If you like our site, please consider joining our club!
By joining you will help ensure that we can continue to provide this service
JOIN HERE!

Front shock

Post Reply
User avatar
wa1nca
Posts: 1213
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Ashfield Ma
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 12 times

Front shock

Post by wa1nca »

My front shock separated from the top eye
the shock unscrewed from the top eye after 17 years
I had some used upper and lower shock covers
Repainted the top cover and cleaned the lower cover with Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish
Used fine steel wool 1st to remove dirt then just paper towels applying more polish cleaned again and applied more until satisfied with the finish
assembled the shock and used blue locktight to top shock eye
Glad I saved those old covers
Bike road home ok with sidecar and one front shock
Tommy
Attachments
RDSC05163.JPG
RDSC05162.JPG
RDSC05161.JPG
RDSC05160.JPG
SDSC05159.JPG
Tommy Byrnes
54 R51/3, 55 R50/Velorex 560 sidecar, 64 R27, 68 R69US, 75 R75/6
Ashfield, Ma
USA

User avatar
palica
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2020 10:22 am
Location: Montreal, Qc, Canada

Re: Front shock

Post by palica »

:o Glad you made it safe home. Quite impressive! Did you Loctite the other 3 shocks too? :D
Last edited by palica on Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1967 R50/2 with Duna sidecar
1974 R90S

User avatar
San Arthur
Posts: 577
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 2:08 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX.
Has thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Re: Front shock

Post by San Arthur »

That is a strange and scary failure. Did you check the left side shock? How do you think the top shock eye stayed in place?

Thank God nothing happened.
San Arthur in San Antonio, Texas
'58 R26 '76 R90S '88 R100RS '94 R100GS/PD

User avatar
wa1nca
Posts: 1213
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:15 pm
Location: Ashfield Ma
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 12 times

Re: Front shock

Post by wa1nca »

Checked the other front shock
It was ok but removed it anyway and put it back together with lock tight
The bike ran well with missing shock
Glad it happened when it did as were are off to the green mountain national forest in Vermont this week
Tommy
Tommy Byrnes
54 R51/3, 55 R50/Velorex 560 sidecar, 64 R27, 68 R69US, 75 R75/6
Ashfield, Ma
USA

User avatar
palica
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2020 10:22 am
Location: Montreal, Qc, Canada

Re: Front shock

Post by palica »

I did investigate and apparently, it happens from time to time. I am on a flat twin forum in France (Flatistan) and it happened to several /2, in most cases when attached to a sidecar (but not always).
So I think it is important to make sure to locktite the shock rod when assembling it.
A member of the Flatistan had a similar issue with similar result, on his R69s:
sam_1710.jpg
1967 R50/2 with Duna sidecar
1974 R90S

User avatar
miller6997
Posts: 1185
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am

Re: Front shock

Post by miller6997 »

Several years ago, something similar happened to me on a trip from LA to San Jose. The shop I use had replaced the front shocks a couple of months before the trip and apparently used no threadlocker. Somewhere near Santa Maria, the right front shock came apart at the bottom, not the top, and there was no way I could reassemble it on the side of the road. After some quick phone calls for advice, I decided to go ahead and managed to make it to San Jose. I was surprised that as long as I stayed under 60mph, the bike handled securely with that one shock missing. The shock cover was wrecked, but aside from that, there was no permanent damage.
Jon Miller
'67 R69S
'13 F800GT
Altadena, California

Post Reply