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Rear Shock Eyelet Hardware Maintenance

There are two basic styles of eyelet hardware: two piece reducer, and pin & sleeve. Click the photo that best matches your eyelet hardware setup.

Ideally, your shock reducers should always provide a snug fit for your rear shock on your bike. When excessive play develops in either a two piece reducer or pin and sleeve hardware assembly, this condition can worsen and lead to costly damage to your shock linkage. Eyelet hardware preventative maintenance with new DU bushings is always a good plan for helping prevent far costlier linkage issues.

TIP: Be sure that you have the correct reducer specification per make, model and model year of your bike frame.

Two Piece Reducers

"Extraction" | "Reducer Installation"

The two piece reducer hardware assembly comprises two reducer pieces, pressed into a DU bushing that is mounted in the shock eyelet.

Figure 1: Two Piece Reducer Assembly

Extraction

Use a standard bolt extractor to remove the two reducer pieces.
Figure 2: Bolt Extractor
Press the bolt extractor into either reducer piece with a counter-clockwise twist, to grab and hold the piece while pulling and backing it out with a continuous motion.
Figure 3: Reducer Piece Extraction Method
Do the same for the opposite side.
Figure 4: Reducer Piece Extraction Method, Repeated
To remove the reducer piece from the bolt extractor, gently clamp it in a soft jawed vise only firmly enough to allow you to remove the bolt extractor with a clockwise twist.
TIP: Do not over-tighten the vise, to avoid crushing the reducer piece.
Figure 5: Freeing the Bolt Extractor from the Reducer Piece
The mark left by the bolt extractor is not enough to ruin this reducer piece. Usually, reducer pieces can be reused.
Figure 6: Bolt Extractor Impact

DU Bushing Maintenance

NOTE: Whenever you perform maintenance procedures on shock reducers, as a basic rule always replace the DU bushings. Removing a DU bushing is easily done with the two piece FOX DU Removal tool, PN 803-00-046-A.

Figure 1: DU Removal Tool, PN 803-00-046-A

DU Bushing Removal and Replacement

The DU removal tool comprises two parts; the "pusher" and the "receiver".
Figure 2: DU Removal Tool Parts
Connect the pusher and receiver parts through the DU bushing in the shock eyelet assembly, as shown.
Figure 3: DU Tool Setup
Compress the tool parts into each other with the soft jawed vise, as shown.
Figure 4: Compressing in the Vise
The worn DU bushing is pushed into the tool receiver when it's removed from the shock eyelet assembly.
Figure 5: Worn DU in Tool Receiver
As shown below, press the shock eyelet onto a new DU bushing with the soft jawed vise, until the sides of the DU are flush with the eyelet.
Figure 6: Installing a New DU Bushing

Reducer Installation

By hand, partially press fit the two reducer pieces into a new DU bushing installed into the eyelet assembly, as shown.
Figure 1: Installing the Reducer Pieces (1)
Using a soft jawed vise, gently seat the reducer pieces.
Figure 2: Installing the Reducer Pieces (2)
Reducer eyelet hardware maintenance is now complete.
Figure 3: Reducer Maintenance Complete

Pin & Sleeve Hardware

"Disassembly" | "Installation"

The parts shown below make up the pin & sleeve hardware assembly.

Figure 1: Pin & Sleeve Hardware Assembly

Disassembly

Remove both sleeves.
Figure 2: Removing the Sleeves
Remove both rubber rings.
Figure 3: Removing the Rubber Rings
With the soft jawed vise, push the pin partially out, as shown below.
Figure 4: Removing the Pin (1)
Use the soft jawed vise and a socket small enough to pass through the DU bushing, to push the pin out all the way.
Figure 5: Removing the Pin (2)

DU Bushing Maintenance

NOTE: Whenever you perform maintenance procedures on pin & sleeve hardware, as a basic rule always replace the DU bushings. Removing a DU bushing is easily done with the two piece FOX DU Removal tool, PN 803-00-046-A.

Figure 1: DU Removal Tool, PN 803-00-046-A

DU Bushing Removal and Replacement

The DU removal tool comprises two parts; the "pusher" and the "receiver".
Figure 2: DU Removal Tool Parts
Connect the pusher and receiver parts through the DU bushing in the shock eyelet assembly, as shown.
Figure 3: DU Tool Setup
Compress the tool parts into each other with the soft jawed vise, as shown.
Figure 4: Compressing in the Vise
The worn DU bushing is pushed into the tool receiver when it's removed from the shock eyelet assembly.
Figure 5: Worn DU in Tool Receiver
As shown below, press the shock eyelet onto a new DU bushing with the soft jawed vise, until the sides of the DU are flush with the eyelet.
Figure 6: Installing a New DU Bushing

Installation

With the soft jawed vise, partially press the pin into the DU bushing in the shock eyelet, as shown below.
Figure 7: Starting the Pin
Again using the soft jawed vise, press the pin through the DU bushing to a centered position in the shock eyelet, as shown below.
Figure 8: Centering the Pin (1)
Use the two sleeves to verify that the pin is centered in the shock eyelet. Remove the sleeves when this is achieved.
Figure 9: Centering the Pin (2)
Install the rubber rings.
Figure 10: Installing the Rubber Rings
Install the sleeves, making sure to seat the rubber rings into the sleeve counter-bores.
Figure 11: Installing the Sleeves
Pin & sleeve eyelet hardware maintenance is now complete.
Figure 12: Pin & Sleeve Maintenance Complete