Rear Suspension Linkage Overhaul

Undo and remove the bolt that connects the drag link to the frame.
The bearing sleeve will remain inside the drag link which will swing down.

To keep the bolt safe you can put it back through the frame mounts like it is in this picture.

There are three Torx bolts on the suspension linkage, each circled in red in the picture. You will destroy the heads if you try and use a normal hex socket, so you will need a set of Torx sockets.

Loosen all three of them using the Torx bits

Remove the bolt that connects both the linkages to the bottom of the rear suspension unit.
The drag link can then be taken off.

Make sure you put the bolts somewhere safe. I use a magnetic tray to even if I knock it, the nuts and bolts dont go anywhere.

Then remove the long bolt that secures the drop link bearing sleeve to the swingarm. It should just slide out.

Next comes the bearing sleeve extraction.
Lots of people have nightmares with this job, but the there is a very simple way of doing it. Use a slidehammer.

Using my home made slidehammer tip (See the tools page) is simplicity itself.
Screw the tool into the bearing sleeve which is internaly threaded

Support the end of the swingarm with a jack.
It doesnt take any weight, its just so that the slide hammer and sleeve clear the end of the exhaust.

Screw the slide hammer on.

And tap that baby straight out.
Looking at the state of the sleeve as it came out I already knew that the salt has been in here too and its not looking good.

There is an alternative method if you dont have a slide hammer.
Credit to www.richard-halford.co.uk for this tip.

Thread a long M14 bolt into the bearing sleeve through a spanner and tighten the nut to draw the sleeve out a short way
When its moved as far as it will go, remove the bolt and add a second ring spanner, then a third and so on.

Make to make sure you use ring spanners that are large enough to allow the sleeve to pass through them.

Keep adding a spanner after eact time you draw the sleeve out a bit further. You may need to use a small bit of steel tubing if you run out of ring spanners as I did in this picture.

This method is a pain in the arse and you have to be careful not to damage the plating on the swingarm, but it does work if a little slow.