Loud squeak upon suspension flex

[Bill Lumberg]

Last week, I started getting a loud deep squeak when the suspension on the bike is flexed. With the engine off, as in when getting on or off the bike, when I plop down or get off, I get a crunk sound, but more rusty door hinge than lil jon in nature. What needs lubing, and is this normal? Bike had normal lube points hit at last maintenance interval, but I've been in the rain a lot....

 

[FJRay]

I would suspect rear suspension pivot points. A general service won't do. It takes a fair bit of disassembling to get them all. You don't want to wait until something breaks and the suspension isn't there anymore.

 

[PhilJet09]

Disassemble and lube everything that pivots even a little bit in you rear suspension. This will require removing the center stand, so you'll have to come up with another way to support the bike. Don't forget the upper and lower shock mount points as well. Use a good waterproof grease.

 

[Just Krusen]

I had it happen last year. I gave the pivot points a little shot of silicone spray and the noise went away. It's been quiet now for over 10,000 miles. I still plan to tear it apart later this year if I ever get a chance.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Wow. On a 6 month old bike you need to disassemble and lube?..... I'm going to spray where it moves. Not about to disassemble at this point. But will print and file advice for service well down the road. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Queensland Ken]

Did my 2014 @ about 700 kms, the relay arm bearings were totally dry, no lubrication at all.

You can service most of the relay arm and important bearings in situ without too much trouble.

You just cant remove the arm due to the linkage bolt #23.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

What lube do you recommend for this particular application, keeping in mind that this round of living will be, as you said, in situ?

 

[Queensland Ken]

I use Loctite Nickel anti-seize lube, fairly good for that application.

Do a search for it's tech specifications.

Henkel make a few different types of suitable lubricants such as Loctite Moly Paste which is fairly good as well.

 

[PhilJet09]

Wow. On a 6 month old bike you need to disassemble and lube?..... I'm going to spray where it moves. Not about to disassemble at this point. But will print and file advice for service well down the road. Thanks for the advice!

Well, if it's making the noises you describe, it's very dry and the best way to prevent problems is to disassemble and lube. Squirting a penetrating type lubricant in the pivot points may provide temporary relief, but it doesn't really address the problem. Your real concern here is corrosion, which you can't really prevent without disassembly.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Your bike is 6 months old? Take it to the dealer and let them fix it.

 

[RaYzerman19]

It's not advisable to neglect the pivot lube job. I'd use a good waterproof marine grease or equivalent. The idea is to lube and deter water intrusion into the pivot bearings and bushings. Even though there are seals on them, Mama Yamma could have used a lot more grease inside. I wouldn't worry too much about the upper shock mount, but a spray lube wouldn't hurt there.

I keep a spare pivot assembly all greased and ready to go, so it's easy to change out. Plenty of forum info on removal of centerstand and putting the two bolts back in the opposite direction for easier future removals.

 

[Fred W]

Listen to this guy ^^^

The suspension relay arm pivots' worst enemy is corrosion, and it hangs way down in the full blast of road spray from your front wheel. It is known to come with far too little grease in the pivot bearings to protect them from corrosion, and (unlike the drive shaft that everybody loves to lube at at every opportunity) is an often neglected service item because it is such a PITA to get at them. The pivots do not rotate much, relatively, and they are not subjected to particularly heavy loading, so no need to use any exotic moly based lubes, just a good water resistant grease is best.

Once you have slathered them up well, ideally with some marine grade wheel bearing grease, they will fare a lot better, and for longer duration, in the harsh environment that they are subjected to down there.

Many folks have tried in the past to come up with workable schemes to make the lubing of these pivots less painful, such as by drilling and installing grease fittings, but due to the bearings' design none have been very successful. The good news is that once you have learned how to do it, suspend the bike some so the centerstand and suspension links can be removed, it's a lot easier on subsequent times.

 

[bluesdog]

While I'm a big fan of moly, it is inappropriate for lubing bearings. I use a quality synthetic waterproof bearing grease for bearing assemblies.

As noted, the suspension relay pivots are a PITA to service, mainly because of the necessity of removing the centerstand, as the bracket interferes with accessing one of the bolts on the damn thing. iirc, there's a post somewhere detailing how to remove a portion of the centerstand bracket with a 'dremel' grinder in order to gain the necessary room.

Most, including myself, end up just removing the centerstand.

The upper shock bolt is also annoying, as it is difficult to access the starboard end -- there's a small clamp for one of the brake hoses that, at least on my bike, had to be temporarily removed to allow access to the right side nut.

Also, the first time I removed those shock bolts in order to fit a Penske, I had to use some serious force just to release them. Either they were excessively torqued, or had become overtight some other way. In any case, I suggest using a breaker bar on each end of the reluctant bolt(s). Another set of hands would be helpful here.

Good luck

 

[BanjoBoy]

Your bike is 6 months old? Take it to the dealer and let them fix it.

^THIS^

HotRodZilla, alwayz the voice of reason!