How To Service Your Swingarm and Suspension-Linkage Pivots | MC Garage

Servicing your swingarm and suspension-linkage bearings is a tedious job, but it’s not especially difficult, and it is important. Here’s how to do it.

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Heavy loads, constant motion, and direct exposure to the crud that gets flung off the rear tire mean that your swingarm and suspension-linkage pivots lead a rough life. Servicing your bike’s rear-end bearings is one of those maintenance items that most people just don’t bother to do, and honestly, there isn’t really a set service interval for these parts. But if the pivot bearings are dry or dirty they’ll inhibit suspension action and wear out quickly, so if your bike is more than a few years old, has a ton of miles on it, or regularly gets ridden in the rain or in dusty conditions, you owe it to your bike to tackle this project. Lucky for you, we’ve got an MC Garage video that walks you through the procedure.

Get The Weight Off Of The Rear Suspension
To start things off, you’re going to need to support the bike’s back end, but before you prop the bike up, go ahead and crack-free the swingarm nut, the linkage nuts, and the rear axle nut. These fasteners typically have a lot of torque on them so it’s going to be easier to loosen them while the bike is stable on the ground or in this case on a lift. Now that you’ve got all of those nuts cracked free, you need to support the back of the bike so there is no weight on the rear suspension. If you’ve got a buddy, you can use a set of jack stands under the footpegs or a set of proper footpeg stands. My preferred method is to roll the front wheel into a wheel chock and then lift the back of the bike using a floor jack under the engine.

I’ve also heard of people suspending the bike from a ladder with ratchet straps but honestly, this seems a little bit sketchy. But hey, do what you have to do.

Remove The Swingarm And Linkage
And now that the bike is secured, you’re ready to start taking stuff apart. Begin by removing the rear wheel, chain guard, and the other parts that need to come off so that you can remove the swingarm and suspension linkage. Now remove the linkage bolts and spacers, then remove the swingarm pivot bolt, and pull the swingarm off the bike. Next up, wash the linkage and swingarm with a rubber-safe degreaser. Use a soft brush and a rag to remove grime from the exterior of the parts as well as the bearings themselves. Then give the bearings a final rinse with an aerosol parts cleaner and allow them to dry.

Inspect, Lubricate, And Reassemble Your Swingarm And Linkage
Since everything is apart and clean, you should go ahead and inspect the needle bearings, seals, and inner bushings for wear and damage. Missing needles, torn seals, or pitted bushings should be replaced but minor scuffing on the bushings is perfectly normal. Now that everything is clean and inspected, lubricate the bearings with a quality waterproof grease. Use your finger to pat grease into the needle bearings, then slide the bushings into position and carefully wipe off any excess lubricant, which could attract grime and accelerate seal wear.

With that done, assemble the components and torque everything to the specs listed in your workshop manual. Once everything is tightened up, you’re good to go and you can bask in the satisfaction of knowing you’ve handled a maintenance procedure that most people never bother to do. But hey, you’re not most people because you watch MC Garage. Now I know this is a tedious job, but it’s not particularly difficult and it is important. It’s a good one to save for a rainy weekend project.

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