeatedly ask everyone to get a manual (you beat me to it Racerxxx :lol:)because I'm tired of buying junk that people stripped, used the wrong bolt, snapped, wore out and generally just didn't take care of it. I'm tired of young kids buying 25yo threewheelers and beating the chit out of them instead of caring and nurturing them they way they should :)

I guess I could take it either way; You don't ask, you ruin stuff.... You ask, and I'm wondering if the person even has any buisness owning anything mechanical :lol: You ask and I'm in a friendly mood, I'll help :D

I think whats frustrating to SOME of us is that allot of guys have gone way out of there way to host the PDF files of complete manuals and I feel like sometimes people don't even bother to attempt to read it before they post......

The other thing is that if you guys bring up an old post that relates to your current issue, we can end up with 30 different opinions and 8 years of answers which makes for great discussion :beer:

[Hoosier_Daddy]

you shouldnt even need a manual to take a spring off of a rear shock...
There is quite a good possibility that you were one of the members i may have been referring to with the arrogance and crappy ass attitude in my first original rant. The forums could do better to be done with certain types of people.


Also, I agree, with you about the manual. With all those Yamaha's you own, you never need a manual to take things off. The parts fall off on their own.

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Here's the thing (NOT meant directly towards HD either) SOME things can be elaborated on and discussed again and again but sometimes it's something very simple and like Mike said, you really don't even need a manual for that. If you just started loosening it, you'd see whats up.....

I have honestly learned more from taking things apart myself than from asking other people what to do. But, that certainly is the purpose of this message board.

I repeatedly ask everyone to get a manual (you beat me to it Racerxxx :lol:)because I'm tired of buying junk that people stripped, used the wrong bolt, snapped, wore out and generally just didn't take care of it. I'm tired of young kids buying 25yo threewheelers and beating the chit out of them instead of caring and nurturing them they way they should :)

I guess I could take it either way; You don't ask, you ruin stuff.... You ask, and I'm wondering if the person even has any buisness owning anything mechanical :lol: You ask and I'm in a friendly mood, I'll help :D

I think whats frustrating to SOME of us is that allot of guys have gone way out of there way to host the PDF files of complete manuals and I feel like sometimes people don't even bother to attempt to read it before they post......

The other thing is that if you guys bring up an old post that relates to your current issue, we can end up with 30 different opinions and 8 years of answers which makes for great discussion :beer:
I agree with you. I think you and i are on the same page and can see both sides of it. You've always been cool with a good attitude to everybody and that is what this is supposed to be about. So, it's all good.

[DeePa]

lol i refrained 15 times from all of your other posts, but i just couldnt resist...

go read the manual and try it before you waste our time

[saturnthegiant]

Hmmmm........very interesting indeed! I'm a total newbie and i'm trying to learn as i go. I have a lot of what some might consider "stupid" questions. I'll be sure and keep all this in mind the next time i want to be sure of something. You see, once i get into something i get into it with a passion, but i care about what happens to my trikes, and I DON"T WANT TO F**K ANYTHING UP so i come here and ask questions that i probably could figure out on my own, but i ask anyway because i want to do it right the first time. I don't beat the s**t out of my trikes and i fix what i can afford. And also in my area there's maybe one other guy that's into trikes. Some of you guys are really lucky you have the knowledge and talent with trikes, etc. I'll be sure to remember who i can and can't ask.

Oh and by the way, i work in a heart unit where we take care of kids with congenital heart defects, post-op surgery. I know it's a long shot, but i hope if any of you ever have a baby in my unit, and have questions, i don't refer you to any manual. I know it's not the same thing, but i'm sure there are a lot of people like me who might know a lot about something YOU do not.

Hoosier you have always answered my questions when you could. Thanks a lot, man. You asked an honest question, wish i knew enough to help you but i don't.

[DixiePlowboy]

Oh and by the way, i work in a heart unit where we take care of kids with congenital heart defects, post-op surgery. I know it's a long shot, but i hope if any of you ever have a baby in my unit, and have questions, i don't refer you to any manual.
.

OFF TOPIC, I know.....but please allow me to say this.

All I can put into words concerning your occupation is.....thanks.(?)

