Thanks mate. The tech advisor appears to be happy with the results so far
Bike looks great
Ya bike looks awesome mate, great job!!
Sunshine at last. Got a chance to get out with a mate, and it's bloody great to be able to ride again with a shit eating grin on yer dial. Bring on summer! Feels like she's got power steering with the 21 incher. Makes the whole front end feel lighter without it being skittish. Well worth doing I reckon. Funny how HD makes a bike and we try to change it to our own style , but it'd be a boring old world if everyone's the same. The mate was going to flog the breakout in the picture, but changed colours , added some more bling and added a stretched rear guard with frenched number plate/stop light with incorporated struts and a longer stretched front guard, which gives it an entirely differnt look. Bingo -new bike!!Love this customising shit.
G'day Bobby. Not sure whether you were inquiring about the staggered slash cuts or the fishtails. Let me know, as I've bolted on my true duals now and have both for sale .Cheers, Winger.
Bike looks awesome mate, I see you went with the Freedoms as well... they do sound great! did you leave the baffles in or out?
Thankyou, Gents. Very pleased myself with the result. Baffles still in MasTemA. Loud enough for me, and I love the burble of pipes on different sides .How do you go parking with the longer versions? I've gotta be careful just with this length. They don't like kerbs, but amazingly, I can't get them to scrape around corners (not that I'm a mad fanger) Nice quality also compared to the Samsons. Don't worry about enjoying Huddo, can't wipe the grin off my face. You must be champing at the bit to get back on your 'tage!
Yea i still have the baffles in, they sound great and the back pressure is good. LOUD but not crazy loud. I have not parked it anywhere like the shops or anywhere busy yet but will see how we go at the MotoGP hehe.. I do need to be very careful reversing the bike out of the garage and then leaving my drive way, i have scraped them a touch once because i took off to fast on my first ride with them on.. nar they dont scrap around the corners, my floorboards hit the ground first SO FAR ANYWAY...
Thanks Squid. Nowhere near the amount of fabrication work that you are carrying out on yours. The most interesting build on the forum, in my opinion! If you have to explain to someone how much of a kick you get out of working on and riding your own Harley, they're probably missing one of the great pleasures in life (well, one of them!!!)
Thanks all for the nice comments, but I'm like a kid with his first stick book!. The Shotgun Shock has turned up, and I can't wait to get started on the install. Three weeks from order to landed at my front door (and that was while JD was working Sturgis), so very impressive shipping time. A real quality product, this, and yes there will be a novelty factor, but the upside of fully adjustable air suspension two up and solo will be enormous. I will post some pics during the install if anyone's interested. The only downside so far is the drop in the Aussie Dollar in the States, but JD counters that by keeping the invoice price down to under a grand to stop the 10% tax invoked ( Thanks, Squid!) Joining the Yank HD forum also attracts a discount from JD if you join, and there is a lot of interesting shit on there also. Okay spanners are out....wait, its 18c and sunny tomorrow! Might have to wait for during the week. And, Yeah, Markwoumla, I'll consult with the tech advisor first!
Hell yea shotguns!!! That's what I have wanted to do to mine all year but yea the AUS $ is shit right now... Post heaps of install pics for sure.... Good work bro!
it's been a while, but the Shotgun is installed and ridden on, and I couldn't be more chuffed with the buy. It's as good as , and even better than what people rave about. I'll give you guys a run down on what's involved, but, realistically, the instructions are self explanatory, and the kit comes with everything, so all you need are tools ,a jack and some minor intelligence (I struggled)
. It's not a bad idea ,if you do your own maintenance, to change out your oils while your on the jack. I changed the main, primary and gearbox fluids with the filter before I installed the shocks. Factory shocks allow access to the gearbox oil drain plug (it's central between the two shocks, but the Shotgun has to be dropped from it's front bolts to access the plug, which is it's only minor downfall in my opinion. No brainer to most on here , but I've posted some pics showing where the drain plugs reside on the bike. The beauty of Harleys, is that there is a wealth of info readily available ,either by purchasing a manwell , or by Mr. Google. My philosophy has always been: try it ,and if it fucks up ,you learn by your mistakes and do it properly next time. The 100 bucks plus per hour you fork out to mechanics can always be spent on better things- like beer or chrome!!!
The main drain plug is directly below the oil tank, on the right hand side, in line with the back frame x-member. Pull out your oil tank cap/dipstick, and let the oil drain easier.
