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Rear Suspension Linkage

bpdutton

Member
Member
Putting new tires on the bike and figured I would clean/inspect/service the rear shock and linkage while the rear wheel is off since it hasn't been done since I've owned the bike.  Upon disassembly and cleaning of the linkage, I noticed the needle bearing in the middle bore of the suspension arm was not centered.  (See attached pics.)  One side is about 3/8 of an inch from the outside edge and the other is about an 1/8 inch.  These are pressed in cages so it doesn't move without force.  I bought the bike from the original owner and he kept detailed service records - no mention of any work on the linkage - so I have to believe the bike came from the factory like this.  In looking at an OEM parts diagram online, it looks like there are supposed to be 2 needle bearings in that bore.  (See attached pic circled in red.)  Kind of confused - all needle bearings are smooth, tight and not notchy.  There is no play in any of the bolts/bores and minimal wear for just shy of 50k miles on the bike.  The seals are also in good shape - still pliable with no cracking or damage.  Wondering if I'm OK to grease it all up and reassemble the way it is or should I be ordering new bearings, bolt and seals for that middle bore.  Kind of wanted the bike back together, off the lift and rideable by the weekend - not waiting for parts.  WWCD?  (What Would COG Do?)
 

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Order two bearings would say. Surely at  least one anyway.  Lucky 50k might not last. I have used my seals again save for visibly damaged or hard.

Failing that would at least center it.

Ha! Hate to recommend anything as it has worked in some fashion apparently well and long as is. Sure others with more C10 experience will have thoughts too.
 
[/quote]
I did it due to the self lubricating bushings.
[/quote]

Thanks.....zero upkeep....knew you had a good reason!
 
Putting new tires on the bike and figured I would clean/inspect/service the rear shock and linkage while the rear wheel is off since it hasn't been done since I've owned the bike. Upon disassembly and cleaning of the linkage, I noticed the needle bearing in the middle bore of the suspension arm was not centered. (See attached pics.) One side is about 3/8 of an inch from the outside edge and the other is about an 1/8 inch. These are pressed in cages so it doesn't move without force. I bought the bike from the original owner and he kept detailed service records - no mention of any work on the linkage - so I have to believe the bike came from the factory like this. In looking at an OEM parts diagram online, it looks like there are supposed to be 2 needle bearings in that bore. (See attached pic circled in red.) Kind of confused - all needle bearings are smooth, tight and not notchy. There is no play in any of the bolts/bores and minimal wear for just shy of 50k miles on the bike. The seals are also in good shape - still pliable with no cracking or damage. Wondering if I'm OK to grease it all up and reassemble the way it is or should I be ordering new bearings, bolt and seals for that middle bore. Kind of wanted the bike back together, off the lift and rideable by the weekend - not waiting for parts. WWCD? (What Would COG Do?)
meanwhile... a couple of years later....
Hi bpdutton; I have the same situation with my recently acquired 2006 C-10. While servicing the linkage I noticed the bearings were not installed as per the factory drawing. I don't have the same level of prior documentation for my bike that you have , but in what I do have there is no mention of servicing the linkage in the notes. I assumed a previous owner mucked it up (I call him 'Red Loctite Man' because there apparently isn't a fastener that's too small or trivial to not need a glob of red loctite - even the spark plugs for the love of God). From yours and other's observations, It appears that a Special Person installed these linkages at the factory. My bike has 43,000 km, and from the shape of the bearings it looks like zero service was ever done because every one of the needles in every bearing is frozen in place. The damage is slight however, as the needles took up secondary duty as a bushing.
 
Al, here is a complete C-10 linkage on Ebay with low miles.
Rather than pay $xxx to Kawasaki for just another bearing, why not just buy this and install on your bike?

NOTE: It sez free shipping, but you could pay for expedited shipping to have it by the weekend.
It will probably still cost less that buying the bearing from Kawasaki (If they have it in stock)

Ride safe, Ted
 
That's a great deal on that linkage with those few miles. As an FYI - all I did with mine was (re)center the bearing, lubed it up and reassembled. 4k miles later and no issues. (y)
 
Al, here is a complete C-10 linkage on Ebay with low miles.
Rather than pay $xxx to Kawasaki for just another bearing, why not just buy this and install on your bike?

NOTE: It sez free shipping, but you could pay for expedited shipping to have it by the weekend.
It will probably still cost less that buying the bearing from Kawasaki (If they have it in stock)

Ride safe, Ted
It looks like a great deal, but I'm in Canada and ebay has flagged it (from the vendor I guess) as 'won't ship to Canada'. Anyway, the only parts I really need are the bearings, which are not terribly expensive. Shipping across the border has become a Royal PITA lately... stuff does get delivered, but unless one pays for International Expedited (FedEx seems to be the best in this area) you can only guess when the item will show up.
 
