guide Preload Adjuster Repair

[vfrtom]

Great work Debs. Been said on here before but a regular squirt with ACF should prevent it happening again.
Tom

[Burchy]

When you knocked in the little pin, did it force itself into the plastic knob or was there a hole of sorts already there?

You'd think any decent mechanic at a Kawasaki dealer would be able to do that rather than say " buy a new shock"

Good job, Debs. 

[Debs]

It forced its self in to the plastic knob as the groove it sits in is to enable the knob to turn but not come out.

It makes more sense to repair it than throw it away for a new one.

[Stephen.Stallebrass]

When you knocked in the little pin, did it force itself into the plastic knob or was there a hole of sorts already there?

You read my mind.

[Martin#30]

Debs,

Just wanted to say thank you again for this. I finally got round to doing mine this weekend and it is a very simple job indeed. 45 minutes tops and most of that was the cleaning of the dismantled adjuster.

I am simply astounded that Kawasaki have been replacing so many of these under warranty when the fix is so straight-forward.

Martin.

[Lonewolf]

I still intend to do mine as it often gets quite stiff. I might wait till after the bike meet though just in case I    It up. 

[Moogus]

Thought it might be useful to resurrect Debs advice on fixing a seized rear preload adjuster because....

Mine is seized and I wanted to know, before I follow Debs advice, do you actually remove the preload unit from the rubber pipe? Or remove the pin etc etc with the unit still attached, via the pipe, to the shock.

If yes might have a go myself then! 

Many thanks

[Burchy]

Leave the flex pipe attached or you will be in a whole new world of trying to eliminate air from a closed system

[O.C.]

Leave the flex pipe attached or you will be in a whole new world of trying to eliminate air from a closed system

   

[Moogus]

Thanks guys, the shock looks fairly straightforward to remove so I think i'll have a go at the fix over the winter.
I don't suppose there's any chance of Deb's photo's being resurrected is there?

[O.C.]

Thanks guys, the shock looks fairly straightforward to remove so I think i'll have a go at the fix over the winter.
I don't suppose there's any chance of Deb's photo's being resurrected is there?

I think that only Debs can do that, unfortunately  she doesn't visit the site much, if at all,   these days.

[Moogus]

Ah, ok...thanks anyway

[Freddy]

I did mine a few years ago.  The PO had tried and failed.  I drilled the hole in the top and used a punch to knock the cylinder down after supporting the knob on the vice jaws.  The lock pin is on the inside of the cyl and needs to be tapped in about 3mm in order to remove the knob.

[O.C.]

Once the offending item is 'freed'  then it is a good idea to protect the adjuster from further dirt ingress, such things as smeared grease or better still a kiddies balloon can be stretched over the knob, other items designed to be stretched over knobs could be applied    

[Moogus]

Excellent

Thanks for the pics. I'll definitely have a play over winter...need to renew front and rear pads as well.

Kiddies balloon or similar