[gliderman]

I know it's not a good idea, but I remember an old mechanic who used to fill the air shocks with the gas station type air compressor. Has anyone done this without blowing your seals?? This guy would give it a quick half-second burst and then adjust it as needed. I didn't have a bagger at the time, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Now, I wonder if it is doable? Any experiences with this???????????????



Please see my post, #28 for the test results to this question. Final cost= 0 dollars. The pump was free...

 

[8-Ball]

My dealer and the manual informed that it wasn't a good idea. It seemed a reasonable warning against a bad outcome. I bought a little $30 dollar pump with a gauge and use that... no problems and I can determine the pressure for various riding situations. Seems like it would be kind of hard to do that with a little "squirt" of compressed air.

Hey, but why don't you try it... and let us know how expensive the repair is.

 

[Triple Z]

Any experiences with this???????????????

Yep!!
I just love selling new air shocks to the guys who put an airline to 'em!

 

[reg26]

There is no reason to even want to use a regular air compressor for filling air shocks. I have the HD air pump made especially for this job and it takes no time or effort at all to fill em. To try and guess how much air you put in with a air compressor would be just plain STUPID!

 

[TXCHOP]

A short bust will put the pressure upwards of 60lbs, which is just too much for the system to handle.......A cheaper way out is a bicycle style pump or a sports ball pump(basketball/football). they will work, but you may loose air when putting the pump on and off.... I agree with the others that the H-D version is the ticket.........

 

[AustinFXDWG]

Alternative source for HD Shock Pump.

There's a cheaper alternative than the HD pump. I found the company that OEMs the pumps for HD. They also sell them for mountain bicycle air shocks at many bike stores. It is the same identical pump except the faceplace on the gauge does not have the HD logo. You can find them on Ebay to for about $25 brand new, same pump, same zero loss hose connector. The OEM company is Topeak. The HD equivalent pump is: http://www.topeak.com/products/pump_shock_lead.html

 

[Ka-Ka]

Has anyone done this without blowing your seals??

No, but I've done it along WITH blowing the seals.
It was on my old '81 Kawasaki KX80 dirt bike.
Haven't reattempted it in 20 years.

 

[Phil P.]

I know it's not a good idea, but I remember an old mechanic who used to fill the air shocks with the gas station type air compressor. Has anyone done this without blowing your seals?? This guy would give it a quick half-second burst and then adjust it as needed. I didn't have a bagger at the time, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Now, I wonder if it is doable? Any experiences with this???????????????

Just get the HD pump and you will be in good shape.

 

[RoadKingCurley]

Any of you guys ever hear of a regulator??? Most compressors have one. If you want to put 15#'s in just set the regulator to 15#'s. I've done it for years and haven't blown a seal yet!! My friend set up his air brush compressor to pump his and it works slick!!! A little common sense boys........Just my -2$en#e-
:duh?:

 

[8-Ball]

Any of you guys ever hear of a regulator??? Most compressors have one. If you want to put 15#'s in just set the regulator to 15#'s. I've done it for years and haven't blown a seal yet!! My friend set up his air brush compressor to pump his and it works slick!!! A little common sense boys........Just my -2$en#e-
:duh?:

My common sense tells me that my compressor's regulator is not all that accurate down at 4 psi. Then my common sense tells me that by the time I bleed off all the air and get it all dialed in to what I hope will be 4 psi, I could have pumped them up with the hand pump... no fuss no muss. My common sense also tells me that if the compressor trick actually worked, I would then have to put a gauge on it to determine if the regulator fed the correct amount (automatic on hand pump).... oh... and my common sense also tells me that if the regulator is incorrect, I'll have to repair or replace those shocks. One last thing my commons sense tells me is that the repair or replacement is going to be more than the $30 hand pump.... which I can also take with me on an out of town trip.

 

[RoadKingCurley]

My common sense tells me that my compressor's regulator is not all that accurate down at 4 psi. Then my common sense tells me that by the time I bleed off all the air and get it all dialed in to what I hope will be 4 psi, I could have pumped them up with the hand pump... no fuss no muss. My common sense also tells me that if the compressor trick actually worked, I would then have to put a gauge on it to determine if the regulator fed the correct amount (automatic on hand pump).... oh... and my common sense also tells me that if the regulator is incorrect, I'll have to repair or replace those shocks. One last thing my commons sense tells me is that the repair or replacement is going to be more than the $30 hand pump.... which I can also take with me on an out of town trip.

