*Rear Suspension Arm Failures* PLEASE READ
- Thread starter JSP
- Start date
rug_burn
Member
.....I don't think so...
I weigh 160. Should not be possible for me to do this without picking the bike up and dropping it on the rear tire. If you've bothered to read the thread, you'll see that this is happened from 4000 miles of normal riding. Improper metallurgy is much more likely than abuse.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
Unfortunately, it is hard to really know if we've bottomed out the suspension harshly. It's entirely possible to ride and bottom out from time to time, and not feel as if it's been overly hard on the bike.
No doubt, though, some of these arms seem to be substandard because normal bottoming out of suspension should NEVER cause this kind of failure.
I would say if anyone is hesitant about the safety of these arms, buying a brand-new set with the same part number as the 2013 model might be a good plan. It's better than waiting around for them to fail. Installation is pretty easy for someone with basic mechanical skills and know-how, but don't do it unless you are sure you can!
That said, my 2012 bike's been ridden pretty hard, with an Ohlins shock from the time it had about 600 miles (7,500 miles on it now) and the linkage arms look to be perfect. I am sure I've bottomed it out a few times.
bimmertech12
New member
If you want to check the compression of your shock, put a ziptie on the shaft. Just slide it back down to the body of the shpck after riding
Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk
Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk
rug_burn
Member
Yeah, those failures are a little suspicious. In fact, the first time I took a good look at the suspension setup, the lightness of that link surprised me. It's on the wimpy side, no doubt. I usually keep my weight on the pegs if I see anything but smooth road coming up; but the few times I haven't seen a dip or pothole, and was sitting back, it's surprising how hard the rear suspension pounded on them, and how hard the seat pounded my ass (no wait- I didn't mean it like that...).
I'm just guessing, but maybe the engineers figured:
- If the suspension is pounded to the limit, something is going to have to break, by definition: it's at the limit.
So if the failure point something with a fairly benign or safe failure mode and is easy to
to see, and easy to fix, it still can be considered a relatively safe design.
To this I would point out that it looks to me like the failure point is quite a ways before anything else is in danger of failure, but I haven't done anything but look at it. Those triangular links ought to be a little tougher, maybe forgings, with a little more strength to resist that buckling we're seeing.
I'm just guessing, but maybe the engineers figured:
- If the suspension is pounded to the limit, something is going to have to break, by definition: it's at the limit.
So if the failure point something with a fairly benign or safe failure mode and is easy to
to see, and easy to fix, it still can be considered a relatively safe design.
To this I would point out that it looks to me like the failure point is quite a ways before anything else is in danger of failure, but I haven't done anything but look at it. Those triangular links ought to be a little tougher, maybe forgings, with a little more strength to resist that buckling we're seeing.
Not to downplay your arm failures, but I happened to be up at my dealership in Utah and asked if they've seen this on any FZ8s. The technician said he's never had to replace these on any bikes in this particular shop. So, hopefully, these are very isolated instances and we can find the root cause before more failure occur.
Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely be inspecting mine every wash and service now
Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely be inspecting mine every wash and service now
YamaHammer
New member
Glock and Sig handguns are regarded as some of the best performing handguns in the world, but if you go to their forums you'll find issues posted by owners.
Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk
Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk
hlmiskelly
New member
The triangular parts appear to failing in a buckling mode, hence the wave shape in them. I agree that these parts are intended to be the weak link in the suspension with their failure preventing more serious damage to suspension parts that are either more expensive or more difficult to replace or more dangerous.
However, since they are failing in a buckling mode the triangular parts could be easily stiffened with some reinforcing ribs on the outside faces. But I do believe this could potentially transfer the failure mode to an undesirable part of the suspension.
However, since they are failing in a buckling mode the triangular parts could be easily stiffened with some reinforcing ribs on the outside faces. But I do believe this could potentially transfer the failure mode to an undesirable part of the suspension.
Rotaryknight
New member
Have a 2013 about 600 miles on it so far. Looks like I'm getting the early signs of scraping. I ride mainly with a passenger
There only 1-2mm of space between the linkage and the dog bone. Light scratches are ok, but when they are deep that's the signs that tell you is in the verge of bending.
I am thinking that the buckling of the triangle links are because of bottoming out during hard cornering. I was just thinking about it a few minute ago when I was taking about leaning in the other thread. There are a few times before it started to bend that I felt like the rear was bottoming out during tight turns where the surface just isn't smooth. City roads are never 100% smooth. When bottoming out during a lean you are putting stress on the linkage in up and down and also side to side in a shearing motion.
So upgrading the rear shock would help deter this issue? Or adjusting it so it's harder? Can you adjust the rear shock on the 2011?
Last edited:
funnelli
New member
Only for preload and if your a bit doughy then your kinda stuffed as the shock is way under sprung. Not wishing to alarm anyone but when I replaced my shock I found that the top bearing/ bushing was completely seized on my original shock, at the time nothing was bent on mine but I do wonder if I had persisted with it if maybe that lack of movement may in future have benn a contributory factor?
I just checked mine and I have some light scratches. Nothing too crazy but I am keeping an eye on it. I am going to have a guy machine me new ones sometime that are stronger and thicker. Will this work?
I would not recommend this. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The scratches are normal, it's the bending that's not. Problem with some custom work is you don't know for sure what the material is, something might not be right.
Just keep an eye on them, I'm at 8400 miles, no sign of any problems, as with most.