Super tight rear upper shock bolt removal - noob

[SA14]

Id be draining that 3yo fuel out quicksmart  fill with nice new 95Ron and a bottle of petrol injector cleaner and go for a fast ride AFTER fitting the correct washer.

Theres a thread on here about the nightmare that is off fuel and the havoc it causes to the fuel tank and efi system.

The previous owner filled the tank to (almost) overflowing with 98 so no water could condensate and checked the tank before storage for rust and said it was super clean. It shouldn't take me long to use it up and I'm guessing it's still good if not at it's peak ron. Or I spose I could use it for the lawnmower. I'll look for that thread. Thanks for the tip.

[VladTepes]

Cool.
Now if you wish to make your life even more rewarding - move to Brissie !

Too humid for me. Plus you guys are just a little bit crazier up there. My theory is it's because you don't get seasons...lol Discuss. 

My missus - also from Adelaide - still feels the same after 8 years....
What sooks you south Aussies are

[SA14]

Good result.

If you're not refitting the rack I'd put a bigger washer on it, from memory the 'mushrooms' that normally go that are as wide as the 'loop' on the top of the shock. That holds it all in line so the bush won't tear.

I was checking out the manual this morning to see if they mention the size of the washer (they don't) but the thing that sits between the bolt head and the shock's top  mount is called a "hook" (see pic below). Can someone please take a photo so I know what I'm looking for? Is it a hook for a strapping point like on the tail? In the absence of said "hook" I will get a broader washer with an M8 hole but given I'm trying to restore and save this bike from previous "shenanigans" I'd prefer to use as close to a stock part as possible.

Also, with the hook I'm going to need a longer bolt too I'm guessing? Don't suppose anyone has it apart to give me the measurements of the bolt with the hook? I bought M8 x 25mm hardened bolt and may ask about the price of the bolt and hook from Suzuki in case they're affordable.

[SA14]

Cool.
Now if you wish to make your life even more rewarding - move to Brissie !

Too humid for me. Plus you guys are just a little bit crazier up there. My theory is it's because you don't get seasons...lol Discuss. 

My missus - also from Adelaide - still feels the same after 8 years....
What sooks you south Aussies are

Yeah, we're used to a certain lifestyle. The best thing about Adelaide is that everyone else laughs at us for having toff accents and will never move here which is perfect and just how we like it. Adelaide is the jewel of the planet as far as we're concerned. The riding down here is incredible and it's all within 50km of the city with great roads webbing out in all directions.

[SA14]

Update: that "hook" isn't anywhere in Australia and "will have to be ordered from Japan and will take 3-6 months to arrive". So FTS I'll have a local machinist turn one up from the photos and measurements I hope I can get off you guys. Thinking about that washer it makes sense that if the rubber fails the shock could slide off the bolt - no much goodliness there. So as y'all said - "get big washer noob!"

Might go to a proper bolt specialist and get a proper dome head and a proper set of allen sockets with a mini torque wrench for good measure. This all started when I tried to remove it with just an allen key when I should have bought and used a proper allen socket. Also the length of the bolt would be great if anyone has that so I can get a proper bolt, have or adapt a "hook". I wonder if any other motorcycle has that hook attached to the top shock bolt? Can't be THAT unique - shirley.

[VladTepes]

The parts availability from Suzuki is indeed terrible.  I was told they won't air freight and wait until they have a container of stuff that needs shipping.

[Eric GSX1400K3]

Have you checked mick hone parts online? They usually have everything.

Just checked my 1402, has the original upper bolts and bobbins

[Hooli]

Update: that "hook" isn't anywhere in Australia and "will have to be ordered from Japan and will take 3-6 months to arrive". So FTS I'll have a local machinist turn one up from the photos and measurements I hope I can get off you guys. Thinking about that washer it makes sense that if the rubber fails the shock could slide off the bolt - no much goodliness there. So as y'all said - "get big washer noob!"

