1) Raise the motorcycle with a bike stand, milk crate, etc., so the rear wheel is just slightly off the ground.  Remove the two 17 mm nuts  (front bolt nut is on the left, the rear bolt nut is on the right) that hold the stock “H” link to the rocker and the engine cradle.  Push the front mounting bolt out the right side first, then push the rear mounting bolt out the left side.  *The swing arm may need to be raised slightly to allow the first bolt to slide out freely.

2) The new links come with only the bearings and seals, so install the center sleeve  from your OEM link into the new KoubaLink.  You may need to pump some grease in now as sometimes tightening the mounting bolts can seal the bearings too tight to allow the air to escape when pumping the grease in.  Install the new link on the bike with the grease fitting facing up (rear mounting bolt first) by pushing the mounting bolt in from the left side.  You will have to raise the swing arm to align the front mounting holes and then push the mounting bolt in from the right side. Be sure the grease fitting on the KoubaLink is facing up.  *Left link engraving will be upside down and back wards, right side will be readable left to right. 

3) Install the 17 mm nuts on the mounting bolts and torque to 35 lbs-ft. 

4) For the best performance, set the race sag (amount of vertical movement of the rear axle FROM no weight to bike weight plus rider weight) at 2.75" in full riding gear standing on the pegs.  If the link is used for lowering purposes ONLY, rear race sag can be set at 3.5".  The sidestand may need to be shortened depending on how much free sag you have.  The easiest way we have found to adjust the rear spring preload is use a long punch to loosen the top jam nut from the right side, grasp the spring at the bottom from the left side and turn the spring and the preload nut at the same time.  **You may have to put some lube on the shock threads to allow the nut to turn freely.  Turning the spring/nut "clockwise" increases the preload and decreases the sag.  **Do not forget to tighten the jam nut with the punch after setting the sag.

5) Loosen the triple clamp pinch bolts and slide the fork tubes up until the top of the fork tubes almost touch the underside of the handlebars.  Tighten the triple clamp bolts and you should be good to go.  Sliding the fork tubes up farther could allow the tire to hit the fender when the forks are near bottoming. :-(   *Disclaimer:  Raising or lowering the rear more than the front can change the geometry and could affect the handling, so be careful out there. 

If you like what the KoubaLink does for your suspension, please tell everyone, if you do not, please tell us.  We can be contacted at our email address below and are always interested in your questions or comments.

Norm Kouba
Email:  njkouba@ix.netcom.com
 

                       Ordering info. and pricing can be found on our ORDER FORM.

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