My sister(only sister and I have 6 brothers) died of a heart defect in 1971....she was 14 months old. Looking after sick young'uns and helping their parents understand and cope is the Lord's work in my book.
:beer

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Hmmmm........very interesting indeed! I'm a total newbie and i'm trying to learn as i go. I have a lot of what some might consider "stupid" questions. I'll be sure and keep all this in mind the next time i want to be sure of something. You see, once i get into something i get into it with a passion, but i care about what happens to my trikes, and I DON"T WANT TO F**K ANYTHING UP so i come here and ask questions that i probably could figure out on my own, but i ask anyway because i want to do it right the first time. I don't beat the s**t out of my trikes and i fix what i can afford. And also in my area there's maybe one other guy that's into trikes. Some of you guys are really lucky you have the knowledge and talent with trikes, etc. I'll be sure to remember who i can and can't ask.

Oh and by the way, i work in a heart unit where we take care of kids with congenital heart defects, post-op surgery. I know it's a long shot, but i hope if any of you ever have a baby in my unit, and have questions, i don't refer you to any manual. I know it's not the same thing, but i'm sure there are a lot of people like me who might know a lot about something YOU do not.

Hoosier you have always answered my questions when you could. Thanks a lot, man. You asked an honest question, wish i knew enough to help you but i don't.Thank you and god bless you for your job. 95% of this forum understands that people ask questions because they don't want to be the one who cobbled up their beloved trike on the first try. Unfortunately, there are a few who just don't get that.

I agree with the guys who have to answer the same exact question 10 times because people are too lazy to search but when someone can't find the exact answer they are satisfied with in the manual, or the search results don't seem to answer your question spacifically, then this forum is set up to ask those questions for answers. I just thank God that there is a ton of great guys here who have patience, understanding, good attitudes and a ton of knowledge and they are free to share so we can pass that knowledge down ourselves. To all of you guys, thank you. We couldn't keep this sport alive without you. (jeswinehart, Dirtcrasher, ND4speed, scooterroo, Goat, there are just so many to list, please forgive me for not having the time to mention all of you.)

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I hate to give good ideas away for free, but damn..., you omnipotent 3 wheeler gurus need to write a book! If you had manual (wikapedia-like) that evolved and was fluid, and related to specific topics for specific trike models or repairs then it would/could all just flow and be referenced with ease. I love this site and the trike gods have been good to me (maybe I ask good questions?), but a fluid "reference manual" would be killer. I know we have a search function, which kind of works the same, but this "concept" could save you guys a lot of time regurgitating what you already said in a different post that sort of discussed the same thing. It also preserves your knowledge and insight collectively, which helps everyone - now and into the future.
Just a thought...I'm indebted to everyone (well, almost everyone) on this site that has replied to my "stupid questions".
Keep rolling boy's, I'll be checkin' in frequently.
That idea is genius. People whouldn't have to post questions, they could just check the wiki and the wiki could be updated everytime something new is discovered. it would all be there and nobody would be bother with the same uestions over and over again.

[saturnthegiant]

Yeah, i've thought a thousand times how great it would be if some of the trike gods on here could write a manual for guys like me.....the Clymers are great, but there are always those little things that go long way for guys who aren't that great of a mechanic. I'm sure it would be very time consuming, especially as there are so many different trikes. But yeah a wiki or something like that that everyone could add to little by little.....great idea.

[chris200x]

So did you get the shock apart? I hope you guys realize Deepa was just screwin around.. ball buster! lol!!!

[Hoosier_Daddy]

So did you get the shock apart? I hope you guys realize Deepa was just screwin around.. ball buster! lol!!!
Yes, it came right apart with no problems. I was just originally worried about stored energy.

Think about it like this, I have never taken apart a shock before. I was under the assumption that it was similar to a valve spring. Would anybody just pop off the clip from a valve spring without compressing the spring first? No. I wanted to make sure that I didn't have to have the shock spring compressed before releasing it in much the same manner.

I hope that analogy makes sense. But, the shock came apart easily, thanks to the advice from you guys.

[fabiodriven]

Would anybody just pop off the clip from a valve spring without compressing the spring first?

That's not possible, Hoosier. Check the manual.:D

[Hoosier_Daddy]

That's not possible, Hoosier. Check the manual.:Dhaha, yes, i know. I was just trying to use the best analogy i could think of. lol

[fabiodriven]

With all those Yamaha's you own, you never need a manual to take things off. The parts fall off on their own.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[saturnthegiant]

Yeah, i almost fell out of my chair on that one too!:lol: :naughty: :D :beer