Squeeky Rear Suspension

[syvers]

Hi

Firstly i know nothing about fixing bikes but here goes..

Basicaly, I have notice my rear suspension has begun squeaking/creaking, i noticed it when parking up a week or two ago and it is doing my head in.

It is a 1998 Monster 600 by the way.

I am wondering if it just needs oiling or could it be something worse, i am hoping it just needs oil but need to prepare for the worst as i am skint!!

Any advise appreciated.

Thanks

Syvers

[A Yerbury]

they come up on ebay quite a bit, I just got one for 20 quid. although no doubt once unpacked it will start squeaking......try some grease and maybe fiddle with the settings?
AY

[Pedro]

Have you been drinking again Yerbs? Your response seems a little, errr, unrelated!!!

The squeaking is probably caused by the various links in the suspension being a little dry and in need of oil/grease. Get a Haynes manual and you'll see it's quite straightforward to sort.

Ped

[syvers]

Thanks, i will do that, probably high time i got the manual anyway!.

[Zimbo]

Yup, almost certainly the pins and bushes at each end of the shock absorber, just needs removing and a little grease applied before putting it back. You'll need someone to help, as obviously the weight of the bike is supported by the shock ...

[syvers]

damn, i thought i would just need to put some grease or oil around it not take it apart, dont have tools for that. I think i will ask a garage for the oil then ask them to show me where to put it, sneakily getting them to do it themselves lol

[A Yerbury]

? its your reading skills that seem unrelated pedros! -hic-

[spacemonkey]

I'll bet you a cheese sandwich that it's the little rose joints on the bottom of the hoop where it joins the swing arm. If you look closely you will see that each has a tiny grease nipple, yet no one has a gun that fits. I used a syringe filled with thick oil and it seemed to work.

[A Yerbury]

moi aussi, it worked fine. are you remused up yet space boy (this is called aftersales service!)

[Pedro]

? its your reading skills that seem unrelated pedros! -hic-

Nah, just read it agai twice! Still don't understand the ebay reference....

Perhaps I need to start drinking?

Ped

[A Yerbury]

"if one needs a cheap shock try ebay, I just got one for 20 pounds" drink helps but ebay still works with or without Cabernet Sauvignon....

[Pedro]

I'll take the vino please!!

[spacemonkey]

Still no camshaft, old boy, so I dunno what they sound like... Grr...

[A Yerbury]

they should sound very "grr.."

[gary tompkins]

I'll bet you a cheese sandwich that it's the little rose joints on the bottom of the hoop where it joins the swing arm. If you look closely you will see that each has a tiny grease nipple, yet no one has a gun that fits. I used a syringe filled with thick oil and it seemed to work.

... and if is the rose joints squeaking they could have seized solid. The next thing that happens is one or both snaps off the bottom of the suspension hoop, collapsing the suspension :eek: Several in the club have had this happen and it's not a lot of fun TBH.

My advice would be to strip and grease the little suckers ASAP! ;)

[DesmoDog]

Yeah mines started, anyone wnat to take some helpful pics with idiot pointers for me?

[A Yerbury]

take hypodermic out of vein, fill with grease, hold rose joint open with a pointy thing (I used a bodger or is it a bevel?) then pump the grease/lube etc in!

[syvers]

Okay, getting a bit worried now. A mate has offered to help (local ducati dealer said just to spray wd40 on it, although in all fairtness the bloke was not the ducati mechanic). The mate has said we will put in on blocks so the bike is hanging down and then can get t suspension easily, we will then put it down if needs be and grease the top part and then lift it up to do the bottom part (i am talking about lifting the yellow coil bt here) and that should be fine but then i will do the bit with the syringe.

Does this sound like we will be okay doing it this way, as i say i know nothing and dont want to mess about on my own but i also want to know he is not talking poopoo!!!

Plus, any particular oil / grease i should use?

Thanks very much
Syvers

[gary tompkins]

You will need to either hang the bike or support it in some way, so that the suspension is unloaded. You will then need to take off the cans (high or low level), seat, sidepanels, rear wheel & hugger.

The rocker arm should come out after you undo the shock top mount, hoop top bolt and pivot. The hoop can be detatched from the swingarm after you undo the bolts through the bottom rose joints. These can be a pig to remove if seized in the joints, but a soaking of WD40 will help.

Once everthing is apart, clean all the joints & pivots and check for wear. Then reassemble with HIGH MELTING POINT GREASE. Bodging it with oil, WD40 etc.. is a waste of time only grease will do. Bung everthing else back on. and make sure everthing's torqued up nice and tight, and do a roadtest. Hopefully your bike will now be squeak free for a while, and go easy on the jetwashing or the rear end will be seized again in no time :rolleyes:

If you wanna go the whole hog & remove the shock completely... er... its a bitch of a job, because you have to undo the bottom mount through the swingarm!! The R/hand footrest hanger has to come off, to allow you to pass an allen key through a tube welded in the front of the arm. Not recommended unless you have to swap the rear shock ;)

Oh BTW I use an ABBA stand for this job, as it fits on the swingarm pivot. A normal paddock stand is no good because the rear suspension is still loaded.

[A Yerbury]

do the rose joints with grease first as its pretty easy, have you located the grease nipples yet? if still squeaking THEN pay someone.

[syvers]

Not located yet but havent had a chance as it has been pouring down, however will try that first. thanks.

[A Yerbury]

its a very small ballbearing dent on a spring, should be on the back but may be on the front.

[crust]

The rose joints can be greased using an adapter fitting on the end of most grease guns.

Bearing Services Ltd - BSL list these.

Unscrew normal end fitting, screw on adaptor, pump, pump, pump.

Job done. Takes 10 mins.

If you're nipples face forward :rolleyes: then the fixed pipe on a grease gun can be replaced with a flexible one.

:) Crust

[syvers]

Result!!

Thanks for everyones help. Located Greasy Nipples however we were lifting bike up and down and figured out the noise was coming from higher up. Much easier to figure this out with someone helping by the way!!

It was the bar that connects the suspension just under the seat we put a little WD40 on just to test it and squeek was gone so knowing where we needed to attend to we were then able to apply grease after cleaning as much WD40 away as possible.

Hey presto, no more squeeking like a ho's bed springs!! And not only that but have located the nipplies finally!!

Thanks very much.

Syvers

[A Yerbury]

glad you found them, the g spot is trickier. for anyone interested theres a sachs with loop and top bar thing on ebay now, currently 99 pence.