I install an Öhlins STX46 Street rear shock on a 2008 Yamaha FJR1300. I go through the steps of stock shock removal new shock install and some initial setup tips.
i was not reusing old shock so i unscrewed the hard/soft unit it is only wire like some clutch brake levers and just pulled through , otherwise did most what you filmed ty made job understandable at start
Good job buddy. I too have a black ‘08 that I picked up last week and it bottoms out too easily going over speed bumps riding two-up, so I’m weighing options. I like your rear wheel leverage trick. Thanks for posting.
So, You lucked out! I just took my FJR out of storage and there was a puddle of oil under it. I thought, "what the hey, this isn't a Harley"! Got it home and found the bottom of the shock was wet. Just what I need! You must have gotten the last $650.00 shock out of Ohlins! 40k on my 2006 Electric shift and just replaced the clutch with a Barnet Kevlar in November. The only one they had left in stock was the YA-707 for $1100.00. The stock Yamaha shock was $970.00, and the YA-707 was a little more, but is alot higher quality and can be re-built. It's definitely a no-brainer. Thanks for the video! Easy-Peasy.
Put the top of the line Owens on my FJR all I can say is wow it improved the corner ability so dramatically... Combine that with my Moto GP front... And even though my bike is from 2010 I bet it rolls through corners better than the new ones... And that's even with a dark side rear
Looking at doing this for my 2007 but doubting I can do it on my own with what looks to be a lot of finagling getting the top part sorted. At any rate, thanks for the video.
I brought a bike just like that a few weeks back. Same round white emblem on wind screen, same shock, and same small ding in the exaust pipe..I brought it from New Hampshire I live in south Eastern M.A So if it was your bike thx for the upgraded shock.
Yup thats her. The FJR was a trade for another bike. I decided to go for Adventure bike route to try out some dirt this year. She was a great bike had not issues with her. I hope she brings you as much joy as the did me. Good luck ride safe.
Same bike, same problem, but I likely need the front forks done also, because I've ridden long and heavy with tank bags, trunk, and side bags always full up, as well as a fat middle aged man on top, not pretty at all. Thank you for posting this. BTW I did the steering yoke bearing, so hit me up because I can give you some pictures if that is ever needed.
Great vid Bob. In the sequence from 9:58 - 10:44, you mentioned the plugs into the control box (10:27) are push ins. Were yours quite easy to detach? I cannot move my plugs at all, and the limited handspace doesn't help. There feels like a clip/lock on the clip but it doesn't seem to do anything. Did you need a tool to detach the plugs?
Hi dean yes there are clipped in. I used a pick to reach in and press on them. A small flat head would work too. Your finger can't get that last little bit of compression needed to unlock them. The pick works great once you bottom the pin while holding it compressed, just pull on the plugs wiring assembly and it will pull out.
@@SCWMoto thanks, a flat head screwdriver worked. I was tentative at first using the wiring assembly to pull out the plug, it did come out with only a little effort. I think the control box may be for engine oil, I noticed both the male and female sections of the right plug (toward rear of the bike) leaked a few drops of engine oil once detached. A few other notes: The thickness of wood use as a lever under the back wheel to insert the bolt (11:20) makes a difference, I had double your thickness but after reducing to about the same as yours the bolt went in. 2006 v 2008 models I have a 2006 (Gen 2) and the hydraulic braking system is a bit different. The bolt at 6:53 isn't on a 2006, but there is a hose in front of the top shock bolt that can that can be levered out of the way quite easily with something blunt. I don't see this on your 2008 bike, but on a 2006 behind the hydraulics system is a metal backing plate which is in the way and stops you from extracting the top shock bolt you are pointing to at 7:34. I needed to detach the 2 hex bolts (blue loctite needed to reattach) on each side of the bike that hold a metal plate to the frame, it is the plate the Hard Soft selector is attached to; and also loosened a 12mm bolt where that plate attaches to the Hydraulic Unit on the right side of the bike. After removing the top shock nut on the left, on the right side of the bike you can then leaver the plate upward whilst tapping the bolt with a screwdriver from the left. Once the bolt head gets near the backing plate, you need to turn the bolt so a flat section of the head is aligned with the bottom of the backing plate where the bolt will pass; there isn’t enough room for a point of the bolt head to pass even when levered up. This also means I couldn't withdraw the bolt with a socket attached, because there is no clearance to get it passed the backing plate. It would be easier with 2 people, but it is possible for 1 person who has the reach to work on both sides of the bike at once. Anyway, thanks to Bob’s video, installed and all seems good after a test run.
