Swingarm and linkage servicing - DO IT !!

So this weekend I finally get around to removing the shock so I can send it out for a rebuild. I figure that even though my bike is relatively low mileage, those few miles have been pretty hard (lots and lots of mud) and maybe it was time to take a look at the swingarm and shock linkage bearings. All I can say is I got in there just in time. Not much grease and what was there was full of grit. Where the grease was minimal, rust was just starting. It's a dirty job but something I think anybody who rides in mud or water needs to do as part of regular maintenance. What others have posted in the past is true..... you need to go in there and do it right.

Agreed.

I tore mine all apart (on an X mind you) at 4000 miles. I'm hoping it was just the color of the original grease but that stuff was dark. Not gritty in my case (I stick to roads for the most part) but I though it looked like it was ready to be cleaned and regreased. I'll be making it a regular maintenance action each winter I think. It's not too much work, and it's not difficult. Do it!

Yeah, it definitely needs to be done but thankfully the job isn't too difficult. If you ride year round like I do it really should be done at minimum in spring and in fall. Once to flush the salt, once to flush the mud. Don't use a pressure washer on the bike either, unless you really like forcing water into the bearings and other nooks and crannies where grease is supposed to be and not water.

This is a timely thread for me.

In a few weeks I pass through Christiansbug VA. I'll stay there 1 day while Travis (Go Race!) rebuilds the front and rear suspension. While he's doing that, his technician will service the swingarm and linkage - I'll observe/'help' him with that.

Then I'll be all set for a week of *warm* winter riding in Florida! (it was -19 C here this morning, -31 C with windchill. That's -2F and -24 F.)

deerHater wrote:

This is a timely thread for me.

In a few weeks I pass through Christiansbug VA. I'll stay there 1 day while Travis (Go Race!) rebuilds the front and rear suspension. While he's doing that, his technician will service the swingarm and linkage - I'll observe/'help' him with that.

That's where my shock just went to today. Had I known, I would have sent mine down with ya.

Chrispy1200 wrote:

deerHater wrote:

This is a timely thread for me.

In a few weeks I pass through Christiansbug VA. I'll stay there 1 day while Travis (Go Race!) rebuilds the front and rear suspension. While he's doing that, his technician will service the swingarm and linkage - I'll observe/'help' him with that.

That's where my shock just went to today. Had I known, I would have sent mine down with ya.

Location is pretty convenient for me: 1/2 way along my route to visit my sister in Florida. And Travis will get it all done in just 1 day.

I don't mind that it went down to -24 C here last night, when I know I'll be riding in some warmth in less than 1 month.

I tear all my bikes down to engine and frame as soon as they are brought home from the dealer (exception- Ninja650R). Pretty much everything gets grease that is a moving part. You should also put a wrench/socket/screwdriver on every nut and bolt that can be reached. I always find something loose. Most of the time it's something simple like a perch or shifter bolt. Sometimes it's something more extreme that the dealer missed like an axle or handlebar bolt.

Another thing I do is remove and grease the axles, use Never Sieze on key bolts that go into aluminum threads, and use dielectrict grease in all the connectors. Although, just by looking at pictures of a WR250R harness, it looks very difficult to get at all the connectors.

Doing this also gives you time to learn about your bike in the comfort of your home instead of on a nasty single track trail. I have yet to see a Japanese bike that is greased very well from the factory.

This is what a typicle bike will look like for normal maintenance:



I have just finished greasing and reassembling the swingarm, headset, brake pivot, and getting ready to slap a new top end in. And after a full day of blood, sweat and tears:

ballisticexchris wrote:

Most of the time it's something simple like a perch or shifter bolt. Sometimes it's something more extreme that the dealer missed like an axle or handlebar bolt.

My buddy rode his brand new Kawi Vulcan home from the dealer. Pulled in the garage .... front axle bolt was loose. Way loose.

I just brought my 08wrr to the shop on Monday to the shop to have my suspension revalved . it will be the first time my suspension and swingarm have been off...I've got over 16,000 miles on it,,,,,I hope I didn't do any damage by waiting too long......the suspension is being sent to GO_RACE,,,...the shop I go to uses FACTORY CONNECTION,,but they said they don't do WRR suspension,,,,,,,I see some of you guys are using GORACE,,,,do you recomend them???will I see a noticable difference?? Thanks for any info,,,,Jason

jason meacham wrote:

I see some of you guys are using GORACE,,,,do you recomend them???
will I see a noticable difference?? Thanks for any info,,,,Jason

I know I noticed the difference quite easily, and that was just with having Go Race do the rear shock alone.

Okay, who's going to post the step by step tutorial???

xaman wrote:

Okay, who's going to post the step by step tutorial???

http://www.wrrdualsport.com/tech-guide/chassis/66-swingarmmaint

YZEtc wrote:

jason meacham wrote:

I see some of you guys are using GORACE,,,,do you recomend them???
will I see a noticable difference?? Thanks for any info,,,,Jason

I know I noticed the difference quite easily, and that was just with having Go Race do the rear shock alone.

I had mine (front and rear) done a week ago by Travis (at Go Race.)

Not much testing yet, most of the roads near Spring Hill FL are in good shape. And for now I only have the supermoto street wheels/tires. But I do notice there is much less front end dive under hard braking.

They serviced the chasis too. There wasn't much grease in the stearinghead bearings, nor the swing arm pivot.
No thanks to Yamaha assemblers, is grease really that expensive?!?

deerHater wrote:

No thanks to Yamaha assemblers, is grease really that expensive?!?

I don't know whether or not this is true, but I read somewhere that they use grease sparingly due to concerns of having a blob of grease end up off the bike and land on something that it shouldn't be on during shipping, and this is supposedly something that some enviro-organization would make a big stink about.

YZEtc wrote:

deerHater wrote:

No thanks to Yamaha assemblers, is grease really that expensive?!?

I don't know whether or not this is true, but I read somewhere that they use grease sparingly due to concerns of having a blob of grease end up off the bike and land on something that it shouldn't be on during shipping, and this is supposedly something that some enviro-organization would make a big stink about.

What I heard was it's a supplier / assembly thing.........the bearing suppliers can only ship them pre-packed for the assembly line with so much grease and the OEM's don't want assemblers spending time packing bearings.

Maybe it's a bit of both....

Just may be.
I've got no problem believing time is money for the company producing the bike. :)

Just my two cents:

From what I have learned in the last year or so, people think you need more grease than you actually do. I was in this boat myself.

I had gotten in some "All Balls" wheel bearings to replace some worn out stockers, and was very surprised that there was almost no grease in them. I actually called All Balls about this, and was given to their engineering dept. The gentleman I spoke to there told me all about how too much grease is actually worse for the bearings than too little.

I of course did not believe him 100%, so I spoke to an engineer here at work, who confirmed it.

Learn something new everyday.

Now, of course, there are deviations to every rule. We are told its best to pack the shit outta wheels bearings, especially for offroading, with waterproof grease. This is true, and I do it myself. BUT, its more about keeping water and junk out of the bearings so they continue to do their job, than it is to act as more lubrication.

So, I guess, it depends on how often you bury your swingarm pivot point in mud or water, to know if you need more or less grease. From what I have learned and stated above, the amount of grease the factory puts in there stock is probably fine for 90% of us.

I think it comes down to high speed bearings or low speed bearings. The high speed bearings as in the wheels need plenty of space around to push the grease out of the way for low friction operation. The low speed bearings as in the swingarm can handle a large amount of grease and work perfectly.

I used to work in an automotive assembly line and the workers had little time to do their job. They would basically dab as much grease that they could get in there in a second and go to the next task.