Well, at least you had 1 bearing. after i bought my '06 C10 I pulled the suspension apart to inspect/clean and there were NO needle bearings. bolts riding on the housings. Fortunately I bought the bike with just 3.6K on the odo. Original owner bought it, got sick and passed away. there were a few hundred on the odo. I helped the 2nd owner load it up after the widow sold it to the second owner. the second owner (pastor of the church i attend) put the remainder of the miles on it before i bought it from him. He is NOT a wrencher. takes his bike to the local shop for service. So i have to believe that it came off the assy line without bearings. The reason i suspect that is that '06 was the last year of production. as far as i know the assy line was in Lincoln, NE and was being closed and production moving back to Japan for the C14. So there may have been parts shortages and perhaps everyone there said "screw it" and just shipped it. Maybe disgruntled line workers didn't install on purpose. But I highly expect it was shipped out of the factory without any needle bearings. Of course they're all there now. So finding a '06 C10 with only 1 or, in my case, no needle bearings sounds like it's more common that one would hope.
-tdbru
 
Well, at least you had 1 bearing. after i bought my '06 C10 I pulled the suspension apart to inspect/clean and there were NO needle bearings. bolts riding on the housings. Fortunately I bought the bike with just 3.6K on the odo. Original owner bought it, got sick and passed away. there were a few hundred on the odo. I helped the 2nd owner load it up after the widow sold it to the second owner. the second owner (pastor of the church i attend) put the remainder of the miles on it before i bought it from him. He is NOT a wrencher. takes his bike to the local shop for service. So i have to believe that it came off the assy line without bearings. The reason i suspect that is that '06 was the last year of production. as far as i know the assy line was in Lincoln, NE and was being closed and production moving back to Japan for the C14. So there may have been parts shortages and perhaps everyone there said "screw it" and just shipped it. Maybe disgruntled line workers didn't install on purpose. But I highly expect it was shipped out of the factory without any needle bearings. Of course they're all there now. So finding a '06 C10 with only 1 or, in my case, no needle bearings sounds like it's more common that one would hope.
-tdbru

We’ll crap, guess I’m gonna have pull my 06 apart. It only has 20k on it. But it “wiggles” a little bit above 65 with any cross wind or turbulence.
Checked steering stem bearings, they feel fine.
😬😬
 
ONOBob,
let me know what you see. I hope you don't have any issues. One thing that gave it away when i was inspecting my '06 when i bought it was the grease zerks didn't seem to be sitting in the center of the joints. Hmmm...... that's odd looking..... so if you have no needle bearings, the grease zerks will not be in the center of the joint. with only 1 needle bearing, however, I suspect you won't know until you pull it apart to check and see. unfortunately. Hope you have both needle bearings in each joint.
-tdbru
 
...So i have to believe that it came off the assy line without bearings. The reason i suspect that is that '06 was the last year of production. as far as i know the assy line was in Lincoln, NE and was being closed and production moving back to Japan for the C14. So there may have been parts shortages and perhaps everyone there said "screw it" and just shipped it. Maybe disgruntled line workers didn't install on purpose...
-tdbru
Well, my bike is an '02 so I would hate to think they started this practice 4 years before shutting down the plant. :eek: My rationale for putting it back together with one bearing was simple - it had been that way for almost 50k miles, there was no damage to the bearing, race or bolt, my bike exhibited no handling issues because of it and I wanted to ride that weekend. :cool: I centered the bearing in the bore because that put the hole in the bolt where the grease pushes through from the zerk fitting directly in the middle of the bearing ensuring it got lubricated. And like I said above, I've put 4k miles on the bike since then and have had no issues. Now if there had been no bearings in there it would have been a different story and I think it would have been apparent sometime in the prior 5 years of owning, riding and servicing the bike. The next time it comes apart (if ever) I will make sure I have the bearing(s) beforehand.
 
okay,... I know this is an older thread. But I just stumbled across it, and figured Id post what I found on mine. Very similar situation.

I started disassembling the uni-trak last week in prep for installing my new Hagon shock. I decided while I was there, that I would give it new needle bearings. Pulled up the micro fiche, and was pretty shocked that instead of the two 'short' bearing cups that the factory shows installed in the center hole of the dogbone... Mine only had one. Just by eyeball, mostly centered. Hmmm. Thats strange.
Ha! Then I found this thread, and also some more on mostly the same subject. (search "needle bearing")

There is no evidence of this dogbone or uni-trak ever being taken apart.
My C10 is a 1999, and I know the history of it. Right now the bike only has 14,000 miles on it. First owner bought it new and between 99-2004 put all 14k miles on it. Then he fell into ill health, and the bike sat untouched in a barn from 2004 until I bought it in 2013. In that span, the first owner passed away.