Hello, I'm curious how do you like the new Ollins rear shock so far, is it better than OEM? Also, how many miles was your original OEM rear shock? My rear shock on my 2007 FJR1300 with 50k miles seems tired and worn out and I'm thinking about replacing it. Thank you!
Hello Edward, yes. I only had one ride on the new shock so far. I did it just before i put it away for the winter. Rode it about 100 miles or so. So far i like it! The original shock had about 36,000 miles. It was soft to me, I'm a little on the heavy side so i decided to go with a shock more tailored to my weight. This summer will tell. Thanks for the comment stay well
It wasn’t too bad. There is a limited amount of space so you need to take smaller bites at it. But I had no issues. Just remember to make shure the wrench is seated well in the notch so you don’t crack your knuckles if it slips. Also if you get the schlock for you weight range the adjustment is not all that much.
Hi, good question. The shock featured in this video is for a 2008 non ES. The shocks are ordered bike specific, model, rider weight and year. A good source to check with would be a retailer like Revzilla, (were i purchased mine) they would be able to work with you to find a good solution specific for your FJR. Stay safe
The packaging for the shock states 06 thru 12. I know FJR’s moved to a more active adjustable suspension on the Gen III,s I think there will be some differences. The OE part numbers are also different between the two generations. You would need a Gen III specific shock I would think.
i was not reusing old shock so i unscrewed the hard/soft unit it is only wire like some clutch brake levers and just pulled through , otherwise did most what you filmed ty made job understandable at start
Good job buddy. I too have a black ‘08 that I picked up last week and it bottoms out too easily going over speed bumps riding two-up, so I’m weighing options. I like your rear wheel leverage trick. Thanks for posting.
Thanks, very helpful.
Great video , thank you!
So, You lucked out! I just took my FJR out of storage and there was a puddle of oil under it.
I thought, "what the hey, this isn't a Harley"! Got it home and found the bottom of the shock
was wet. Just what I need! You must have gotten the last $650.00 shock out of Ohlins!
40k on my 2006 Electric shift and just replaced the clutch with a Barnet Kevlar in November.
The only one they had left in stock was the YA-707 for $1100.00. The stock Yamaha shock
was $970.00, and the YA-707 was a little more, but is alot higher quality and can be re-built.
It's definitely a no-brainer. Thanks for the video! Easy-Peasy.
I'm glad it worked out for you. Yup spring time surprises can be a bummer. I've had my share of those.
Put the top of the line Owens on my FJR all I can say is wow it improved the corner ability so dramatically... Combine that with my Moto GP front... And even though my bike is from 2010 I bet it rolls through corners better than the new ones... And that's even with a dark side rear
Thats great! The FJR platform has a lot of potential and a good suspension upgrade makes all the difference. Öhlins makes a great product. Ride safe.
Looking at doing this for my 2007 but doubting I can do it on my own with what looks to be a lot of finagling getting the top part sorted. At any rate, thanks for the video.
I brought a bike just like that a few weeks back. Same round white emblem on wind screen, same shock, and same small ding in the exaust pipe..I brought it from New Hampshire I live in south Eastern M.A So if it was your bike thx for the upgraded shock.
Yup thats her. The FJR was a trade for another bike. I decided to go for Adventure bike route to try out some dirt this year. She was a great bike had not issues with her. I hope she brings you as much joy as the did me. Good luck ride safe.
Brought? Where did you bring it?
Same bike, same problem, but I likely need the front forks done also, because I've ridden long and heavy with tank bags, trunk, and side bags always full up, as well as a fat middle aged man on top, not pretty at all. Thank you for posting this. BTW I did the steering yoke bearing, so hit me up because I can give you some pictures if that is ever needed.
Thank you appreciate that. I do have a video covering the front forks and neck bearing. The FJR 13 is such a great bike. Ride safe
❤️👍👍👍
Sag(not compression) and damping(not dampening)
Great vid Bob.
In the sequence from 9:58 - 10:44, you mentioned the plugs into the control box (10:27) are push ins. Were yours quite easy to detach? I cannot move my plugs at all, and the limited handspace doesn't help. There feels like a clip/lock on the clip but it doesn't seem to do anything. Did you need a tool to detach the plugs?
