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Noisy rear suspension (GL500 SilverWing 1981)

7K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  bc30se 
#1 ·
My mono shock rear suspension make a screeching noise whenever I sit on the bike or move it. I discovered the noise is coming from one or more of the rear suspension linkage's bushings. I have the Shop Manual and it shows the various bushings with the mention to lubricate them upon reassembly. I'm not the first owner of the bike but I strongly suspect the rear suspension is original. It does seem to work OK so I don't want to dismantle it just to grease a couple of bushings. My questions:

-Could I remove the creaking bushings' bolts and lubricate them without dismantling the whole setup?

-Will the linkage fly out in my face or dislocate if I remove one bolt at a time, grease what's behind the bolt and re tighten the bolt before proceeding to the next one?



Thanks in advance for your help.



Jacques Pagé
 
#2 ·
I think I would wait till you have time to take it all apart. There are a lot of bushings that should be cleaned and lubed. There is also the swing arm roller bearings and maybe service the shock as well. If you put it up on the center stand, you can do a little at a time with little risk, but if it is talking to you, I would say a good lube is in order. I'm lucky to have grease fittings on my GL, so you can stay ahead of the problem. I rode with a guy last week that had a GL in need of lube and it was making a nasty sound over every little bump in the road.
 
#3 ·
You can't get the grease to where it's needed from there. This page might help, I have to get around to mine too, it started squeaking last year.
 
#5 ·
Nothing will fly apart and hit you in the face - not like pulling the fork caps off and springs flying if you are not ready! So that is all good. It's a bit of a task but worth the trouble.
 
#6 ·
You really will have to rmove the Pro-Link unit from your bike to do this job properly.From what you are saying I would say it has not been serviced in a long time and unfortunately you will probably have a difficult job removing the very front nut and bolt due to acess.Without service the bolts can freeze to the sleeves (collars) and the sleeves can freeze to the bushes.You will need PB Blaster or whatever you can get (I use Inox and find it great)Follow the manual regarding replacement of sleeves and bushes,I reckon you will find a lot of damage on the outside of the sleeves where they mate up to the bushes.One repaired grease up with a good HD grease,I mix a little Moly 60 in with it,then,once a year strip down clean and regrease as part of your general maintenance-you will find they come apart easily.-I have three bikes all with Pro-Link and I can do a clean and regrease in about an hour.Good luck.-WK
 
#8 ·
After reading the Zerk write-up, I too am considering it. Without them installed, I can't even see how grease gets in there at all.




Just checked at powersportsplus.com on pricing, just over $100 top replace these bushings. Mine are scored, but not crazy, I'm going to install the Zerks, and reuse these old bushing. The "grooves" will provide area for the grease to reside. right?…
 
#9 ·
You still need to get gease in between the collars and the bolts and Zerks will not do this,only stripping down will.Stripping also gives you the opportunity to examine bushes and sleeves.I doubt if the grease I use would go through a zerk,way too "sticky",is used in the mining industry and that is a very harsh enviroment._WK
 
#12 ·
AF, Don't think anyone can answer this because the answer depends on the condition when its disassembled.

Could be as low as a bit of grease for cost and some time.
Or
Could be as high as replacement of all parts for cost and more time.
Or
Could be anything between the 2 ends.


I would plan a Saturday and a Sunday for disassembly. Then see what is on my hands for the next steps.
 
#13 ·
On a very good day the time is about 3 hours for me - that is is everything comes apart easily. On a Stubborn pro-link it can be a very difficult task. Typically the job is all labor and no parts it will be helpful to have a wire wheel on electric motor to clean the rusty bolts and you need grease or the recommended Molly paste. I usually do this task any time I already have the pipes and H-pipe off the bike.
 
#14 ·
Hey everyone! I'm new to the motorcycle world but I am getting a 83 Gl500 from my father who has had since I was a baby with this same issue. I know it would be cheaper to do this myself but if I took the bike to a shop do you know how much they would charge if all the rear bushings needed replaced with labor? Roughly of course. This bike is so bad with the squeaking and I know he never did any kind of maintenance to them so I'm sure they all need replaced. TY in advance!
 
#15 ·
If you go to a shop which arm and leg do you not need??? Take your time and you can do the job yourself. For a first timer, if the collars come out fairly easily, figure 3-4 hours to do a really good job. I can usually do the job in 1-2 hours, depending on if the collars are stuck or not.

I usually put the bike on the centerstand, put a tie down strap between the centerstand and the front of the engine so it can't be knocked off the center stand while moving all that ProLink stuff in and out of frame. You have to take off the exhaust also to get the one bolt out of the frame. I support the swing arm with a block of wood rather than try to lift the wheel and swing arm during assembly and disassembly.

I prefer to not use zerks, because then I know that I have removed the old/dirty grease. If you have to hammer the collars out use a Dremel and grinding wheel to take the mushrooming off the end of the collar. There have been some I have disassembled that required a vice and 4lb hammer to take the collars out. Be careful not to bend the casting if it requires a big hammer to get them out. I will put the casting over the opening of a vice and hammer away. You want to use a bolt or nut almost perfectly the size of the collar between the hammer and the collar to punch it out. Be sure to read the manual as there are two bushings that are not designed to come out without a press.

Once the collar is out I clean the bearing surface with a drill and 12 gauge brass shotgun cleaning brush.

Rarely does anything need replacing, but rather a lot of cleaning. I have also found out that really heavy CVJ grease tends to keep the squeaks away longer than Moly60 does. I usually do several peoples bikes a year with the dreaded squeak. When I am done it usually will last 15-30K before it needs to be redone depending on riding conditions. Usually that means every 3-5 years, unless you ride a lot or in bad riding conditions.

Also, if the caps on the ends of the bushings are rusty I have found a steel cone shaped Dremel brush does a very good job of removing the rust. Just be careful not to chew up the rubber inside.

The important thing is that there is no free play with the bushing front to rear when trying to move the bushing with your fingers inside the bushing after everything is cleaned and lubed. A little side to side free play is okay. That info came from a Honda dealer that was in the business for over 50 years. If you have questions PM me with your phone number and I can talk you through it.
 
#16 · (Edited)
If you need new shafts please remember I can provide them....

and if you are ready to put it back together, remember to use a superior lubricant, I can recommend Fuchs Gleitmo 850 on my part, also Molykote Tp42 or a high content moly paste (but not Ngli mos2 axle joint grease)

THe same pastes should be used on the splines, rear tire, final shaft joint etc.
 
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