How to Grease Dirt Bike Linkage and Swingarm Bearings

Step By Step

1. Know what you’re servicing

   The linkage (rocker and pull rod) and the swingarm pivot each turn on needle bearings. They only rock a few degrees, so the grease never gets moved around, and water that gets in stays there.

   Service interval

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS (race)	Linkage 15 h, pivot 45 h	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 41 (check shock linkage every 15 h, swingarm bearing play every 45 h)
   Husqvarna TE 250 / 300 (enduro)	Linkage 15 h, pivot 45 h	Husqvarna TE 250/300 2026 owner’s manual, PDF p. 54 (shock linkage every 15 h, swingarm bearing play every 45 h)
   KTM XC-W, EXC, EXC-F, XCF-W (enduro, no linkage)	Swingarm pivot 45 h	These PDS bikes have no linkage. Swingarm bearing play every 45 h. KTM 2026 XC-W OM, PDF p. 54; KTM 450 XCF-W 2025 OM, PDF p. 53
   Honda CRF250R / CRF450R (race)	Lube every 7.5 h	Honda CRF250R 2025 owner’s manual, PDF p. 44 (swingarm and shock linkage, every 3 races; RX every 2 races)
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F (2026, race)	Every race (2.5 h)	Yamaha YZ250F and YZ450F 2026 owner’s service manuals, PDF p. 94 (inspect, lube and retighten swingarm and linkage)

   Check your manual’s schedule. Ride in mud, rain or sand, or pressure wash often, and service sooner.

2. Why washing kills them

   A pressure washer pushes water past the seal lips into the bearings. The grease washes out, the rollers rust, and the joint gets notchy or loose. Rinse pivots gently and keep the jet away from them.

   Careful. KTM says never aim the jet at bearings and keep the nozzle at least 60 cm away. Honda says to avoid suspension pivot points with a high-pressure washer.

   Shop tip. KTM’s manual says to lubricate moving parts and pivots once the bike has cooled after a wash.

3. Check the swingarm for play

   With the rear wheel off the ground, grab the back of the swingarm and push it side to side. You should feel no clunk. Then lift the wheel through its travel. It should move smoothly with no notches or binding.

   • Lift stand

   Shop tip. Yamaha checks the pivot nut torque first, then side play and up-and-down movement. Play or binding means bushings, bearings or collars need attention.

4. Check the linkage moves freely

   A sticky linkage holds the rear up. Measure rider sag twice, once after pushing down about 15 mm and once after lifting up about 15 mm. If the two differ by more than 4 or 5 mm, Race Tech says the linkage needs attention.

   Shop tip. For a clearer feel, take the bottom shock bolt out and move the wheel through its travel by hand. It should swing freely without any catch.

5. Take it apart

   Support the bike by the frame. Remove the bottom shock bolt, then the linkage bolts and, for the swingarm, the pivot bolt. Tap stuck bolts out with a brass drift. Pull the collars and pop out the seals.

   • Sockets
   • Mallet and brass drift

   Careful. The rear drops as the linkage comes apart. Keep a hand or a block under the wheel.

   Shop tip. Lay the parts out in order and note which side each bolt went in. Yamaha fits some linkage bolts from the right and some from the left. A seized pivot bolt can need a press, so that is a fair job to hand to a shop.

6. Clean and inspect

   Wipe out all the old grease and look closely. Pitted, rusty or flat-spotted rollers or collars mean replace the bearing and collar as a set. Replace seals that are torn or hard.

   • Rags
   • Brush
   • Seal-safe solvent

   Shop tip. Needle bearings are pressed into the arm. Removing and fitting them takes a bearing driver or press and the right depth, so many riders let a shop press new ones in.

7. Grease and reassemble

   Pack grease into the needle rollers, coat the collars and the seal lips, and fit the seals. Grease the bolt shanks so they come out easily next time. Slide the collars and bolts back in the order they came out.

   • Grease

   Grease for linkage and pivot bearings

   Bike	Spec	Source
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F (2026)	Moly (MoS2) grease	Yamaha YZ250F 2026 OSM, PDF p. 196-197 (linkage) and p. 201 (swingarm): molybdenum disulfide grease on bearings, seals, collars and bolts

   Use the grease your manual names. If it names none, use a quality waterproof bearing grease.

   Shop tip. Yamaha fits the seals with the lips facing inward and warns not to grease the bearing outer race where it presses into the shock.

8. Torque the swingarm pivot

   With the swingarm in place and the bolt through, tighten the pivot nut to the manual torque. Then check the swingarm swings freely with no side play.

   • Torque wrench

   Swingarm pivot nut

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS MX (M16x1.5)	100 Nm (73.8 lbf ft)	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 74 and p. 160
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F (2026, M16)	75 Nm (55 lbf ft)	Yamaha YZ250F 2026 OSM, PDF p. 69 (YZ450F, PDF p. 67); lithium-soap grease on the threads, PDF p. 202

   Honda’s 2025 CRF-R owner’s manuals print no chassis torques and send you to the service manual. Use the value from your service manual.

   Careful. The pivot nut holds the whole rear end. Use a torque wrench, not feel.

9. Torque linkage and shock bolts

   Fit the linkage bolts and the shock bolts and torque each to its own value. Then push the rear down a few times and check it moves smoothly through the stroke.

   • Torque wrench

   Linkage and shock bolts

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS MX	All 60 Nm (44 lbf ft)	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 160 (M16x1.5 linkage, M10 shock with Loctite 2701, PDF p. 73-74)
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F (2026)	70 / 80 / 56 / 53 Nm	Yamaha YZ250F 2026 OSM, PDF p. 69 (YZ450F, PDF p. 67): relay arm nut 70, connecting arm nuts 80, shock upper 56, lower 53 Nm

   Honda’s owner’s manuals don’t list these. Use the torque table in your service manual for every linkage and shock bolt.

   Shop tip. KTM fits the shock bolts with Loctite 2701. Yamaha checks these torques before every race.