Anyone lubricated a swingarm lately?

[Katana07]

Well, i finally parked the bike for good this winter a few weeks ago. I was reviewing the maintenance manual and the couple of things that stood out to me as challenging was swing arm lubrication and the steering bearings. i have an 05' FZ6. it's only got 8k miles on it, but obviously several years old, and with all the problems everyone seems to have on the steering collar especially, i think it would be wise to lube it this winter. any tips would be great. By the way, I did look up the lube on the swing arm in the manual and it just says to lube it. no instructions. lol. i didn't see any zerk fittings though. maybe i missed it. thanks for the help.

 

[deeptekkie]

To my knowledge there are no grease fittings on either point, (swingarm or steering crown). Both must be disassembled, to some degree, to repack.

 

[D-Mac]

Well, i finally parked the bike for good this winter a few weeks ago. I was reviewing the maintenance manual and the couple of things that stood out to me as challenging was swing arm lubrication and the steering bearings. i have an 05' FZ6. it's only got 8k miles on it, but obviously several years old, and with all the problems everyone seems to have on the steering collar especially, i think it would be wise to lube it this winter. any tips would be great. By the way, I did look up the lube on the swing arm in the manual and it just says to lube it. no instructions. lol. i didn't see any zerk fittings though. maybe i missed it. thanks for the help.

Mileage is probably more of an issue than age. There are a few threads around about this and I think it's usually done at 14-15K. If it's been ridden in the rain, it might need to be done sooner. The position also makes it susceptible to heat from the exhaust if I recall correctly.

I'm at 15K and I think I'm going to do mine soon (hopefully when I upgrade the suspension).

 

[Goop]

I did this a few months ago. It's not hard, but having a Haynes manual handy would be advisable. It will walk you through it step-by-step.

I took a few pics (not the best, sorry) of when I was doing the swingarm lube. It will give you and idea of what needs to come apart.