The filler plug/ come dipstick for the gearbox is on the right hand side , just behind the oil pipes from the main oil tank. Use an Allen key to remove it.
I use around 650ml of Valvoline 75w/90 fully synthetic gearbox oil, because I've found I pick up neutral a lot easier than with others I've tried. Check the level with your dipstick marks before tightening the access plug. Harley advise replacing o-rings when servicing, thread tape does the job for me. I don't have any leakage issues and the tape is cheap and a lot more convenient. This goes for all three drain plugs. Oils are a personal choice, and not an argument I get into. Use what works for you, but I would suggest don't compromise on quality for price. Oil's a lot cheaper than a gearbox or engine rebuild!
Make sure you clean off any metal residue on the drain plug magnet before re-installing it. I expect a tiny bit because of the age of my bike, but you don't want to see too many metal filings- it could be a pre cursor of nasties about to happen. That's why most mechanics will stress regular servicing is a must.
The gearbox oil drain plug is located between the factory shocks. Same procedure as the main engine drain plug. I use Valvoline !5W-50 fully synthetic with zinc additive in both the engine and primary with good results
Check your main engine oil via the dipstick in the oil tank. Make sure the bike is up straight and warm to get a correct reading. i always check it again after the first run after an oill change, just to make sure. i start off with about 2.5 litres in the tank initially. All up, Harley reccomends 3.3 litres.
Buy your filter from the Stealership ,or wherever,and I use an el-cheapo filter wrench to twist off the old one. You may spill a bit of oil, if your careless. over the motor case. I use a bit of brake cleaner spray afterwards to clean it up. Make sure you don't get that shit on your paint, though!
Leave your filter in it's box, and fill with new oil to the top of the paper filter, and wipe some around the rubber seal so she doesn't bind up on the next service. Spin on the new filter, but don't over tighten it. You don't need the wrench!
Remove the chain tensioner inspection cover from the primary. You need to fill the primary through here. Make sure you note where the different length screws go back. Check out your chain tension while your at it.
It's a small opening, so I use a Lawnmower bottle tipped sideways to add the 770ml-1 litre that Harley recommend in the primary.
Out of sequence, but the primary drain plug is underneath the rear of the primary. Let everything drain overnight if you're not in a hurry.
Okay, I've probably bored the shit out of you guys that work on your own bikes, but it may help the newbies that want to have a crack themselves. Hopefully, that's what the forum's about!
The fluids are all done, now the exciting part!. The bike should be already jacked and secured. Harleys are bloody heavy when they fall on you, and it's embarassing when you've got to ask the missus to help lift the bike off ya A small jack under the back wheel and a couple of blocks of wood will help get the swingarm to the right height later when installing the new shock unit.
Just a suggestion. If you don't have a set already, go out and buy a set of ratchet A/f spanners. They are invaluable in tight spaces and a good long term investment for your bike tool kit.
Just a tip. When you're placing the jack under the frame rails, make sure you place it as far forward as practical to allow yourself access to the front shocker bolts.
Removeyour seat and battery, and undo the ECM module and drag it sideways on it's loom.
Undo the rear tyre splash shield to give access to the swing arm and wiring.
Undo your front shock nuts from the bolts through the x-member. Don't lose them or the rubber insulating biscuits, because you'll need to re-use them on the Shotgun.
You can undo the shouldered bolts that attach the rear of the shocker pivots. These bolts may need a bit of persuasion with a hammer on an old ring spanner if they have been loctited!
Once undone, you can carefully jack up the rear tyre to raise the swingarm which will allow the shockers to pull out of the x-member. Keep 'em or throw 'em away. After the Shotgun, you won't go back!!!
Everything old is out the road now. Before mounting the impressive little compressor unit, my model (later versions are already tapped) requires tapping out threads in the factory lugs with the JD supplied tap. Take your time tapping the hole. Tap a bit, back off the tap and get rid of the cut ally, and do a bit again until the tap bottoms out. tTy your supplied bolts in the threads before you mount up the compressor to be on the safe side. This is one thing you DON'T want to cross thread!!
You can now mount up the compressor with the two bolts supplied. Don't tighten them until you back off the pinch bolt between them and ensure the compressor fits where it's supposed to. You'll know when, because it is a nice tight fit when pushed as far as you can to the right of the bike. When you're happy where it sits, and you've made sure the upper wiring loom coming out of the compressor isn't binding on the swing arm, you can cinch up the pinch bolt (don't over tighten on the aluminium casing) and the two compressor mount bolts.
