Collapsing rear suspension RSVR

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Scary! :eek:

The place where I usually get my bike serviced told me about this [known] problem when I took her in last spring. They said mine looked fine but keep an eye on it. Are there any early-warning signs that we should look out for and which parts exactly need to be greased? Bear in mind that I'm really not very mechanically minded and everything I do takes about 10 times longer than it should - I've only just figured out how to remove and replace the rear wheel after 6 years of ownership!
 
Jeesis Krisps! How the holy feck did you manage to survive that? Well done that man.
Took mine apart a couple of months ago to replace a lowering set with the original, gonna have to get it out again to check on this now. Thanks for the heads up.
 
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

Exactly what he said .... Read about this before and every picture I've seen the part in question looks neglected ... I take mine apart completely ... Clean and regrease every year ... Pain in the Arse job that takes a few hours but hey it's worth it
 
shiiiiiiiit! do you think that this was predictible if the bike had been inspected or does it happen suddenly without any marks?
 
This has properly put the willies up me now. I'm scared of riding my bike until I properly look into this, not that I have for about 5 months (she doesn't like the winter!). I've seen this pretty useful guide if you don't have an Abba stand...

Link Plates - JOE250.com

Does anyone know of a UK stockist that keeps the AF1 link plates? They only appear to be available direct from the US at about 70 quid with shipping.

Is it also possible to get uprated 'dog-bones' because it seems like either this or the link plates could fail without any warning.
 
Thought about doing this one evening this week. I think im going to replace mine for some preventative maintenance rather than just clean and grease as id imagine after 14k miles irs probably shot. I can just see it now if I take it apart to clean the sun will come out and I wont be able to get the bearing in time..

So wheres the best place to buy one? Or is there 2 I can replace?
 
Lucky I checked mine..

Where can I get the parts?

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**** glad you managed to keep it upright and suffered no harm.

I was planning on doing the rear linkage this winter but have been putting it off this is the kick up the arse i and probably others need. Or maybe I should be super lazy and see if Tash can do it for me :)
 
Woodzy maybe Tash supplies them, if not try apriliayorkshire

Wonder how many garages touch the rear linkage during servicing?
 
I had exactly the same go on my 06 but tlickily mine collapsed whilst laid up over winter.
Is their a Guide anywhere on how to replace it as I need to do mine in the next few weekends?

Cheers
Gav
 
The post 26 only shows the replacing of the link plates not replacing the bearings or seals.

Get a haynes manual this shows the process in some detail!
 
Cheers Paul, aye it's ref. replacing the dog one not just the link plates. Not sure if the do one for the gen 2 but will have a look.
Thanks

Gav
 
Have a search on the forum i am sure there are some links to a online maint. MAnual
 
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Just tried my crash protectors.............:devious:devious:devious

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And guess what? They work.... No not what you think.
I wanted to check the bearings and the link plates, but I do not have an Abba stand nor could I find a metal bar / pipe to go through the swing arm pivot and lift the bike with a jack or axle stand. So I used the crash protectors instead. I used a set of (car) ramps, some wood and axle stands. Bike is very stable on them. Highly recommended. And I enjoyed telling you that I tested my crash protectors :lol:lol:lol
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Haha very good. Look like they did the trick alright!

How were yours looking? Did you find any marks on the dog bone?

My parts arrived today will get then fitted tomorrow. Weathers no good again though bah! The blistering summer of 2013 will commence soon! :thumbup::beer:
 
My bearings were in a 'as new' (one careful lady owner) state. This is no surprise as I did <2000 miles since the full rebuilt and I do not pressure wash my bike, avoid driving in the rain (my Priller is allergic to rain).
Anyway here some pics of the operation. Total was under one hour work.
My airplane stand: don't you love the wings? Very stable too.
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You see some minor marks on the plates and some dis-colouring on the bearing rollers below. To be honest it is the camera flash who makes it look like this. I didn't see it with natural light. The 'scratches' in the plates porbably polishes out, but it shows that the design is not right.

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The bearings in all its glory: no rust, looks like new. As I said one old lady owner.....
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Is it just the photo or do they look a little brown and rusty? Got mine back together today :)

Garahe you have looks good
 

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