RiderSite.com - Motorcycle Forums

I reckon when the thing seizes up, which they do, it'll stop becoming a pivot and become an anvil.

When Revs took my old linkage off he reckoned it partially seized. This was at about 20k of use. The rsv linkage I bought was going the same way. I had him check this out to make sure it was salvageable then I gave it all a good clean and repacked it before I dropped the bike off.

If yours have never been done it's a job worth doing or getting done.

HisNibbs wrote:Jeez, I thought my dog bone linkage was ‘fkd‘ with a mm or so of play from very worn pins, rust and one or two vanished rollers.

Not sure I accept Mango's take on the reason for such an extreme failure though. The expansion of rusting steel embedded in concrete is not a comparison I'd draw. If the pivot had seized then the loads through the dog bone would be very large and enough I reckon to cause the shear failure, I think seen in the photo.

Fair point, Keith. I reckon that's definitely the most likely conclusion upon thinking further about it. That dogbone and its bearings are in a truly horrible state.

blinkey501 wrote: ....... Pm me with the hole centres if you are struggling for a dog bone, if they are the same has the standard falco which i think they are i have a spare to fit

Thanks for the offer Blinkey but the dogbone was replaced last year, after it happened, with new pins and bearings and all packed with the finest maritime grease that Messrs Volvo Penta Marine could supply.
Maritime grease - I'm working on the premise that as it's been developed to withstand the combined rigours of boat outdrives and a seawater environment, it should stand up to a typical UK winter or two. And it's been recommended on other forums.

As for the DB failure itself, and as I said in a previous post; luckily I was upright when it happened. I'd been er' ............ 'making progress' down a long steep hill about 3 miles east of Torrington, Devon and the suspension bottomed out, in every sense of the word (check out pic # 3), right at the point where the road changed from a 1-in-5 descent into a 1-in-5 climb.

I recommend any rider to check this road out, it's the B3227 which stretches from just N.E. of Taunton, Somerset all the way to where it meets the A388 west of Torrington - about 45 miles of (mostly) bike-riding bliss. A long stretch of it, about 30 miles, was the old A361 road to North Devon, now downgraded but all the better for it because it's still got lots of wide open bends and straights, it's camera free, and only a few locals and bikers use it.

As for the DB corrosion, it was only the rear that was affected. The front bearings were rust-free and smooth.

As Martin doth quoth - bring back grease nipples. The car-buying public and safety lobby would never wear something as user-unfriendly as a suspension component that was grease nipple and bearing seal free; so why should we?

Ride safe - and corrosion free.

Well it's been a very quiet year for me as in i've not ridden at all, the poor fut fut has been consigned to the garage due to a nasty problem i've had with my shoulder for the last 18 months preventing me going anywhwere near it, even the poor staintunes have not even seen road use since ithey were fitted over a year ago, the good new is I think i'll be fit enough to ride again in the spring, but the bike is going to need quite a bit of love before it's ridden, never got the chance to get it serviced, and really does need one as it like to guzzle fuel and then some :)

So all going well i'll be up for the marches/norfolk fingers crossed :)

with this enforced lay off, have you managed to grow the obligatory futura beard?

welcome back btw

nope i am very far away from looking anything like gandalf :)

Hiya young Hishy

young and futura owner in the same sentence....

been smoking dung again Ptolemy?

Hi Phil, glad you're on the mend. If you're over this way - work, or whatever - drop in for a cuppa - now I'm an idle work-shy fop, I'm usually arouind. You still got my number?

yup still got your number mart, long time since I had the opportunity to get down your neck of the woods, but if i'm that way i'll give you a shout