Make sure the compressor isn't touching the trans. housing before you tighten up the mount bolts.
This really is a neat install and has obviously been thought out extremely well!
Ready to mount the Shotgun unit now. The nameplate goes face up ( which is a shame, 'cos you'ld like to show it off!!). Connect the unit with the factory shoulder bolts after applying a (small) amount of red Loctite to the threads. Don't tighten them up fully. you can plug in the supplied air line now to the connections on both the compressor and the Shotgun. The pipe simply pushes in and you pull back and it clicks into place- simple!. Make doubly sure the pipe is fitted away from the belt and not kinked in any way. You can now jack the swing arm up by the tyre to clear the frame and insert the front bolts through the x-member. Make sure you've got the rubber biscuits and bushes aligned the same as the stock shocks. Do NOT use loctite here! You can now tighten everything up. You'll notice a gap on the rear pivot eyelets -this is normal and designed to prevent side load on the shock arms during normal riding.
Plug in the supplied relay harness, making sure you have placed the heat shrink wrap supplied on the loom before joining. Use a heat gun to shrink the wrap, then tie both looms together with cable ties.
Now you're ready to feed the loom up through the rh rear corner of the battery box ( you'll see a gap that suits). As i found out, it is vitally important you don't over tighten the loom with cable ties just to make it look nice ( It's hidden behind the splash shield after all's said and done!). You need to bear in mind the movement of the swingarm and be very careful the wiring has enough slack and is not routed anywhere near the pich point on the swing arm. Use cable ties, but check swingarm movement before you commit to everything.. i had the misfortune of tightening everything up , got excited the first time and dumped the rear to find it had stretched the loom and pulled out the wires from the connecting plug. Major headfuck!. Had to take out the loom and rewire it before it became operational again. Hope this helps someone to not make the same dumbass mistake!
This is the spot on the battery tray where the wiring loom comes up from underneath, just in front of the fuse box.
Make sure your compressor relay is tucked nicely away in behind the original wiring and doesn't stick out far enough to displace the splash shield when it's replaced.
Undo your horn mounting bolt and fit up the switches. Neat set up!
Run your switch wiring loom under the frame earth strap and cable tie it to the frame neatly. You can plug in your switch connectors , again ensuring you placed the shrink wrap on the loom first. Heat up the wrap to keep the moisture out. Whack your battery back in and connect up the positive and negative leads along with the switch harness leads. Now you can work out the best way to run the fuse block and wiring so it doesn't interfere with your seat when it's bolted on. I'll stress a point here!. As excited as you might be, take your time at this stage. Lower the bike off the jacks and set it on the stand. Test your operation of the switches slowly and gradually, watching carefully for wiring obstruction or stretching, and making sure at any stage, when fully lowered, there is no rubbing on the tyre from the guard. The best way to test this is to jack up the bike by the frame,lower the wheel all the way into the guard (rear switch depressed), chuck her in neutral, and spin the wheel by hand and check for rubbing.Any longer bolts or projections inside the guard will need to be addressed NOW, or you may end up with some serious tyre grief!
Getting close!. Replace the splash shield, ECM module and seat after your sure everything is neat and tied down.
To explain the operation of the Shotgun Shock is basically that there are two chambers in the shock body. The front switch controls the compression of the bike ( what holds it up)
The rear switch controls the rebound (what holds the bike down).
Both switches up raise the suspension (add compressed air) ( max. 5 "" border="0" src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif" />
Rear switch down lowers the suspension.
Front switch up firms the suspension while maintaining the ride height.
Rear switch up only releases rebound air to soften the suspension.
Play time!
This is the finished result dropped maximum for fun. I took the old girl for a run on Sunday to the Rock'n'Roll festival at Victor Harbour, and I've got to say, after experimenting a bit, this suspension two up ,along with the front drop in cartridges gives the best ride I've ever experienced on a Harley. Add to that the poser value of dumping the bike in the weeds when you park it gives you the ultimate Harley accessory. Functional and showy! and so adaptable for all occasions. Gotta thank JD for a wonderful product. It's an easy install anyone can take on because of the way the kit fits and all of the simple connections. You want for nothing with this set up. Everything is suppled, right down to the shrink wrap and tap for the threaded hole. Big fan here. If you were thinking about getting some, stop thinking!
