OK, maybe this is a stupid question... (I hope I didn't do something stupid).
There is an air valve (schraeder valve?) on the bottom of the rear shock reservoir.

I assumed it was similar to the bleed valve on the forks, to bleed the air pressure that builds up inside the shock...
A few weeks ago I let out some air from it... I can't recall if there was a lot, or if I stopped before it finished.
I think it was just a very quick hiss and that was it.

Did I screw up? Did I let out the nitrogen gas charge?
(See http://www.eric-gorr.com/faq/suspension_faq.html about half way down the page).

I haven't been very happy with my rear suspension lately. I softened the compression and rebound by about 6 clicks at the same time as I bled that valve. Since then it hasn't been good - very abrupt jolts rather than dampened bumps.

 

Kawi Wawi,

I don't have access to my shop manuals here, but I don't think you should have released that valve. Not sure, but I do think your assumption is quite correct. I'll try and verify that this evening.

 

Doh! My manuals are in the mail - probably waiting at the post office for me right now.
I found this long article on rebuilding shocks, and near the end he says "Now pressurize the reservoir with air pressure. Normal shop air will work fine (at least 90 psi or so)."

http://www.off-road.com/dirtbike/mar...b101shock.html

 

The screw on the Reservoir is a Compression adj . 16 turns out from fully seated the the other screw is a rebound adj 12 turns from fully seated do not remove these screws there is no air in the rear shock it is a gas shock
Hope this helps all this info is in the little maual that came with the bike

 

According to the Service Manual, the rear shock is pressurized to 142psi with nitrogen. It further warns not to use "air or other gases since they may cause premature wear, rust, fire hazard, or substandard performance". The manual states the the oil in the shock should be changed "at least once per racing season". You have to bleed the nitrogen off to change the oil. It looks to me that you may be able to get a pressure gauge on it to check (if you can find one that goes up to 142psi) and see how much pressure you've bled off. This looks like one of those times where I'll have to visit the dealer. When my shock needs to be redone, I'll remove it, rebuild it, and take it in for nitrogen charging...

 

Kawi Wawi,

Don't put compressed air in the shock!

Warski is right on the money. You have a shortage of nitrogen. Not sure how much as only a pressure check will show.

However there is always a silver lining for us forever optimistic folks. You can take the shock off the bike, drain the old old and perhaps upgrade to a better and heavier oil to provide some better control BEFORE you take it in to have it recharged.

Heck, use this as an "Opportunity" to let us know how we can fix our shocks up on a budget.

 

I noticed Costco is filling up their tires now with Nitrogen... I'm gonna call them and ask if they can put a blast of it into my shock.

I don't wanna have to take my shock off - the schrader valve is right there and easy to get at. 142 psi seems like a scary amount of pressure to be dealing with though...

btw, I just picked up my service manuals from the post office on the way home from work. Great timing!

 

Costco is a no-go... They said 'we're only authorized to inflate automotive tires that we sell. We can't touch motorcycles.'
Then I phoned the local Kawi stealership and the service guy said "if the valve is easy to reach" (which it is) "just bring $10 cash".

Sweet! [sm=icon_rock.gif]
I love that smiley...

 

Are you going to change the oil to a heavier viscosity before filling the shock?

 

Naw, I'm just gonna ride er down to the dealership and hopefully they'll fill er back up just like a tire... The valve is right there on the reservoir, so it should be a 2 second job.

I'm sure the shock would benefit from a fluid change, but I just got too much other stuff on the go right now. I'll save that kind of maintenance for the winter months.

BTW, I don't think this is something you could check with a pressure guage - no matter how high it goes. If I recall, it took less than a second to release the nitrogen - it's a very small amount. By the time you got the guage seated flatly against the valve, you'd surely let the gas out. And then removing the guage too... I'll try to see how they do it at the dealer.