Question for those who have had it off recently (suspension linkage that is!)
 

Took the swingarm and linkage out to clean and re-grease today. It was due for a strip down anyway (which I last did 12K miles ago), but I did get an advisory at MOT time back in October for �slight play in the rear suspension linkage�.

I discovered where the play was almost straight away � it was at the front pivot point where the linkage joins the frame. However, on close inspection there was absolutely no wear or play in the bearings � the problem was with the sleeve being 0.4mm too short and was floating/rocking from side to side! Without the ability to nip up the two ends of the sleeve, the needle roller doesn�t actually do what it should, the whole thing was partly pivoting on the bolt. And as the bore of the sleeve is bigger and the bolt�s diameter, it makes for quite lot of slop.

Here's a picture of the problem. You can clearly see the marks where the alloy body of the relay arm has been coming in contact with the sides of the mounting plates as it rocks and floats from side to side.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps498dae2c.jpg

I�m not sure how this can be � the sleeve can�t have worn down at the ends and got 0.4mm shorter? Or could it? The mounts on the frame can�t have splayed, they�re too rigid and well braced.

Anyhow, I�ve ordered a new sleeve and we shall see how long it is when it arrives. The one I�ve taken out measures 40.5mm.

Now, I am positive that last time I greased the linkage there was no slackness there at all and everything was a tight fit, but as you do, I started doubting myself, and thought maybe there was some play but I never noticed? Perhaps it�s always been like that? Could my bike have been supplied with short sleeve? Possible the frame mounts were welded on incorrectly? Then again, it�s passed every previous MOT (same garage/same tester).

So what I�d like to know is, for comparison, how floppy is/was yours last time you looked�? ;)

I think youre talking about the tenere ? Ive got a x and mine all fit snug as a bug

I remember there was some side to side movement in mine when I had it apart for greasing.

That's the sort of thing I want to hear! ;)

Talking to a few other people, it seems to be common for a lot of Yamahas to have 0.3-0.4mm of end float at the frame pivot. When the bolt is 12mm and the inside diameter of the sleeve is 13mm, it makes for sloppiness.

I'll wait for the new sleeve to arrive, if it's also too short I've got some 0.2mm shims that I'll fit either side.

Finally got it all back together, after waiting nearly two weeks for the parts!

The first "new" replacement bush/sleeve was badly pitted, in worse condition than the 25K mile one I took out! So I had to return it and wait nearly the best part of a week for another one to arrive because they're not carried in stock.

The new bush is the same length as the old one, so resorted to packing out either end with the 0.20mm shims and the whole thing nipped up nice and tight with the recommended torque setting - no slop whatsoever, unlike before. Took some measurements to quantify the play in the linkage cause by the ill-fitting front/frame pivot:

The new bolt diameter is 11.44mm, the hole in the new bush/sleeve is 13.23mm, so the total play at pivot is 1.79mm without the shims, which doesn't sound a lot but multiplied by the linkage ratio gives a noticeable 5.96mm of play at the axle. This is the difference between getting an advisory at MOT time and not. It also means that the linkage doing what it should and pivoting solely on the needle rollers and not a combination of them and the bolt.

Just thinking of pulling mine off...oooerrr missus!!

Are these shims you speak of available over the counter somewhere or did you have them just lying around?

Cheers,

Sandman.

I had them already, but they are commonly available in the sizes you'll need (0.1, 0.15 and 0.2mm) from RC model shops and online.

I shouldn't necessarily bank on needing them though? Some XTZs seem to have snug fitting pivots, yet others, like mine are loose. Luck of the draw really. I think it all depends on how conscientious the person was who welded up the pivot mounts at the time the frame was built. They probably vary between the Italian, Spanish and French built bikes too?

Glad to hear this is 'normal'. Found mine had slop in Bolivia. Bit worrying when you're in the middle of nowhere.

Funny that this thread should pop up!

I've just stripped and greased the swinging arm and suspension linkage. I also have excessive slop at the frame end of the suspension linkage.

The bolt is 11.5mm and the bush (slightly oval) at 13.3 - I haven't measured the slop at the bush ends (I didn't think to).

The other bush's bolts are a nice fit - the play on this is very visible on the bench. Worse on the bike, as can be seen in this Youtube video:



I can readily get shims from Namrick (the Nut and Bolt shop round the corner from me) but it's a major pain as I had to put the bike back together to get it back in the workshop (there's more room outside!).

Oh well, hopefully the shims will fix it. I need it back on the road as I'm off camping near Chemnitz on the 7th Jan.

The video didn't embed - follow this link:

http://youtu.be/Na8-lJEQ5PY

Yep, that's exactly the same degree of play and in the same place that caused my MOT advisory, and caused the need for further investigation.

BTW, the shimming is working, currently no play at all. Incidentally the same MOT tester did my bike this October and remembered the advisory after looking at the sheet and remarked on the snug fitting linkage. I told him I had just cleaned and re-greased everything; apart from the additon of .40mm shims everything was exactly the same as the previous year. His reply was, "we get a lot of Yamahas doing this, never so much the other Jap makes."

You will not see any lateral play because the dog bones are clamped tight up against their respective collars (sleeves) forming an oblong (four defined right angles) and that, together with the bottom shock mount and swingarm pivots clamped up, effectively locks everything in place.

The up down movement you see is caused by the fact that the frame mount collar (sleeve) does not get clamped tightly at each end due to the fraction of a millimetre of end float. Without the ends of the collar being nipped up tight, together with the fact the through bolt is a smaller diameter than the bore of the collar, means that the collar can move up and down a millimetre or so. Even the slightest bit of slop here causes a considerable amount of movement at the wheel due to the magnification effect of the linkage ratio.

What I found if that, because the collar is effectively loose, the bearing at each end wasn't doing anything, the collar was receiving all the load and bearing (moving) on the through bolt. I could clearly see the wear on the bolt from the collar rotating on it which further added to the vertical play in the linkage.

As a side note, I had to replace the collar and bolt because of wear, but not the bearings as they were fine as they'd seen little use. Since fitting the shims nearly two years ago the play has not returned and has not been mentioned again by the MOT tester.

If you have slop in the frame linkage pivot, then the only cure is to fit shims, or get a slightly longer collar machined up (which is what I shall be doing next time I strip the linkage).

BTW I removed all the MPL solid lubricant carrier from the bearings in the linkage and swingarm about four years ago and replaced with waterproof marine grease. The last time I had it all apart everything looked mint. You cannot re-grease MPL bearings contrary to what the service schedule says (there's no room for any), you can only grease the collar. They are full compliment bearings so you can lose the MPL even from new bearings. It is not a cage as such; it's just there to aid assembly and slowly bleed oil into the bearing rollers over time, and this is the problem, the MPL runs out of oil to bleed out and it cannot be replenished (unless you fit a new MPL bearing). Grease (which is just a liquid carrier for the lubricating oil) can be replaced.

Glad you did bring this up again Pepsi, I noticed some slop in my linkage a little while back when raising the rear of the bike up to full extension. With riding on corrugated dirt roads it probably wouldn't take long to wreck the bearings. Mines up for its next service in Oct/Nov & will still be under warranty so I had it in mind to point it out to the Dealer then.
Re-reading this thread by Pleiades it now makes more sense to me having the same issue. With all the Automotive & Industrial suppliers around here I shouldn't have to much trouble finding the required shims if need be. Cheers.

Be wary that the physical condition of the solid MPL bears no relationship to whether the suspended oils within it are present or not. You can have mint looking MPL needle rollers that have no lubricating power left at all as they have given up all their oil.

Glad you've got it all sorted. :023: