Installing K-tech Razor R Lite rear shock

[captainscarlet]

Having just read Cruizin's post on the low level of traffic on Tech tips I thought I would describe my recent work fitting a K-tech shock.  This is not a particularly difficult job and many have done it before me.  I will add a few pictures later but for now I will describe the process involved:

1. Bike on centre stand or paddock stand.
2. The shock is held in place by two bolts.  The upper bolt includes a bolt, a nut and a washer.  The lower bolt includes a bolt, a nut and two washers.
3. Remove the upper bolt first, access through the hole in the frame.  Working on the right side of the bike use a socket and extension (socket size to follow) to remove the nut.  I put duct tape around the hole in the frame to avoid scratching it. I found I could loosen the nut without holding the bolt on the left hand side.  Carefully remove the socket ensuring the nut doesn't fall out of the end of the socket.
4. Next you need to get the washer off the bolt without dropping it.  I chose to use a small telescopic magnet and grab the washer before pulling it through the hole in the frame.
5. Using a punch/screwdriver tap the bolt out from the right hand side and remove the bolt with your fingers on the left hand side.  This can be a bit fiddly as various cables and tubing on the left make it difficult to get at the bolt.
6. At the rear lift the swingarm/rear wheel so that the nut and bolt holding the bottom of the shock are above the top of the swingarm allowing you to get a socket on the nut.  I put duct tape on the swingarm to stop me scratching it with the socket/extension.
7. Undo the nut on the right hand side and remove the nut and washer.
8. To remove the bolt, lower the swing arm again and use the hollow space on the inside of the swingarm to get the bolt and second washer out.
9. Carefully lift the OEM shock out rearwards over the rear hugger.......and throw it in the bin! 😋
10. Fitting the new shock is in classic style the reverse of removal however it may vary depending on whether the shock you're fitting has a remote reservoir etc. In my case the new shock had no remote reservoir.
11. Slide the new shock into position from the rear.
12. Raise the swingarm/rear wheel and slide the bolt and washer into the base of the new shock and attach the washer and nut on the right hand side.
13. Tighten the nut on the right hand side to 44 Nm. You will probably need to hold the bolt on the left hand side to get the nut tight.
14. Raise the swingarm/rear wheel and hold the shock so it slides into position in the upper mounting.  I pushed a screwdriver in from the right hand side to hold the shock in place whilst pushing the bolt in from the left hand side.  The bolt may be a bit stubborn to get in.  I used a punch/screwdriver to drive the bolt home.
15. Place the washer back on the upper bolt from the right hand side.  I used my telescopic magnet again to carefully slide the washer over the bolt.
16. Attach the nut to the bolt from the right hand side and tighten to 44 Nm.  To prevent the nut falling out of my socket I put a little dab of grease inside the socket.  Again you will probably need to hold the bolt on the left hand side to get the nut tight.
17. Stand back and admire your handywork before covering the bike up again because you can't go out and ride it because it's -20 degrees Celsius outside. 😱

Below is a picture of the new K-tech shock next to the OEM shock.  The K-tech is much lighter and also of a smaller diameter than the OEM.

CS

Edited February 21, 2019 by captainscarlet

[tktplz]

Stand back and admire your handywork before covering the bike up again because you can't go out and ride it because it's -20 degrees Celsius outside. 😱

 

That was my question......And now how has the ride changed?  I understand your turmoil, I'm 60 and if it's less than 60 degrees I don't pull the bike out. Remember when I used to ride to work in the upper 30's to low 40's.......oh the humanity!!!!! When you get a chance to put a leg over the bike, write us a line. I'll probably have already bought the shock by then, a couple of weeks, but I'm pretty sure the report will be good.  

[koth442]

Thanks for sharing!!

[nhchris]

Hey Captain, good work. I think you have the hands of a brain surgeon!

Do you think that new (red) shock is as  robust than the old. It seems to have lighter mounting flanges and  the spring seems to be wound of thinner stock.  Is the center arm seems smaller in diameter?

What do you think having hefted them both?

CB

Edited February 21, 2019 by nhchris

[captainscarlet]

19 minutes ago, nhchris said:

Hey Captain, good work. I think you have the hands of a brain surgeon!

Do you think that new (red) shock is as  robust than the old. It seems to have lighter mounting flanges and  the spring seems to be wound of thinner stock.  Is the center arm seems smaller in diameter?

What do you think having hefted them both?

CB

Well I'm no engineer but I'll give it a go.  I would say that the OEM shock is just bulky, heavy and unsophisticated.  For example the preload collar just looks like they poured some metal into a poorly made mould and thought "that'll do".  The K-tech feels very solid in the hand and, in contrast, it feels like each bit has been engineered based on what it needs to do.

I'm no expert but I would compare it to a BMW and a pick-up truck.....

All IMHO.

CS  

[betoney]

@captainscarlet  Thank You for the informative write-up.  When I first installed my Penske shock, I was cursing the Yamaha engineers due to limited access of both top and bottom mount bolts. 

I recently removed my suspension for its 2-year servicing.  At the same time I removed the swingarm and linkage for annual cleaning/ greasing.  With the swingarm out of the way the shock removal and replacement is infinitely simpler.  Removing the swingarm only takes a few minutes.  Just a tech tip for anyone considering a shock swap in the future.

 

[koth442]

3 hours ago, nhchris said:

Do you think that new (red) shock is as  robust than the old. It seems to have lighter mounting flanges and  the spring seems to be wound of thinner stock.  Is the center arm seems smaller in diameter?

