Rear shock springs

[Bigfoot]

I have a set of XJ shocks that I am planning on putting on my midnight special. I would also like to lower the bike about an inch. Would it work to put shorter spring in the shock? I don't want to cut the existing springs (that just doesn't sound safe) but was thinking of pricing some custom springs. Thoughts or ideas?

[fredintoon]

I have a set of XJ shocks that I am planning on putting on my midnight special. I would also like to lower the bike about an inch. Would it work to put shorter spring in the shock? I don't want to cut the existing springs (that just doesn't sound safe) but was thinking of pricing some custom springs. Thoughts or ideas?

Hi Harry,
you can easily put a cutting disc in your angle grinder and chop thru the spring to shorten it.
What would be extremely difficult would be to re-shape the new end into a proper closed coil & taper like the old end had.
And I ain't sanguine about putting a shorter spring on either. I reckon there'd be a risk that as the damper is still as long as it ever was when the bike hit a maximum bump in the road the shock internals would bottom out and damage itself before the new shorter spring became coil-bound.
I'd suggest you price out shorter shocks.

[Bigfoot]

Thanks for the reply Fred. That is what I needed to know, if there was the potential to damage something or create an unsafe condition. I do like the ride of the air shocks on my XJ and think it would be a good upgrade on the xs. I also think they look great now that they are a nice shiny black. I guess I will just leave them alone.

[bigray03]

New shocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No sence in jerry rigging sh_t!!!!!http://http://www.lickscycles.com/

Very good folks to deal with. Nice quality items for reasonable prices. 11" &10" shocks in the $200-$300 range. You will have to call them with your bike model.. They only show HD model options on site but do build metric apps. too. Highly recomend them. Got the 10" shortys with heavy springs myself and am very pleased.