To help ease removal and installation, go ahead and remove the entire seat/rear cowl assembly. While you can see and reach the upper shock mount with the assembly in place, it’s much easier to get at with it out of the way, and much, much easier to properly locate the Steel Tracker TRS’ remote reservoir on the frame.

Removing the seat assembly requires first removing the seat, which is a simple matter of opening it, removing the prop rod, the two seat pins, and then lifting the seat off. Once the seat’s off, there are six bolts holding the rear assembly in place; two Phillips-head screws at the forward (gas tank) end, two Allen bolts further back toward the middle of the assembly, and two locknuts inside the rear cowl in the tool storage compartment. Once these are removed slowly separate the assembly from the frame, pausing to locate the wiring to the rear tail light and turn signals. Once the wiring has been disconnected at the plug connectors just lift the assembly off and put it to the side.

Once the assembly’s out of the way, remove the nut on the lower shock mount. This takes a 17mm (or 11/16 inch) socket. Assuming your block of wood is still in place under the rear tire, you should be able to wriggle the shock off the lower mount. Now remove the bolt holding the shock in place at the frame. Again, it’s a 17mm, but this time a nut and bolt instead of a nut and stud as on the lower mount. Once the nut’s removed, hold the shock and pull the bolt free, collecting the two washers that will likely fall out. Slide the old unit out of place and that’s it, you’ve removed the shock.

Installing the Works unit is straightforward, but there are a few things to check. First, lay the old and new units side by side and measure the distance between the mounting eyes; they should be the same or within a ¼ inch difference; you’ll check the Works unit again once it’s installed. Second, thoroughly clean the lower shock mount threads.

The Works unit comes with split sleeves that fit inside the upper and lower mounting eyes. Put two sleeves in place in the upper mount (they’ll only install with the larger diameter washer edge to the outside) and slip the upper end of the Works Steel Tracker into its slot in the frame. Push the upper locating bolt into place, making sure the thick washer is under the bolt head. Install the wavy spring washer on the protruding bolt on the other side and thread the nut down hand tight. Make sure the remote reservoir isn’t getting caught up anywhere and let it hang free.