Abstract: A method of determining the damping factor of a shock absorber includes attaching an accelerometer to one of a first and a second part of the shock absorber. The first- and second parts are displaced relative to one another at least once and the acceleration of the parts relative to each other is measured by reading a signal from the accelerometer. The damping factor is then determined by analysis of the measured acceleration. A shock absorber monitoring system for use in the method includes an accelerometer for generating an acceleration signal. A processor is connected to the accelerometer and reads the acceleration signal from the accelerometer thereby to calculate a damping factor of the shock absorber when the first- and second parts of the shock absorber are displaced relative to one another. An indicator, responsive to the processor, displays a value representative of the damping factor of the shock absorber.