Collapsing rear suspension RSVR

So here is my story about how I got hooked on the Priller. Bear with me, this is a long story but you WILL like this one.

I bought my 2007 RSVR Factory in Nov 2011 from Kings Two Wheel Centre in Kidlington, Oxford.It was a freezing day and I was looking forward to the way back to Southampton on my new bike. I got kitted up and my virgin ride on the A34 went well. The rear Ohlins suspension was a bit hard, especially considering my weight of 16 stone (~ 100 kg). After a while I reached the M3 and could finally open it up (of course not exceeding 70 mph….). I was sitting comfortably in the outside lane when suddenly with no warning whatsoever the back end collapsed. It felt like doing a wheely, or that the rear wheel had sunk 2 feet into the tarmac. I saw parts falling off in my mirrors and a continues very load scraping sound. I manoeuvred the bike to the inside lanes and on to the hard shoulder where I came to a stop. The rear wheel was sitting on the seat and the bottom of the fairing was on the tarmac.
I called Kings and they came with a van to pick up the bike. I got a day or so later a brand new full fairing Suzuki GSF1250 to get through the winter. Actually to be honest this is the better bike for winter driving: sitting straight up with wide handle bars having more control at low speed.

Kings to some pictures from some of the parts of the bike:
View attachment 4325
This shows the undertray. The hole is where the rear wheel went through.
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The impact bent the Ohlins rear shock
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Rear tyre pushed into the battery. Nice little detail: an alan key / hex spanner is stuck inside the battery. The rear wheel picked up the toolkit and pushed it inside the battery 2 feet away!
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This is a brand new rear type done only 50 miles (Oxford to M3). The continues line is all the way through the canvas. Another 50 yards or so and the tyre would have split in two.
And now for the root cause:
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You see here the link arm between the bottom of the Ohlins rear shock and the Alu arm to the frame and swinger.
Suppliers visiting Kings were all asking when seeing this if the rider was still alive….. The moment it happened I was pretty happy that I did a lot of endures and some motor cross combined with over 30 years of road riding leading to sufficient experience to stay ‘cool’ and make the best of a bad situation. I got off without a scratch ( I did not drop the bike).
Kings felt very guilty and they spent a lot of efforts doing their CSI. As you can see from the link arm there are wear marks. This indicates that it was not an instant failure. It has been wearing before. The MOT tester was questioned and even checked if there was a grease nipple but there isn’t. Further questioning revealed that this has happened at least twice before to RSVR’s. Aprilia does not acknowledge this and there is no recall.
I’m writing this up, because you have to be at least aware of this potential catastrophic failure on your RSVR which will destroy your bike and possible you.
I have been very lucky but things could easily have been a lot worse. My advice to you is to check once a year your entire rear suspension, take it apart and check for wear marks and grease it up.

Blimey.. like I said at loomies was lucky you werent hurt mate. Wonder if anyome else has had this problem before?

Must go for a ride soon.. maybe next weekend if the weather improves?

Omg at the tools wedged in the battery!

I can't wait for dry weather. Must ride. Must. Soon.
I added my satnav to the bike so next ride we will know how to get back home :devious

ps I'm writing up my exhaust coring as well . Will post that later today.

Glad your OK Chaz, thanks for the post, I'm sure many including myself will be checking theirs very soon..

A common problem unfortunately, a very very neglected part of the bike that should be checked and re-greased at least yearly if not more so. - Just a shame no one makes it more obvious.

So very glad you are okay though .....and you got a new toy to play with

As said it is a common problem, owners realy need to make this a yearly service job to grease all of the bearings in the rear suspension.

Mark

Most, if not all, rear suspension linkages are neglected in scheduled maintenance - irrespective of make (Triumphs are notorious).

So is the proximate cause maintenance in this case?

EPIC!!! Always wondered what would happen if the linkage failed...and now I know.
Pleased your ok though and well done on taming that wild stallion!

Very impressed with how you handled it Chaz. Even more so when you didn't even drop the bike!!
Think I'll go tinker with my rear suspension this afternoon and do a bit of lubricating!!

w00dzy said:

So is the proximate cause maintenance in this case?

Click to expand...

Yes mate, get them done before the good weather comes.

Mark

Thanks you all for all your nice replies. This reminds me that I need to check my linkages again.:devious.... It has been a year.....Better go to my garage now. Don't want to go through that again. Once is enough.

Whats the best grease to use?

Ii have a swing arm removal stand now so good time to do it

No idea. I was planning on using plain bearing grease (normal grease), but I would like to know as well !!!

I have bearing grease which I have used on other bikes previously id imagine I can use the same stuff...

The firestorm has a similar problem where the linkage sits close the the rear exhaust pipe .
The heat from the pipe dries out the linkage and that leads them to fail .
Regular greasing is the only option .

Looks like you had a very close call .

Whats the easiest way to grease it mate? Exhaust wrap may help prevent the grease running out so quick?

Remove it and check it over and if its ok lube it up .
No easy way to do it

now I need to check mine too. not an R model but still worth a look.

Griff & I had a bit of a debate on this issue of "What grease", the bearings in the dog bones are needle type but never rotate fully and never at high speed but do get a beating from the weather and heat.
Because they never rotate fully they will always wear in a set way and the lube will always wear out in the same set way, so a water proof , high temp grease should suffice but as always consult with a mechanic or dealership first.