I have to take my shock off the bike for new reducers etc. At first I thought the common sense thing to do if the shock is coming off is to give it its first aircan service, (bikes about 9 months old and ridden guess for 60-80 hours max). However the other part of me thinks, that whilst the shock doesnt leak any air whatsover, and still runs smooth and does everything its supposed to do then, why bother risking buggering something up by getting involved in taking it apart ? Its going to get a full service by TF on its 1st birthday (June) anyway, should I wait, and adopt the if it aint broke principal, or is there some reason I am missing why regardless of the shock holding pressure and working fine that I should still be doing this service ?

pop it off and give it a clean and lube if it's off the bike anyway. Main thing is dirt on the seals grinding in to the body tube/shaft.

It'll take you 5 mins while you,ve got it off & it's a really easy job, so do it. Worth it to clean out any muck that's got in there

that whilst the shock doesnt leak any air whatsover, and still runs smooth and does everything its supposed to do then, why bother risking buggering something up by getting involved in taking it apart

a) You'll be surprised how much better it feels afterwards, no matter how little use it's had

b) It's BONKERS EASY! There's no risk at all. You'll be amazed how simple it is.

c) "A stitch in time saves 9" It's nothing to do with leaking air, but with lubricating the seals. You shock moves constantly, the seals need fresh lube.

JUST DO IT, OK!!!!

🙂

JUST DO IT, OK!!!!

Consider me told 😉

How tight do I need to do the aircan back up ?

Hand tight. That's the main tool you use – Hands! 🙂

About as tight as it was when you removed it 😉
Pretty tight, they almost come to a stop, so you'll know when you're about there

Righto, I have ordered the kit, will get it done, any seals that dont need changing, or just do em all ?

It's fun if it gets stuck down, like my mate's did.
Big POP!!
(check the web for instructions if this is the case!)

These are worth getting if you're changing the seals
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HOOK-PICK-SET-4pc-HI-VIS-ORANGE-HANDLES-MECHANICS_W0QQitemZ380139399794

Make it a whole lot easier.

Righto, I have ordered the kit, will get it done, any seals that dont need changing, or just do em all ?

If you've just ordered the kit, either keep the old seals, or don't replace them this time and just clean and re-lube. I tend to clean and relube mine a couple of times a year and every 3rd or 4th time I replace the seals. 🙂