1) Raise the motorcycle with
a bike stand, milk crate, etc., so the rear wheel is just off the ground.
Remove the 17 mm nuts from the two link mounting bolts and push both the
front and rear bolts out the left side. The swing arm may need to
be raised slightly to allow the bolts to slide out freely. After
removing these two bolts the link will drop out the bottom.
2) The new link comes with
the bearings and seals, so put a little grease on the inside of both needle
bearings inside the big end of the KoubaLink first, then remove the “center
sleeve” from the stock link by pushing it out either side with your fingers
and reinstalling it in the new KoubaLink. You are now ready to install
the Koubalink on the bike by holding it back up in place with the bearing
end forward and the engraved side readable from the right side/grease fitting
facing down. Align the link’s center sleeve hole with the front mounting
bracket holes and push the front mounting bolt in first (front mounting
bolt is the shortest one) Next, raise the rear of the link up and align
the rear mounting holes by raising the rear wheel. *You will need
to raise the rear wheel up and compress the spring slightly to get the
rear link mounting holes to align with the rocker holes. You can
also use a punch in from the right to align those holes. *The link
is sized for the maximum rear lowering so has to be a tight fit.
After installing both link mounting bolts, install the two 17 mm nuts and
torque to approx. 35 lb-ft.
3) After installing the KoubaLink,
be sure the grease fitting is facing down. You may want to pump a
little grease into that grease fitting now so you don't forget.
4) For the 1 5/8" rear lowering,
set the race sag (amount of vertical movement of the rear axle from no
weight to bike weight plus rider weight) at 2.50" with rider in full riding
gear, standing on the pegs. The sag adjustment can be changed by
turning the two large nuts on top of the rear spring. (More preload
= less sag, and less preload = more sag. Turning the spring preload nuts
clockwise will increase the preload and visa versa.) The easiest
way we have found to change the preload adjustment is to loosen the top
jam nut, lube the threads on the shock and turn the spring and all by grasping
the bottom of the spring. It will turn easier if the rear wheel is
off the ground.
5) The front fork tubes can
be slid up in the triple clamps past the handlebars, but we do not recommend
over ¾” inch of the tubes showing, including the thickness of the
top caps, above the top triple clamp as going farther could allow the front
tire to contact the underside of the fender when the forks are fully compressed.
:-( If the front pushes or will not turn quick enough
we recommend lessening the rear sag rather than sliding the fork tubes
up farther than the ¾”. Disclaimer: 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 information and pricing
can be found on our ORDER
FORM.