Hi dean yes there are clipped in. I used a pick to reach in and press on them. A small flat head would work too. Your finger can't get that last little bit of compression needed to unlock them. The pick works great once you bottom the pin while holding it compressed, just pull on the plugs wiring assembly and it will pull out.
@@SCWMoto thanks, a flat head screwdriver worked. I was tentative at first using the wiring assembly to pull out the plug, it did come out with only a little effort. I think the control box may be for engine oil, I noticed both the male and female sections of the right plug (toward rear of the bike) leaked a few drops of engine oil once detached.
A few other notes:
The thickness of wood use as a lever under the back wheel to insert the bolt (11:20) makes a difference, I had double your thickness but after reducing to about the same as yours the bolt went in.
2006 v 2008 models
I have a 2006 (Gen 2) and the hydraulic braking system is a bit different. The bolt at 6:53 isn't on a 2006, but there is a hose in front of the top shock bolt that can that can be levered out of the way quite easily with something blunt.
I don't see this on your 2008 bike, but on a 2006 behind the hydraulics system is a metal backing plate which is in the way and stops you from extracting the top shock bolt you are pointing to at 7:34. I needed to detach the 2 hex bolts (blue loctite needed to reattach) on each side of the bike that hold a metal plate to the frame, it is the plate the Hard Soft selector is attached to; and also loosened a 12mm bolt where that plate attaches to the Hydraulic Unit on the right side of the bike. After removing the top shock nut on the left, on the right side of the bike you can then leaver the plate upward whilst tapping the bolt with a screwdriver from the left. Once the bolt head gets near the backing plate, you need to turn the bolt so a flat section of the head is aligned with the bottom of the backing plate where the bolt will pass; there isn’t enough room for a point of the bolt head to pass even when levered up. This also means I couldn't withdraw the bolt with a socket attached, because there is no clearance to get it passed the backing plate. It would be easier with 2 people, but it is possible for 1 person who has the reach to work on both sides of the bike at once.
Anyway, thanks to Bob’s video, installed and all seems good after a test run.
@@deans5392 Im glad you worked through it to success. Thank you for sharing your experience. Ride safe my friend.
@@deans5392 Thanks for sharing this, might attempt it on my 2007 but unsure of my abilities...
Hello, I'm curious how do you like the new Ollins rear shock so far, is it better than OEM? Also, how many miles was your original OEM rear shock? My rear shock on my 2007 FJR1300 with 50k miles seems tired and worn out and I'm thinking about replacing it. Thank you!
Hello Edward, yes. I only had one ride on the new shock so far. I did it just before i put it away for the winter. Rode it about 100 miles or so. So far i like it! The original shock had about 36,000 miles. It was soft to me, I'm a little on the heavy side so i decided to go with a shock more tailored to my weight. This summer will tell. Thanks for the comment stay well
@@SCWMoto thank you for your feedback, this is really helpful. Ride safe.
How easy is to adjust the preload with the provided wrench?
It wasn’t too bad. There is a limited amount of space so you need to take smaller bites at it. But I had no issues. Just remember to make shure the wrench is seated well in the notch so you don’t crack your knuckles if it slips. Also if you get the schlock for you weight range the adjustment is not all that much.
Is this possible with the electronic suspension?
Hi, good question. The shock featured in this video is for a 2008 non ES. The shocks are ordered bike specific, model, rider weight and year. A good source to check with would be a retailer like Revzilla, (were i purchased mine) they would be able to work with you to find a good solution specific for your FJR. Stay safe
Hi BOB, i have 2013 FJR, Do you think that Ohlins STX46 will fit it? as im not sure if the fjr 2012 and the 2013 are different ?thanks.
The packaging for the shock states 06 thru 12. I know FJR’s moved to a more active adjustable suspension on the Gen III,s I think there will be some differences. The OE part numbers are also different between the two generations. You would need a Gen III specific shock I would think.
@@SCWMoto Thanks for your answer Bob, im not what year yamaha went from Gen11, to Gen 111,
@@jamesfreeman7067the 2013 is a gen 3
Good stuff. Mind if I share your vid to my FJR page? You may even pickup some new subscribers.
Not at all, I post these to contribute back to the community.