Removing the rear shock...

YellowRacer · 12-05-2009, 11:00 AM

Do I really have to remove the exhaust to remove the rear shock on my 2001 BMW R1100S?

Hoots · 12-05-2009, 11:05 AM

I had to loosen mine to fit the Öhlins.

bill pierce · 12-05-2009, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YellowRacer

Do I really have to remove the exhaust to remove the rear shock on my 2001 BMW R1100S?

Yup, it's not hard though about 20 minutes and your done.

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bradzdotcom · bradzdotcom's Garage

so you have to clean the registry before removing the shock?
man, i missed that step entirely last time.
good to know!
is the registry that thingie next to the left fuse box?

roger albert · 12-05-2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

so you have to clean the registry before removing the shock?

Only on bikes with ESA (or on HP2S/12Ss if you want to be able to adjust the idle)

I hope you add this to your suspension primer.

roger albert · 12-05-2009, 12:52 PM

And back to reality. On a lot of R11S shock/exhaust combos, loosening the exhaust can be enough.

Bob Hancock · 12-05-2009, 01:18 PM

I don't recall loosening my exhaust when I removed the shocks to send for rebuild.

YellowRacer · 12-05-2009, 04:47 PM

Ok, thanks guys. I'll try it tomorrow sometime.

Guest24 · 12-05-2009, 06:05 PM

I didn't touch the exhaust on my 11S when I installed the Ohlins.

JonyRR · 12-05-2009, 06:08 PM

BEFORE you remove the shock

Boot using your recovery floppy

type fdisk /mbr

press enter

go have several shots of Patron tequila

remove the rear shock

let me know (via email) how it went

thanks...

jdlowery · 12-05-2009, 07:01 PM

Depends which exhaust you have. If it's stock probably not. If it's Staintune, then you will need to loosen and move out the way.

bikerfish1100 · 12-06-2009, 06:57 AM

Stock exhaust does not require removal to remove/install shocks. Shock manufacturer does not matter at all.
Some aftermarket exhausts- like Laser- require removal of Y-pipe to access lower shock mounting bolt. Some others do not. (it's all about the routing path of the up pipe)

roger albert · 12-06-2009, 12:22 PM

Can't recall which shock it was, but there was definitely one in my shop where I had to loosen exhaust to handle lower mounting bolt properly. No doubt about that. Just have to try and see what your combo requires. Staintune have been the toughest so far (though they're a darn good exhaust)

throttlemeister · throttlemeister's Garage

Yeah, Staintune is a b1tch when it comes to removing/installing the shock. I can't get enough space unless I remove the mufflers and up pipes, and it's a nasty job getting them installed and lined up properly again. Although I am properly more anal about how it is supposed to line up than the average dealer.

bikerfish1100 · 12-06-2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roger albert

Can't recall which shock it was, but there was definitely one in my shop where I had to loosen exhaust to handle lower mounting bolt properly. No doubt about that. Just have to try and see what your combo requires. Staintune have been the toughest so far (though they're a darn good exhaust)

see, that strikes me as odd Roger, as the lower mounting point doesn't move with a new shock, and the stock up-pipe allows easy bolt clearance. are you sure those bikes were not running somebody's aftermarket pipes?

Baconboy · 10-08-2022, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoots

I had to loosen mine to fit the Öhlins.

Hi, what bolts did you loosen ?

Baconboy · 10-08-2022, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill pierce

Yup, it's not hard though about 20 minutes and your done.

Which bolts did you loosen?

njsax · 10-08-2022, 03:31 PM

It's the lower shock mount bolt that can be difficult to remove. With a factory exhaust you might not have to remove the exhaust or loosen anything, but that's me saying that BMW should have designed it that way. I've never had to do it myself because mine came with a Staintune system installed. When I replaced my shock, I had to remove that aftermarket exhaust.

It's not the exhaust so much as it's the taillight assembly, that takes up the time. If you do have to remove the exhaust, clean all the joints and use some neverseize paste when reassembling.

tomvv11 · tomvv11's Garage

With the stock exhaust I had enough room to unbolt the stock shock and fairly easily mount a YSS unit. Don't remember any particular frustrations. Likely used a couple 2x4s to apply lift to the rear wheel to get the lower bolt to line up, but it's been a few years.