[mossman77]

I'm wondering if it is okay/advisable to clean the suspension linkage bearings and steering head bearings thoroughly with brake parts cleaner or if simply wiping the old grease off and adding new grease is sufficient. I realize the needles will need to be removed, but that's fine. I'm up for the tedious task, but only if it would be worth the time.

[JimDirt]

The question is , are they "feeling" gritty or notchy ?? , if they feel like they are notchy when you spin them , then think about replacing them , if they feel fine , but you are just doing routine maintenance , then yes you can completely clean them without worry , i use mineral spirits in my parts washer tank , but i take my linkages and clean them thoroughly in that at the end of the season , and then repack everything using Maxima (or equivalent) Waterproof Grease and am good to go

[mossman77]

Just routine maintenance. I figured I'd clean and lube the steering head bearings while I'm in the process of changing the fork seals, bushings, etc. I might as well do the swing arm linkage as well because I'm sure it has never been done. I already did the shock linkage a couple weeks ago. Is it possible to access the swing arm pivot bearings without removing the rear wheel, chain, and drive sprocket? I was hoping to I could just remove the lower shock bolt, remove the swingarm bolt, and drop the arm downward to get access. I would be careful so that the brake line isn't stressed.

[riddler9]

Just routine maintenance. I figured I'd clean and lube the steering head bearings while I'm in the process of changing the fork seals, bushings, etc. I might as well do the swing arm linkage as well because I'm sure it has never been done. I already did the shock linkage a couple weeks ago. Is it possible to access the swing arm pivot bearings without removing the rear wheel, chain, and drive sprocket? I was hoping to I could just remove the lower shock bolt, remove the swingarm bolt, and drop the arm downward to get access. I would be careful so that the brake line isn't stressed.

Swingarm and linkage bearings require complete removal of the swingarm from the bike, meaning the wheel is coming off. The sprocket stays on the wheel, the chain stays on the bike, just unbolt the chain guide from the swingarm. The swingarm uses needle bearings that can be quite intimidating if you have never done them before. Let me know if this is something you really want to do - I can give you a step-by-step on how to go about it.

On the general subject of cleaning bearings, you really need to be careful with bearings that have grease/dust seals, such as the lower stem bearing. Brake parts cleaner, contact cleaner, etc. can attack the rubber. Also, some of these same chemicals can strip protective coatings that may be on the bearings. Personally, I wipe off as much as I can with a quality paper towel then flush with CRC Mass Air Flow cleaner (will not damage plastic/rubber/seals), then blow out the now broken down grease with about 20 lbs of compressed air. I will also follow up with WD40 then more air if the grease did not release to my satisfaction, then clean the WD40 off with more CRC. Letting all this stuff dry out before applying new grease is very important. In the case of needle bearings, I put some WD40 in a plastic container then swirl the needle bearings around in it. None of this works for wheel bearings - for them I simply clean out the old grease from under the seal every 15 - 20 hours using a paper towel and the apply fresh grease.

[mossman77]

Thanks for the advice. I have a can of MAF cleaner, so I'll use that.