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Rear linkage / swingarm maint., & Abba Skylift clearance issue?

7560 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  RaYzerman
5
Before I become prematurely heartbroken over my idea to use the my Abba Skylift to perform the rear suspension linkage and swing arm pivot bearing maintenance, to those that have done this job before, is the lift going to get in the way of being able to remove everything? I can't fully extend the center stand because of Abba's
crossmember going through that area. Any hope? I thought I remember hearing that the center stand needs to be fully extended at one point to remove. I hope I'm wrong.

What mileage are people lubricating the swingarm pivot/needle bearing? I have seen no posts of bearing failure so thinking of skipping for now since my '16 has only 21.5k miles. I usually don't skip anything, but it seems like it can go a bit. At least double the 16k interval. Opinions?

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You can lube three out of the four (including the most exposed) linkage bearings with the bike on the centre stand and a support under the rear tyre to stop it dropping. If you remove the rear wheel you can also remove the swing arm completely.

In fact the abba skylift just gets in the way (and I have a skylift myself) for work in this area tbh.
When you say the Skylift is in the way, do you mean it can still be done, just with some annoyance? I will move forward with swingarm maintenance as well, if that us the case.

Have you tried to use a standard putbull or similar front fork stand while using the skylift to achieve a level lift?
The Skylift can have the bike level, wheelie or stoppie position based on using the cam strap off the extension arm or not (which is the stoppie nose down).

IMO having the splayed legs of the lift under the centre stand, the extension arm with the cam belt around the swingarm to tilt the bike, and the lift beam right under the engine near the footpegs clutters up the work area unnecessarily.

In fact, using the cam belt around the swingarm to adjust the tilt of the bike means you can't remove the swingarm anyway.
Interesting. I have used all functions of skylift on previous motorcycke but ABBA told me in an email NOT to lift FJR in any way other than "stoppie" position due to they didnt feel there was a strong enough place to strap onto, including swingarm. I was only asking
about lifting it up level for detailing purposes, not for this job. But good to know.
I completed the rear suspension job over the weekend. Thanjs for the input on my lift especially. I appreciated the Skylift, even though it does get in the way. I opted to not service the swing arm pivot's 1 needle bearing. I will look at that in 16-32k more miles.

It seems two of the three bearings in the relay arm didn't really need lubricated at all. The little clear plastic sleeve inside retains grease and prevents most water intrusion. The one without the sleeve was a little more dry. I lubricated all three anyway with fuch's waterproof grease. I also cleaned & lubricated u-joint/output, drive shaft, and diff splines with loctite moly.

The only things that I have left to do maintenance-wise is spark plugs (even though 21k is a bit early), & replace my brake and clutch lines with steel braided. I know Yamaha recommends replacing the lines every so often at an overly-cautious interval. I like to convert to steel braided for the brake feel on every bike I own. I usually use Galfer's lines. If there's any go-to lines for the FJR that anyone wants to share, feel free.
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Hi, can I ask for pictures of how you have connected to the swingarm To have it level?
Unfortunately, I'm only able to lift the rear. The Abba Skylift by itself cannot make the FJR level for two reasons, one, nothing to connect to and two, Abba doesn't believe the swing arm is strong enough to be able to support the bike that fashion. I used a jack stand for the front which brought both wheels off the ground at the, enough for me to do the rear suspension work. It didn't feel incredibly stable for some reason., when assisting the Abba with a stand like that. I don't know that I would really recommend this method in the long run.
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