do i grease the bushings on the lower part of the shock?

brucewayne

Well-known member
the haynes manual says to just grease the bolt. im pretty sure this was the part that was sqeeking since also saw a slight but of rust before i cleaned it. the manual says to grease the swingarm bushings and bolt ... but that makes me think i should grease the shock bushings too.
 
why not? it won't hurt it.
 
I'd use silicone lube. Rubber & oil don't agree
 
Make, model, year, please ...

A good many bikes use needle roller bearings in that location. Others use a ball joint. Others use a rubber bushing. There may be other designs.

Rubber bushings pressed into the shock eye with a bonded steel sleeve inside (through which the bolt passes) are not designed to be lubricated. (Same design that automotive control arms use at the pivot points nowadays.) The pivoting is done by flexing the rubber - lubrication is not needed (and can ruin the rubber if you try).

The others can benefit from being greased now and again ... but you have to take it all apart to get grease inside beyond the seals.

If you merely have the bolt out ... a light coating of grease can stop it from rusting and being extremely difficult to remove in the future.
 
I think the stock shock on those uses bonded rubber bushings top and bottom - maintenance free. Only needs a light coating of grease on the bolt to discourage it from rusting/seizing and that's only if you have it apart for some other reason. Swingarm pivot needs grease, but it's not a scheduled maintenance item - only clean and re-grease if you have it apart for some other reason.
 
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