rear suspension

Hello all. New to the boards and riding in general. Just purchased my first bike, a beautiful 1980 XS650. As a short rider I am working on reshaping and upholstering the seat but wanted to drop the ass end also for a flatter foot. Recently ordered some Honda Rebel Shocks 10.5 after reading...

So I am in the process of changing my rear tire. I tried to removing the exhaust on the right side. Didn't seem to give me enough room to get the axle out. Did a search saw a post indicating that if you remove the shock the swingarm would go a little lower. So I was in the process of doing just...