Might go to a proper bolt specialist and get a proper dome head and a proper set of allen sockets with a mini torque wrench for good measure. This all started when I tried to remove it with just an allen key when I should have bought and used a proper allen socket. Also the length of the bolt would be great if anyone has that so I can get a proper bolt, have or adapt a "hook". I wonder if any other motorcycle has that hook attached to the top shock bolt? Can't be THAT unique - shirley.

You'll need two of the 'hooks', one for each side. They are indeed for bungees etc for luggage. I've got a set of the bobbins (hooks) and bolts sat on my kitchen table, once I've had breakfast I'll grab the vernier from the garage & let you know the sizes.

Those bolts you took out, looked like the correct ones supplied with the Givi rack. The hook/bobbin doesn't fit when you put the rack on so has to be replaced.

[Hooli]

Oh I forgot to say, if you're putting it back to standard one bolt on each side of the grab handle has a  hook/bobbin on that the givi kit removes too. I can't recall if they go in the front or rear bolt hole though.

Have a few pics & a high quality CAD design for the parts. I'll add photos to my next post as my phone is refusing to connect to the PC, again.

[Hooli]

Pics

[SA14]

You'll need two of the 'hooks', one for each side. They are indeed for bungees etc for luggage. I've got a set of the bobbins (hooks) and bolts sat on my kitchen table, once I've had breakfast I'll grab the vernier from the garage & let you know the sizes.

Those bolts you took out, looked like the correct ones supplied with the Givi rack. The hook/bobbin doesn't fit when you put the rack on so has to be replaced.

Thanks for the fantastic photos and "cads"! The rack did have a hook/bobbin attached to the middle of it's frame (pictured) but it doesn't fit into the existing vacated hole on the rear bolt hole of the passenger grab handle. Your bolts look MUCH beefier than the piddly little bolt givi gives for the top shop bolt. I can see why I was having dramas...sheesh.

So even though I have a hook/bobbin it doesn't look like it fits anything (too short for the grab handle hook/bobbin) although it does have 20mm of thread as opposed to the 25mm that was the givi shock bolt and my Chunnings* replacement was based off that bolt. It's not exactly like the factory bolt but I wonder if it'll do the job anyway?

Have you checked mick hone parts online? They usually have everything.

Just checked my 1402, has the original upper bolts and bobbins

No I didn't. I did see him on google though when searching for "Suzuki Motorcycle parts". Will check though. Thanks for the heads up.

The parts availability from Suzuki is indeed terrible.  I was told they won't air freight and wait until they have a container of stuff that needs shipping.

Well that's just dumb. Might have to ring someone in Japan to go and grab one and mail it to me if I can't find or make one in Australia.

* Bunnings is the local hardware conglomerate in Australia but they only (or mostly) sell Chinese crap so I call them "Ch"unnings.

[SA14]

Pic

The hook/bobbin that was screwed onto the givi rack about half way.

The piddly givi shock bolt for comparison.

This plot is thickening nicely.

[Eric GSX1400K3]

You'll could also try machining up your own.

BTW, bunnings is pretty good, they sell Stanley, sidchrome and kinchrone hand tools, dewalt, making, bosch and aeg power tools as well as the usual low end stuff, but you get what you pay for.  Bolts I agree are mainly agricultural use, but can get you out of trouble

[SA14]

They do but they're often the off brand versions not the really good stuff. Makita for example has good gear and chinese gear. My local chunnings has eliminated the knowledgeable tool person from the tools section entirely and replaced it with a teenage muslim girl with a scarf on her head who looks at me blankly when I ask any question about tools. She had to look up what an allen key was and also what a tap and die set was. How they thought that was a good idea is beyond my understanding but I guess di-worse-ity and super (non)equal opportunity for everyone is all that matters these days.

Regarding machining my own, that's exactly what I'm thinking. I'll have to find a local machinist. Seems like a pretty simple job. I even have the givi hook to show as an example for the profile. There is one guy wrecking a 14 here but he won't let me browse the parts. He only wants to know the exact part with a picture so he can go and get it from his warehouse and his prices are over the top. He now gets annoyed when I call so I called for the last time about these bolts and never again. It's ebay, gumtree or England for parts.

[grog]

SA, search gsx1400 luggage bobbins. E Bay.