Hey, nobody says you have to do it that way, I'm just saying you can!! BTW, I'm talking about an inline regulator that I use for my HVLP paint guns and it's pretty damn accurate. It works fine for me. Course I wouldn't put 90 psi through my HVLP paint gun either........and I'm probably putting Progressive 440's on soon so it doesn't really matter. Just my -2$en#e- FWIW.
:hmmm:

 

[Ka-Ka]

My thinking is that once you have the pump...you have it. It's doubtful you'd wanna haul an compressor behind you on a trip through the Black Hills. A small pump can be thrown in your bags and used whenever you wish to try a new ride setting. It's just common sense.

 

[Unome]

Has anyone done this without blowing your seals??

Hey, quit messing wiht people's personal lives.

Why take a chance? One mistake and you're screwed. Not a good thought if you're in middle of Bumphuck, GA on a Saturday afternoon. I bought the H-D pump and it works fine. I keep it stored in box in saddlebag underneath my rain gear.

 

[Ed Y]

Progressive Suspension was selling that pump long before HD even thought about it. The one that AustinFXDWG posted looks like a good one too although the 0-300 scale is a little too much in my opinion. I also don't like the HD version cause it's a 0-60 scale. The version with 0-30 scale is all you need and is much more accurate.

 

[bagga]

Any of you guys ever hear of a regulator??? Most compressors have one. If you want to put 15#'s in just set the regulator to 15#'s. I've done it for years and haven't blown a seal yet!! My friend set up his air brush compressor to pump his and it works slick!!! A little common sense boys........Just my -2$en#e-
:duh?:

i've done it this way too. never a problem. 8 ball,now for the little h d pump,how do you know how accurate the little air pressure gauge is..... well you don't. i quit running air in the front and rear shocks years ago,got tired of messing with it all the time. i can't tell the difference if there is air or not.

 

[RoadKingCurley]

i've done it this way too. never a problem. 8 ball,now for the little h d pump,how do you know how accurate the little air pressure gauge is..... well you don't. i quit running air in the front and rear shocks years ago,got tired of messing with it all the time. i can't tell the difference if there is air or not.

Thanks bagga. I was beginning to feel retarded...hehehe:clap:

 

[Vettely]

There's a cheaper alternative than the HD pump. I found the company that OEMs the pumps for HD. They also sell them for mountain bicycle air shocks at many bike stores. It is the same identical pump except the faceplace on the gauge does not have the HD logo. You can find them on Ebay to for about $25 brand new, same pump, same zero loss hose connector. The OEM company is Topeak. The HD equivalent pump is: http://www.topeak.com/products/pump_shock_lead.html

Thats cool. I figured some company had to make them for HD. Just watch out for shipping costs on Ebay. That is where they get you.

 

[8-Ball]

i've done it this way too. never a problem. 8 ball,now for the little h d pump,how do you know how accurate the little air pressure gauge is..... well you don't. i quit running air in the front and rear shocks years ago,got tired of messing with it all the time. i can't tell the difference if there is air or not.

You have a good point... I am working on potentially misplaced trust, however, gauges with a smaller overall scale, generally are more accurate within that scale.

... and roadkingcurly... you fill your shocks any way you damned well please... if it works... fukkit and ride. I sure didn't mean any ill will.

 

[RoadKingCurley]

... and roadkingcurly... you fill your shocks any way you damned well please... if it works... fukkit and ride. I sure didn't mean any ill will.

Hey 8-Ball.......Mind telling me what I said to upset you? I've read and replied to a lot of posts on this site and haven't had anybody jump down my throat except you. All I was saying was you could fill the shocks w/ a compressor, not that you HAD to!!! I thought these forums were about information and that's all I was giving. I've been riding Harley's since 1966 (legally since 1968) and I have a little experience. I just thought I'd share that experience with other's. If I said something to upset you, I wish you'd tell me what it was.

 

[Scarbelly]

I've cranked the regulator down to 20psi and gave the shocks a shot. Checked with a Moroso guage and bled off accordingly. Seemed to work ok for me. Hell, it ain't a Swiss watch, it's shocks. I do like the looks of that little hand pump though, may pick one up.