Honda CRF300L Suspension Upgrade

If you are looking to upgrade the suspension of your Honda CRF300L you’ve come to the right place.

This article will show you with pictures the step by step on how to perform this change at home correctly and safely. If you have all of the appropriate tools the suspension upgrade should take about 1 hour.

I also recommend you to watch this video to prepare yourself for the job in advance.

 

I have personally installed the rear shock from the company Wilbers model 642 Competition. This is a fully adjustable rear shock but even if you have a different model this tutorial is still valid. The steps should be the same except if advised otherwise by the manufacturer of your rear shock.

Removal of the Original Rear Suspension

The first step is to lift and maintain your motorcycle off the ground. The best way is to use a proper motorcycle lift and make sure it is safe and stable.

You will primarily be using a 14mm socket for the bolt heads on the right side of the motorcycle(except one which is a 17mm) and and 17mm socket for all the nuts on the left side of the motorcycle.

In this picture you can see the location of the 4 nuts and bolts located in the linkage system that need to be removed.

 

 

IMPORTANT TIPS (MUST READ):

• Be careful with your hands! As the motorcycle is off the ground, once you pull the bolts out, the swing arm with the rear wheel may eventually “fall” to the ground. Do not keep your fingers in between part as you could risk hurting yourself.
• In order to gain access to some of the bolts and nuts it may needed to raise or lower the motorcycle, hence is much better to use a proper motorcycle lift as you can adjust the height as needed.
• You will always need two sockets/wrenches. On the right side you will hold the bolt head in place and on the left side you remove the nut.
• While it is possible to do it alone (with proper tools) having a friend will be very helpful.
• If you feel a resistance when trying to pull the bolts out it may be due to the fact that the swing arm or motorcycle weight is resting on the bolt. In this case you also need to lower the motorcycle so the rear tire rests against the ground.
• You may gently tap the bolts out with a soft material (i.e rubber mallet).
• Be organised while removing the bolts and nuts. Note that some nuts will have washers.

You will need to remove the rear brake pedal spring in order to get access to a bolt head. Unhook the spring out using a plier. Here you can see all of the 4 bolts that you need to remove.

Once all 4 bolts at the suspension linkage are out you will need to remove the top bolt of the suspension.

This bolt and nut are recessed and it is not possible to use a spanner. I recommend you to use sockets and extensions to reach them. Below picture shows the position of the bolt head and nut.

IMPORTANT! The rear shock will be free once you pull the top bolt out so be ready to catch it! Either have a friend holding the rear shock as you pull the bolt out or support the rear shock with one hand while pulling the bolt out with the other.

The rear shock must be come out via the bottom of your Honda CRF300L.

While not mandatory I recommend you to remove the rear shock protective cover to gain better visibility during the installation of the new rear shock. A Phillips head screw drive is needed.

You may need to remove the exhaust pipe to have enough clearance to position the new rear shock in place if your suspension upgrade has a compression tank and adjustment for fast/slow speed compression.

Installation of the Upgraded Rear Shock

Apply some grease to the bolts and bushings of the linkage system before reinstalling them.

Position the rear shock in place lining up the top bolt hole of the rear shock with the hole on your motorcycle chassi. Pass the bolt through while the suspension is lined up.

Now proceed to reinstall the linkage with all its bolts and nuts.

IMPORTANT – These are important bolts and you should aim to tighten them with the proper torque spec! See below image for the torque of each screw.

 

 

 

Reconnect the rear brake pedal spring.

Double check that everything has been properly fixated. No washers, nuts, bolts left over. Slowly lower the motorcycle and compress the rear of the motorcycle with your body weight. If you’ve installed everything correctly there should be no abnormal noises and the chassi and swing arm of your motorcycle should make no contact at all with the new suspension. Go for test ride.

You are done!

All information provided in this tutorial is free of charge and only as a guidance. Do not perform this job if you feel insecure or do not have the appropriate tools. Do it at your own risk and follow the manufacturer’s recommendation.