I think my rear shock absorber is not working. There is no compression and no rebound. I adjusted both to full hard and still nothing. When i depress and release the back it just shoots back up.
Bike: 2006 f4i
Questions:
(1) AmI missing something?
(2) Do I need a new Shock? if so, where can I get one?

 

Adjust your bike spring to the lowest setting, you need to compress the shock, ie you or someone else sit on it & jump off a good couple of times. The rate of compression & return is wot your looking for here. A shock thats working well will gain compression & slow return when compressed a few times in succession, a bad one won't. Look for oil leakage past the seal as well. There are so many replacement shocks for bikes its not funny, its an industry on its own. Most good aftermarket ones will be better than the original & probably be rebuildable as well & will also cost less the OEM one. They advertise a lot of these in bike mags etc & a good bike shop will have a range for your bike as well.

 

Another possibility is the bike is sprung either to high or to low for your weight.Unless the 06 has thousands of miles.I doubt the shock is bad.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The bike has about 2000 kms and about 6 hours of riding in the last year. Could this lack of use be the reason? As you said, I will relax the spring and compress the shock as much as I can. If it does not build compression I will let you know.
Also, my battery is dead. How long should I leave the battery on a 2amp charger?

 

do you have the small owners manual that came with the bike? If so, adjust the compression and rebound back to the starting point, so the dots line up on the adjusters. (and then you can set the sag from there.) unless you been jumping that thing out of the back of trucks I would have to say there is nothing wrong with a shock with that low of miles on it.

even at full hard the bike will shoot back up, just barely slower. suspension adjustments are usually not noticeable to the untrained eye.

 

I went to a local shop and they adjusted my susupension and rebound for me in about an hour for 25 $. a good shop will have you sit on the bike and hop up and down and take measurements the whole time.. good luck..

PS horsepower dont mean **** if you cant keep it down..

 

How do I relax the spring? I tried turning the preload **** but it is not moving. I also tried jumping on the rear end but it still did not build compression. Also when i lift the back of the bike the rear wheel comes off the ground together with the frame - the rear wheel is not staying on the ground.

How do I adjust the preload?
The sag is almost zero. 0.0mm.

[IMG]local://upfiles/22736/201436F112A4449A8F06F4701A408DDD.jpg[/IMG]

 

you are in the correct place to adjust the pre load on the spring; did your bike come with a tool kit? in there is a shock spanner, looks like a claw. put the handle on the wrench then try to turn it. it is tough to turn, and it will slip out of the grooves if it doenst grip just right. be careful, it can be a real knuckle buster.

I am not sure what you mean by "build compression" the shock does not build compression on each down stroke. its not like a bicycle pump or something, one down stroke, thats it. The compression adjustment simply adjusts how fast or slow(relatively) the shock will compress one time.
it doesnt matter how many times you push down.

the shock is working, if it were not, the bike would collapse down from its own weight onto the swingarm, and there would be no bounce at all. and sure, if you pick the back end up, and reach the end of the shock travel, the rear tire will also come up.

 

I dont have a tool kit. I tried a flat screwdriver and hammer but it's making a mess and it's still not turning. Do I need to take the weight of the back and hit it harder?

 

alot of people use a screwdriver and hammer. I have never done it. taking the weight off may make a difference, but it is not neccessary.

the sag is at 0? how much do you weigh, and how are you measuring it?

are you saying that when you sit on the bike, the bike does not compress at all?