 

3 hours ago, captainscarlet said:

Well I'm no engineer but I'll give it a go.  I would say that the OEM shock is just bulky, heavy and unsophisticated.  For example the preload collar just looks like they poured some metal into a poorly made mould and thought "that'll do".  The K-tech feels very solid in the hand and, in contrast, it feels like each bit has been engineered based on what it needs to do.

I'm no expert but I would compare it to a BMW and a pick-up truck.....

All IMHO.

I am an engineer and I happily agree with Cap's assessment. The stock shock is budget. Not much money spent on design, not much money spend ensuring high quality material, means over build and hope for the best. The K-tech will be much better engineered using high quality materials and manufacturing processes. Less is more in this case.

[captainscarlet]

Today I set the preload on the rear shock and I have to say it was a royal pain in the neck to do.  I removed the left hand rear footrest hanger but even then I could only get maybe a 1/4 turn with the provided collar spanner.  Also, in order to be able to grip the next tooth I had to first use a padded screwdriver/punch to tap the preload collar round a bit more to get at the next tooth.  Then it was a case of rinse and repeat to add the two full turns of preload I needed to get where I wanted to be.

Further down the line I may or may not invest in a remote preload adjuster.

CS

Edited March 2, 2019 by captainscarlet

[piotrek]

8 hours ago, captainscarlet said:

Today I set the preload on the rear shock and I have to say it was a royal pain in the neck to do.... Further down the line I may or may not invest in a remote preload adjuster.

I use a pin tool with my shock. See if one is available for yours. Works very well, but it is also pretty slow. I established three preset locations along the shock body by counting the number of threads showing. That will be close enough for me for now, and naturally... I will not be measuring sag with a tape each time I need to reconfigure the bike. If I need to spend a couple of minutes cranking the thing before/after a trip... no big deal. That was my thinking at time of purchase anyway. We'll see how I handle this during the course of the season. You might have to swap out a few bits on the shock to retrofit it with the remote.

[kmev]

I have this shock and while I agree setting the preload sucks, it sucks less than trying to crank up the OEM shock - and the ride is SOOO much better. The OEM shock delivered such a jarring impact over the frost heaves that occur every ten feet in Wisconsin that it made the bike unridable. This shock solved that problem. 

I adjusted the shock to be 5mm longer than stock, and combined with removing the OEM handgards, it eliminated the high speed wobble/oscillation this bike is prone to - even when passing semi-trucks on the interstate. 

Edited March 3, 2019 by kmev

[Guest]

On 3/2/2019 at 11:49 AM, captainscarlet said:

Today I set the preload on the rear shock and I have to say it was a royal pain in the neck to do.  I removed the left hand rear footrest hanger but even then I could only get maybe a 1/4 turn with the provided collar spanner.  Also, in order to be able to grip the next tooth I had to first use a padded screwdriver/punch to tap the preload collar round a bit more to get at the next tooth.  Then it was a case of rinse and repeat to add the two full turns of preload I needed to get where I wanted to be.

Further down the line I may or may not invest in a remote preload adjuster.

CS

I recently put a K-Tech rear shock on my bike. I just looked to see if they have a remote preload adjuster and I don't see it offered as an option or accessory. Am I missing something?

 

[captainscarlet]

19 minutes ago, chesterburnet said:

I recently put a K-Tech rear shock on my bike. I just looked to see if they have a remote preload adjuster and I don't see it offered as an option or accessory. Am I missing something?

 

No I don't think you're missing anything.  I'm guessing/hoping that it should be possible given that the Razor R is essentially the same shock with a remote reservoir.

CS

[2and3cylinders]

11 hours ago, kmev said:

I have this shock and while I agree setting the preload sucks, it sucks less than trying to crank up the OEM shock - and the ride is SOOO much better. The OEM shock delivered such a jarring impact over the frost heaves that occur every ten feet in Wisconsin that it made the bike unridable. This shock solved that problem. 

I adjusted the shock to be 5mm longer than stock, and combined with removing the OEM handgards, it eliminated the high speed wobble/oscillation this bike is prone to - even when passing semi-trucks on the interstate. 

Don't know if the OEM hand guards contributed to your wobble (I never had it and have the KTM paw fairings and 3 shield heights and no speed limiter) but increasing the shock length without somehow raising the fork tubes (which would be costly and complicated) increases your rake and decreases your trail, which should speed up handling BUT at the expense of REDUCED HIGH-SPEED STABILITY?

[2and3cylinders]

On 2/21/2019 at 10:11 AM, betoney said:

@captainscarlet  Thank You for the informative write-up.  When I first installed my Penske shock, I was cursing the Yamaha engineers due to limited access of both top and bottom mount bolts. 

I recently removed my suspension for its 2-year servicing.  At the same time I removed the swingarm and linkage for annual cleaning/ greasing.  With the swingarm out of the way the shock removal and replacement is infinitely simpler.  Removing the swingarm only takes a few minutes.  Just a tech tip for anyone considering a shock swap in the future.

 

I agree that first removing the swing would make shock service  easier but in "a few minutes"?  Please detail the steps you follow to remove the swing arm without including having to pull the wheel , rear brake, chain guard, caliper and pads, ABS sensor,  and brake hose attachments, which themselves take more than a "few minutes".  LOL

[kmev]

8 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Don't know if the OEM hand guards contributed to your wobble (I never had it and have the KTM paw fairings and 3 shield heights and no speed limiter) but increasing the shock length without somehow raising the fork tubes (which would be costly and complicated) increases your rake and decreases your trail, which should speed up handling BUT at the expense of REDUCED HIGH-SPEED STABILITY?

Or it puts just enough added weight on the front end.