Front Suspension Work

Rear Suspension Work

• Remove swingarm, linkages & shock (still the original unit, now with 76,000mls on it - that's definitely for the bin!).
• Strip, clean & re-assemble swingarm & linkages.
- New bearing & bush kits.
- Stainless steel collars, spacers & sleeves, if I can get them.
- Clean swingarm & linkages and paint swingarm satin black.
• I've heard some nightmare stories about removing bearings from swingarms & linkages - blowtorch, freezing, hammer & drift, patience, violence, etc. - but I'm the type of guy who would rather buy a tool to make a job easy, even if I'll only use that tool once. So unless a bearing removal tool is incredibly expensive, I'll buy one. Apparently, it's not as simple as that. You need a slide hammer (£50) and the correct size collets (£40 each) to remove a bearing. I haven't seen my FJ's, and my Haynes manual doesn't list dimensions. I don't necessarily have a problem with the cost (like all men, I love tools...), but it looks like I'll only know what size collet(s) I'll need after I remove the swingarm & linkage...
• I plan to use a Hagon replacement rear shock unit (with a blue spring). This choice is based primarily on value (subtle difference to "cost"). Anything I've read about Hagon shocks has been good, and £200 certainly suits my pocket better than £400 for an Ohlins or White Power unit, specially considering that my style of riding would never exploit the difference.

Frame Work