Wed, 09/08/2010 - 15:09
I'm new to BMWs & just acquired an R26 project (in boxes). I've stuck it all together & it's pretty complete. One of the front shock top covers has a hole worn through it, but since metal shaping is my thing, no problem fixing it if I can just get the dang thing apart. Can anyone give me the secret? -Mike
- 423 reads
Wed, 09/08/2010 - 18:43
#2
Here's the way it works: you
Here's the way it works: you need to compress the top shroud down against the bottom shock eye. This will expose some length of the shaft that screws into the top eye. There are two flats ground into the shock shaft up there. With the shock held in compression, you can put a small wrench on the flats (I don't recall the size, maybe 8mm, maybe smaller) and a tommy bar through the shock eye to release the shaft from the eye. When you release compression, the top shroud and the spring will be free, and you'll have to wrestle with the bottom shroud to walk it off the bottom eye.
Getting the shock out of the bottom eye is always a PITA of the first order. Consider the cost of a new shock before you resort to putting a pipe wrench on it. 
"Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly." (I always wanted to say that.)
The Matra tool for compressing the shock is nice, but unobtainium. There are several ways around it, and if you're good with metal, then you can make your own. I bought a tool from Cycle Works (use the search box at the top of this page to get the details) that consists of two aluminum plates that fit over the shock eyes and hold the shrouds. They extend a bit out to either side and have a hole there. You put them on either end of the shock and then put allthread rod through from one end to the other, with a nut on the bottom end. Thread nuts onto the top end and then tighten each side a turn at a time to compress the shock. When you can get your wrench on the flats, that's far enough.
Good luck!
R26 has the Earles fork, right? I've never done this but I suspect it would be similar to the R69S. I have the repair manual for the R69S and it has a section on the "Steering and Spring Legs"...I think the spring legs are the shocks. I can't make sense of the instructions, but they refer to a tool #5094 which appears to compress the shock to it's smallest length and then using the appropriate open end spanner to unscrew the damper eye. Seems like that will separate the internal spring, the shock cover, and the internal damper. Similar information is given in the Clymer manual for the twin cylinder bikes.
Sorry, not much help...
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2