Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126065
• • I In ' Penton Imports' Dane Leimbach helped our writer put toge ther th.is step-by-step Marzocch i shock rebu ild article. Here, Dane f ills a rebu ilt shock , jiggling the dampening assembly to remove any air bubles. Type 3 Marzocch is can be converted to Type 4 (for lay·down app lication) with these parts. By 'J im Gianatsis with Dane Leimbach Standard equipment" on all late model Penton and K 'TM mot 0 r cy cl e s, and available through Hi-Point Accessories ' as a rep lacement rear shock for other b r ands of motorcycles, is the exceptional p e r f o r m ing Marzocc hi gas/oil ' shock unit. 18 D e s i gn e d fo r stre n uous off-road co m petition, the Marzocchi is a shock of twin tube design which incorporates a remote oil reservoir for better oil cooling and an air chamber separated from the oil by a flexible diaphragm to prevent shock fade due to oil foaming. These Marzocchi shocks are presently available in two types. The first is the series no. 3 shock with 3/8 inch diameter dampening rod designed for use in conven tional shorter travel rear . suspen sio n applications where the shock is to be mounted in an 'up and down position. T he other type is the newer series no. 4 shock with 1/2 inch d iam e ter dampen in g rod and firmer valve damp en ing for use. in lo ng travel rear suspension app lications where the shock is to be mounted in cantilever or laydow n position. Worn shocks can be rebuilt by having the m sent to t he Penton Service Dep ar tm en t, or the owner may choose to re b uil d the shocks hi mself by f ollowing these instructions and ordering the replacement , parts necessary fro m a Pen ton /lfi-Poin t dealer.. In most rebuild situations, only t he da m pening rod oil seal needs re p lacing. A lso, series n o . 3 shocks ca n be updated to series no . 4 specificiatio ns by the installation of the series no. 4 dampening rod asse mbly. It is advisable that new Marzocchi shocks have their oil changed before' use to preven t possible seal wear from metal particles which may have been left in the shocks during manufacture. New or, rebuilt shocks should also have their exposed dampening rods oiled before the shocks are ever compressed. This preven ts the lips on the dampening rod's oil seal from being p ushed inward and allowing some shock oi l to leak out. Disassembly I. Mo unt the shock 'assem bly in a vise an d b lee d the air out of the reserv o ir assemb ly ' with the dampening rod co mpressed down into the shock body . 2. Using a suitable size cresent or open en d wrench, 'und o the top of the shock on the main body and screw ou t the complete dam pening asse mbly. 3. Rem ove t he cap on the reservoir body with a special p in wrench. This wrench will have to be made, or as a temporary measu re two drill bits of same diameter as the pi n holes in the reservoir cap , may be inserted in the pin holes and a screw driver used as a turn handle to unscrew the reservoir cap. (It may prove to be a little more difficult, but rebuilding the dampening assem bly and changing oil can be accomplished without having to remove the reservoir cap: The oil drain screws located on the reservoir body should allow most of the oil to drain out). , 4 . Use an lImm so cket to remove the end nut from the , d ampen ing shaft to remove dampening 'parts and seals. Make no te of the order in which the parts ar e disassembled. 5. Cl ean all p ar ts to be reu sed in solvent o r gasoline. Use hot wa ter to 'w ash off parts cleaned ' in solven t, then dry all parts throughly. 6 . Check the foot valve on the bottom of the inner tube body to see that it is sealing properly. Blowing on one end and then the other will verify that the valve is opening and closing. Reassembly 7. Install spring adjusters and collarson b odies before assembling any other parts. 8. Replace seals and other worn or damaged parts, then reassemble them on the.dampening rod. 9 . Whe n re installing the dampening parts on the dampening rod , be sure that the spring washers aren't h ung up on th e shoulder of the co llar they go around. Slip over the dampening piston _ ' and hold it down by hand aga ''is the spring pressure as the nyl9li lock nut is , ligh t1y tightened down.-' ' 10. Reinstall tb! parts in the reservoir bo d y and tiJZl;ten down the reservoir cap. Rem o;.e·th e to p oil bleed screw on