GSXR 1000 K5/K6 Suspension - Swingarm and Shock

Boing Boing Boing!


Although there wasn't much wrong with the rear of the bike, apart from the tired shock absorber, I wanted to replace any worn needle roller bearings in the swingarm and linkages. While the swingarm was out, I could also repaint it because of a few scratches.

With the bearings all ordered, replacement was pretty straightforward. I replaced the two main swingarm bearings too because I could feel the tiniest amount of play in there. This was exactly the same afterwards though, so I guess a tiny bit is normal.

Bearings were removed with hammer and punch when necessary, and using sockets with 12mm threaded bar. They were all pulled back in with the threaded bar, sockets and large washers. Here's the finished linkage.

Scratches were flatted out with 400 then 800 grit paper and etch primer applied to the bare aluminium. Next it was primed, and finally painted with satin black. It came out well considering the chain was still wrapped around it!

The shock, although in need of a freshen up, was going back in. Maybe a rebuild in the future.

A lack of pics doesn't help, but the job was relatively simple and the swingarm pivot tool is definitely needed to avoid damage to the swingarm spindle nut.

GSXR1000 K5/K6 Suspension - The Forks

This is where the fun started.

All I wanted to do was chuck another couple of seals in (not that they were leaking), and change the oil. A cartridge revalve, and maybe even a spring change would have been nice, but costs needed to be kept down so I decided to keep it basic.

Some form of spring compressor is needed to disassemble them properly so it was out with the welder to knock up a quick tool. It ain't pretty, but it works. The bolts, filed down to 8mm on the ends, screw into locating holes on the plastic tube above the fork spring allowing you to push down and compress the spring to allow access to the locking nut below the fork top. 

At least that's the idea. It's useful if you're generously proportioned too because those springs take some compressing! In the end I reverted to two ratchet straps around the tool and then around the wheel spindle reinserted in the bottom of the fork leg. This works a treat, but it's still a two man job.

The following picture will give you an idea of the assembled unit within the fork leg itself. This is what you'll get if you just remove the 8mm Allen bolt from the bottom of the fork leg instead of removing spring first. You can see the cartridge, the spring, the plastic tube and the fork top nut complete with rebound and preload adjuster.

Unfortunately, once engrossed in the forks, the pics stopped, but here's a brief description of reassembly. 

I'd already bought new fork seals off eBay (43x55x9.5/10.5), but as Davey always says "The poor man pays twice" and, sure enough, they were useless... but I was yet to find that out. 

So, cartridge refitted (spring must be removed beforehand), fork tubes together and now we just needed to fill with oil and bleed the damper assembly. This involves filling the fork with the correct grade of oil - don't just risk a "5W" hydraulic oil, this was also my undoing... but I was yet to find this out too. Buy a well known, or recommended, fork oil from a motorcycle dealer because every make of oil and grade has a different viscosity even if it says 5W on the bottle. Another lesson learned.

Around 600ml of oil is poured in, and then you can bleed the damper. The damper rod must be pulled up and pushed back down several times steadily until the resistance is the same all the way through the stroke. There are fork bleed tools you can buy to make this easy. My advice is to leave the fork for ten minutes at this point and then retry to allow any bubbles/cavitation to disperse. 

Now you can set your fork oil height. Check manufacturers recommended heights and ensure the outer leg is as far down as possible. Hold the fork upright and check how far down the oil is. A plastic tube zip tied to a piece of welding rod and a syringe is the ideal way to remove the right amount of oil. Just mark the welding rod at the right height, insert it into the fork leg and suck out excess oil. All good? Cool, time for the spring.

Refit spring, washer and plastic tube. Compress spring, pull damper rod back up through (another piece of welding wire) and fit the special plate (in the pic) above the spring and under the locking nut to hold down the spring while you refit the fork top nut (don't forget to refit the rebound adjusting rod). 

On the GSXR, the lock nut must be exactly 11mm from the top of the damper rod before tightening the fork top nut assembly; this allows for the correct amount of rebound adjustment.

Now the plate can be taken out, the spring compressor removed and finally the top nut can be screwed back into the fork leg. Reset your preload, compression and rebound screws to standard positions, or to your own preferred settings if you'd already experimented previously, and refit in the bike.

So what went wrong???

