BMW G650GS Rear Linkage Greasing: How the Job Goes, in Photos

Hello everyone.

I removed the rear linkage (the deflection lever and tension strut) from my BMW G650GS, cleaned it and greased it. This post is a short photo summary of the job. I've written up the detailed stripping and cleaning, and the bearing replacement, in separate posts (links at the end).

How the job goes

1. Remove the linkage

Make the bike stable on its centre stand or similar, then take out the bolts and remove the linkage. When the bolts come out, the swingarm drops under its own weight, so support it as you work. Taking the rear wheel out first makes the swingarm lighter and the job easier.

This is the joint between the rear linkage and the swingarm (the tension strut).

2. Clean the parts and check their condition

I washed off the old grease and checked the collars (bushes) and bearings.

This is the joint between the deflection lever and the frame. There was still grease left.

The rear linkage, collars and bolts after removal. You can see the collar on the left of the photo is discoloured.

A close-up of the collar. You can see rust on the parts that stick out past the oil seals (both ends). Rust like this damages the seals and lets water in, so ideally you should clean it off with regular maintenance.

The tension strut and other parts after washing.

3. Apply grease

I worked WAKO'S multi-purpose grease into the bearings with my fingers and a brush.

4. Refit

With the cleaning and greasing done, refit the rear linkage to the bike. On the bolts that hold the linkage to the bike, I used Omega's extreme-pressure, water-resistant grease (the blue one).

Tighten the bolts to the specified torque with a torque wrench (check the values in the service manual).

Detailed posts

I've covered the stripping and cleaning in detail (the lines and rust on the bushes, and an oil seal sitting at an angle) in this post.

I've covered replacing the bearings and oil seals in this post.