Rear shock questions

[Stubsy]

How can I tell if my rear shock is sagging or if its the spring rate? I feel as though my rear is very low but the rear shock still acts as it should. Havent bottomed it out but I haven't really tried. Any ideas?

 

[Blender]

does the bike have linkage rear? sounds to me like some of the bearings may have collapsed, as long as you still have the outer and inner bearing race, you should be able to get replacement items

 

[Cordogs]

How much is it sagging bud? I've always understood that its good to have a 25 to 50mm of static sag.
But there's always variables to screw up the equation. How does it feel when you relieve the shock weight? Eg: from the point of sitting on its own weight to you lifting the back wheel of the ground via the rear frame?

 

[Stubsy]

yeah bike has linkage. don't think ive busted a bearing but ill look deeper. lifting the rear there is a fair bit if distance. ill take measurements and pics. its a dnm rear shock with the res

 

[Qwerty1234]

I believe the only thing that's pushing the rear end up is the spring, and everything else is to do with dampening. I.e. the shock will slow down the rate of compression and rebound, but it in itself is not going to exert any force in a neutral state

So it could be a worn out spring (unlikely) or a flogged bearing
Quite simple to diagnose, get the bike off the ground. Grab the wheel and shake it left to right from both the sides and the top/bottom. Do the same with the swingarm itself, as well as the shock and linkage. Remove pieces and repeat. You'll soon find if a bearing is cactus and causing extra movement, you'll also know if they are stiff/notchy once you remove the wheel and the shock and take everything through its range of motion without resistance. Everything should be SMOOTH. Swingarm should not hold itself up for instance, it should smoothly move from bottom to top, and drop to the bottom when you let it go, same with all the linkage parts. Of course if they are smooth but flop around then that too is bad

Either way, it doesn't take long to remove a swingarm and give everything a good greasing. Even removing bearings isn't too bad as long as the bikes not too old. It sucks when they are rusted in.....
Whatever the case is, I love regreasing bearings. They make everything so much smoother and generally nice. You can tell a HUGE difference between a bike that see's a bit of grease and basic care. Friends Dpro 140 only has 16 hours on it and the rear end felt CRAP. Very harsh and resisted compression and rebound. Removed and regreased everything on the rear, now its fantastic and feels so much better bouncing up and down. There's a distinct lack of grease on any bike, but chinese ones are... yeah... what grease?

It's always best to do this when the bikes brand new before everything starts to really set. Axle's for instance, some people say don't grease them, I say they're silly. A greased axle slides in and out easily with just hand strength. After a few months/years if they havn't seen grease they're a right prick to remove and often need a big hammer. Same thing with bearings. It's MUCH easier to remove bearings that have had the outer races greased, than rusted in ones

 

[Stubsy]

thanks bud for that. ill measure lengths etc when I get a chance. maybe I need a stiff spring too. on my last bike was a 1000lb. don't think it is on this one. im 90kgs too

 

[Cordogs]

How's the house hunting going champ?

 

[Stubsy]

done bud! sign the contract Friday. got one in mountain creek. probly be living there end of the year!!!!