Where do I start? Well the bike was sat on the stand for about a week while I was carrying out work to the rear suspension when the right fork began to leak! DOH! 
By now the bike was almost back together so I decided to give it a shakedown run first before stripping the fork again. By the time I got back, the leg leg had started leaking - not impressed.

Forks back out, seals obtained from a dealer (not genuine, but Japanese made and a better feeling material), filled with oil, bled again - back in bike. No leaks, but not impressed with feel from front end. Doesn't appear to be any rebound or compression adjustment, bike reacts like a pogo stick. You can still make progress, but the front feels likes it's losing grip when leant over at high speed.

Forks back out to check lock nut adjustment (11mm remember?). All good, and oil height ok. Refit into bike, but no matter what I do to the adjustment, I can't improve the comfort and the bars are hammering my hands on every ride! So at this point I'm considering a different grade of oil, but the more I read about the K5/K6 Gixer, the more I understand that the forks are a weak point unless revalved... interesting. 

Time to give ProMechA a ring.

GSXR1000 K5/K6 Suspension - Steering Head Bearings.

Gixers and Suspenders - Part 1


It's all going on with the K6. A few months ago I decided to carry out a service on the suspension - with around 60,000km on board, it was well overdue. The bike still felt good on the road in fairness, but I like to keep it in optimum fettle (especially with the '10 R6 on its heels). 

So on the list was change the fork oil, steering head bearings and any worn swingarm/ linkage bearings. Tyre wear was good so I assumed the shock was ok...


Three things I bought before starting any of this work were the castellated sockets for the swingarm pivot, the steering stem nut and the engine bolts/nuts (although I didn't actually need the latter). All came from Turbosuzukis in the UK in incredible time! The fit, finish and quality of these tools is second to none. Very impressed and not expensive - kudos to you guys. 


Here's the steering stem tool in action:

Tyre Wear - Pilot Powers, Road Use Only.

Where do we start?


So, first thing's first, the bike needs lifting so all suspension is hanging free. Paddock stands are ok to get the wheels out, but not when you need to remove the swingarm or triple clamps.
The only option I had available was:

1. blocks of wood under the engine/exhaust (make sure the wood is touching the sump, not just the exhaust system)
2. blocks under the sidestand (in its down position)
3. a steel bar bolted to the right hand of the engine (near the front there is a large hole cast into the crankcase) long enough to reach the floor or blocks of wood
4. scrap wood wedged under right hand rear of frame

It's not perfect, but as long as you concentrate on one end of the bike at a time, the bike should remain stable - for the next photo I actually had the entire bike balanced like this. 

Forks or Shock First?


I decided to start with the forks first. Having already ordered linkage bearings for the rear, I wanted to get the yokes out to measure up for taper roller bearings. With only the lower fairings removed, you'll find there's easily enough access to the forks, triple clamps and steering head.


Just remove the calipers, the wheel, the mudguard/fender and the forks are ready to slip out. Undo the clip-on clamp bolt, the top yoke and finally the bottom yoke (triple clamps) and the fork leg should just slide out (twist if necessary to help it along).

It's actually very quick and easy to get the forks out which just leaves the triple clamps. A 36mm nut on the top (if I remember correctly) allows the top clamp to be lifted, and this can just be moved aside leaving it attached to the ignition barrel etc.

If you haven't already done this, unbolt the steering damper, brake hose clamp and the plastic cover from underneath the triple clamp and then you can remove the adjusting/locking nuts. See the very top photo for the castellated lock nut removal (special tool). The lower triple clamp should just drop out, but mine needed a few good taps with a rubber mallet due to corrosion on the stem.

What did amaze me was that Suzuki still use ball bearing races in the steering head - I thought they'd been left back in the days of BSA's etc. So measuring up, I found the dimensions to be 30x55x17 which equates to a 32006 taper roller. Down the local bearing shop and $40 later I leave with a pair of Timken bearings - superb quality, I'm happy.


Order new seals for the bearings when you carry out this job or you'll need to take special care when removing the bearing from the steering stem. I didn't, and needless to say, it took hours with a hammer, chisel, angle grinder and a Dremel just to save the seal. What a waste of a time for a few dollars worth of seal!