And yes, I probably had no good reason to mess with replacing these bearings... but, im anal and im a machinist and a perfectionist... so theres that. Im sure I probably didnt need to replace 60 or 70% of the stuff that I have. Oh well, lol!

Im not sure just yet how im going to choose to put it back together. I'll cross that bridge once my parts get here from Japan, because I do have some doubt whether I actually get everything I ordered. However I did buy both the longer and shorter bearing cups, ill have an extra or two once im done.
 
okay,... I know this is an older thread. But I just stumbled across it, and figured Id post what I found on mine. Very similar situation.

I started disassembling the uni-trak last week in prep for installing my new Hagon shock. I decided while I was there, that I would give it new needle bearings. Pulled up the micro fiche, and was pretty shocked that instead of the two 'short' bearing cups that the factory shows installed in the center hole of the dogbone... Mine only had one. Just by eyeball, mostly centered. Hmmm. Thats strange.
Ha! Then I found this thread, and also some more on mostly the same subject. (search "needle bearing")

There is no evidence of this dogbone or uni-trak ever being taken apart.
My C10 is a 1999, and I know the history of it. Right now the bike only has 14,000 miles on it. First owner bought it new and between 99-2004 put all 14k miles on it. Then he fell into ill health, and the bike sat untouched in a barn from 2004 until I bought it in 2013. In that span, the first owner passed away.

And yes, I probably had no good reason to mess with replacing these bearings... but, im anal and im a machinist and a perfectionist... so theres that. Im sure I probably didnt need to replace 60 or 70% of the stuff that I have. Oh well, lol!

Im not sure just yet how im going to choose to put it back together. I'll cross that bridge once my parts get here from Japan, because I do have some doubt whether I actually get everything I ordered. However I did buy both the longer and shorter bearing cups, ill have an extra or two once im done.
Interesting discovery! Thanks for bringing it up to my attention.

BTW, if you have trouble sourcing OEM parts from domestic suppliers, give CMSNL a try. They're in the Netherlands, but have the best (in stock!) selection of OEM Kawasaki parts I've seen anywhere, their prices are generally cheaper than the big US places, and their international shipping is pretty reasonable (generally about $15), and I usually get my stuff within 2 weeks (which is often faster than partzilla, who typically cancel some of my items anyway).

I've had some particularly-frustrating experiences recently with partzilla and motosport where I placed an order on items that say "3-4 day lead time", and then after over a week, it gets cancelled because they say it's no longer available.
 
We’ll crap, guess I’m gonna have pull my 06 apart. It only has 20k on it. But it “wiggles” a little bit above 65 with any cross wind or turbulence.
Checked steering stem bearings, they feel fine.
😬😬
Greetings, I saw your comment here and would love to understand more about your wiggle issue. I have a 99 C10 and seem to experience little handling anomalies on the highway. Particularly when a crosswind or truck blast hits the bike. My best way of describing it is the bike feels “nervous”.
 
{Particularly when a crosswind or truck blast hits the bike. My best way of describing it is the bike feels “nervous”}
What you're describing sounds like the issue that people think is caused by the radial tires.
NOTE: I followed a buddy that had the issue. He had radials and a BIG windshield.
He came up behind a truck and the rear of his bike went into very bad wobbles. Scary bad!!

He tried changing to another set of radials with no luck.
NOTE: As I recall, 1 particular brand of tire was the worse.
Think it may have been the Cobra's 3D-XM. (others may recall which tire it was).

He (and others) eventually went to a belted tire on the back and the problem went completely away.
I know the Connie came with Radials so having radials doesn't make sense, but it worked.
Some think that the new Radials have weaker wall strength and that causes the issues.
I think it's the combination of radials and the BIG windshield.

On my C-10 I experimented a different sized rear radial tire (180/60-16) and I'm not having the issue.
But the different tire size is not for everyone "as it's a controversial idea".
ie; (See discussion/ particularly post 31 and 35)

Ride safe, Ted

PS:
2qwk4u442 here's something to consider.
Some have replaced the bearings with bronze or brass bushing's.
In fact; I recently sold a Norm Soucy Lowering Rocker (with a bushing in it) to another COGger.
The bushings in it showed no signs of wear and worked great.