A suitable drift is needed to tap the outer cones of the bearing out of the frame (there are slots in the frame to facilitate this), and I actually used a piece of flat bar similar to the makeshift stand bolted to the engine. Tap them out equally, not just from one point or you'll damage/spread the frame tube. 
As you can see, the bearings are badly worn, being heavily pitted and rusty from a lack of grease and, possibly, the odd wheelie. Just fitting new bearings will improve the front end feel a lot.

Triple clamp cleaned up and ready for the seal and new bearings. Tap new bearing on carefully and try not to damage the cage that retains the rollers. Using the old bearing (upside down) to tap the new one on is a good method. Cutting a slot through the old bearing with an angle grinder will ensure it knocks back off easily too (once the new bearing is hit home).


If you're using a hammer and punch when fitting the new cups in the frame, tap them around equally (I use 4 different spots) and work up a rhythm as in North, South, East and West. This allows the bearing to go in square and true. If you knock it in at an angle, you can scrape aluminium from inside the frame, or spread the tube. This could result in loose, or misalignment, of the bearings. 


When a bearing is fully hit home, there will be a distinct difference in tone - normally sharper, or higher-pitched. Listen out for it and give a final few taps to be sure. Now you should be ready to apply a good quality, high melting point grease to the bearings and refit the triple clamps. 


On no account should they be over-tightened. If you're unsure of how to set up adjustable bearings, leave slightly slack until the forks are back in and check for play - then recheck. It's better to be safe and spend a little more time getting this right. Over-tightened bearings will wear out prematurely and impair the steering.

Marco Simoncelli

Absolutely gutted. 
Heard about it the next day on the news and couldn't believe it.
Felt physically sick.

If ever there was a personality and determination to take on Rossi's mantle, I believe Marco was the one.

But it's pointless to talk about "what if", and I just hope the rest of the riders can come to terms with such a sad loss - especially Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi.

Marco Simoncelli brought us real old school excitement in a series most have forgotten about by the following day.

Thank you Marco for providing the thrills in Moto GP that makes motorcycle racing what it is. You'll never be forgotten.

Paddock Stands

Are you still trying to push the bike while lubing the chain?

If you're struggling with maintenance on the bike, a paddock stand is a must have. Now you can lift the bike on your own in seconds - you know it's safe, easy to work on and isn't going to get damaged!

Remove your rear wheel with ease, change the brake pads, clean, lube and adjust the chain. I wouldn't be without one and neither should you.

At this price, I can see why so many bike owners are ordering them up!

Billeigh Photography

What a difference it makes when you use the best equipment. From the tools you use on the bike, to the cameras you use to show them off. Now I just have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3, which is great for close up shots of bikes and general stuff, but when you want action shots, you need to pay a little extra.


Thankfully I have a mate who is a professional photographer and, on top of all that, he rides too! I met Will Course through work and his pics continually blow me away. The cameras he brings with him are worth more than the new Yamaha XT660X he rides, but worth every penny! Just take a look at these and cruise over to his portfolio for a look at this true talent.

2010 R6 - It's new, it's fast and that'll do for me...

A quick(ish) test ride.
The trusty old '99 R6 has been put out to pasture - ok, it's been sold. Dave decided an upgrade was imminent so, after much procrastinating, a new model was decided on. A 2010, low miles, gleaming R6. 'Tis a thing of beauty so it is, and I got to thrash it on a test ride! 


Happy days, although the suspension was hard, and this bike is quite tall, it performed superbly on the mountain. The tyres were practically new, and this caused a few squirms in the first few bends, but then it just came together. In fact, the chicken strips were gone by the time we got back down to the bottom. Good darts.


The rear preload was way too much, for me at least, and I expected to get thrown out of the seat on a few of the rough sections, but the little Yamaha took it in its stride. This was surprising because the bike barely moved when I sat on it. A couple of clicks back on the old-fashioned, but simple, adjuster and the rear end is more compliant. This bike rocks!


I want another go!

Beautiful bike, beautiful scenery, beautiful day... biking.

The bike exudes quality, but I think he might be changing that can for a GYTR version.

The R & G tail tidy has neatened up the rear of the bike, a huge improvement over the stock plate holder! Takes about an hour for a beer-drinking monkey to fit and can be found on eBay for around one hundred of the countries finest dollars. Top work Davy!

Words we've been familiar with forever! Don't fix what ain't broke...