{As you're a Machinist} You could make {and press fit} a single/longer bushing in the hole that originally had 2 bearings).

NOTE:
1) Bore the ID to approx. .001" smaller than what is required & then ream the ID to its finish size after you press the busing in.
2) If you opt for using 1 bushing you would need to add grease holes and passages. (so that it can be easily greased)

Ride safe, Ted
 
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Greetings, I saw your comment here and would love to understand more about your wiggle issue. I have a 99 C10 and seem to experience little handling anomalies on the highway. Particularly when a crosswind or truck blast hits the bike. My best way of describing it is the bike feels “nervous”.

Nervous is a good description.


One thing that helped my bike a LOT was adding air pressure to the rear shock raising the rear end up.
(Thanks to Ted (connierider) for that recommendation at the Carving the Cumberlands rally)
 
I think it's more likely an improperly set up suspension. It's also possible that it's time for suspension maintenance. The 05 that I sold to my next door neighbor has wing size shinko journey radials on it and is quite stable. That bike behaved similarly when I first bought it. I need to put some miles on that thing. It sits too much.
 
Nervous is a good description.


One thing that helped my bike a LOT was adding air pressure to the rear shock raising the rear end up.
(Thanks to Ted (connierider) for that recommendation at the Carving the Cumberlands rally)
I should have explained, that I have a C14 rear shock on mine.
 

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Nervous is a good description.


One thing that helped my bike a LOT was adding air pressure to the rear shock raising the rear end up.
(Thanks to Ted (connierider) for that recommendation at the Carving the Cumberlands rally)
Give me your best description of the seat of the pants and through your hands feel.
 
I liked your description of “nervous”

When it gets really bad I would say It feels like a$$ end is “wiggling around “
AGREED, there were times when I was riding on freshly laid asphalt, that while headed straight down the road, it felt like the rear end was stepping out, exactly like it would feel from a little too much throttle on slippery wet pavement. It wasn’t of a long duration, maybe a second or two, but enough to get your attention. The big concern I had when I felt that was…what would I do in wet riding, I wouldn’t know a real loss of traction from this feeling.
 
Back when I had my 98, mine would feel.like that from time to time. Found out my rear shock had a slow leak at Schrader valve and when I got nervous the rear shock.was at zero...the valve was loose in the inlet. Never got nervous unless I was following behind a semi truck.too.close, waiting to pass!
 
Back when I had my 98, mine would feel.like that from time to time. Found out my rear shock had a slow leak at Schrader valve and when I got nervous the rear shock.was at zero...the valve was loose in the inlet. Never got nervous unless I was following behind a semi truck.too.close, waiting to pass!
You touch upon a good point, the transport truck. Thats an aerodynamic influence, and I am wondering if most of what I feel is simply aero influences on a big fairing that I am not used to. If a gust hits from the side, causing roll, then this will be felt also…as a yaw feeling, aka rear end stepping out.
 
If your new to the Connie, there is a certain amount of movement from the fairings "Bags" in the wind or around other vehicles. A slight Nervousness. So, yes you might just be learning the bike.

What I was describing was a definite issue that others had.
On the ones I mentioned, it was more than a slight nervousness. The rear was stepping out.
I think it was a combination of tire (mebbe weak sidewalls) and a big windshield combination that caused theirs.
On one bike I was following and could see the rear tire moving side to side. Scary!
I think you've checked bearings etc so I doubt that is an issue.
If you suspect a tire, overly inflate or deflate it and see if it changes anything.
If you have a smaller windshield try that.

Ride safe, Ted
 
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If your new to the Connie, there is a certain amount of movement from the fairings "Bags" in the wind or around other vehicles. A slight Nervousness. So, yes you might just be learning the bike.

But on the ones I mentioned, it was more a slight nervousness. The rear was stepping out.
What I was describing was a definite issue that others had.
I think it was a tire (mebbe weak sidewalls) and a big windshield combination that caused theirs.
On one bike I was following and could see the rear tire moving side to side. Scary!
I think you've checked bearings etc so I doubt that is an issue.
If you suspect a tire, overly inflate or deflate it and see if it changes anything.
If you have a smaller windshield try that.

Ride safe, Ted
Yes that entire bike has been rebuilt with new bearings, brakes, tire etc. however they were AllBalls bearings and I am wondering if I might not be best to order up a genuine Kawasaki head bearing kit. I wish I could get a couple of other C10 owners to ride her and give me their impressions. I really should complete the video of my Connie restoration. Maybe youre right, maybe I am simply learning the bike. Big change from the little 550 Zephyr I rode for 14 years. LOL Thanks for the feedback.
 
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