Felt a clunk

[trepetti]

.. so this morning I am out for a little ride, and I think I felt a little clunk once or twice when hitting a bump. Nothing really loud, and certainly uneventful, but I want to make sure that nothing serious is going on. I believe that it is in the rear, but it is so small and so fast that i am not sure. At first I thought it was tire/road related, but it happened a second time and sounded and felt the same, and I don't think I could have come across 2 similar debris / texture combinations to make the same noise.

Again I THINK it is the rear.

Maintenance on the bike has been:
New chain and sprockets 2 years ago
New head bearings 2 years ago
New brake pads 2 years ago

I have not put the bike on the center stand yet to probe around, but I have done a visual and all looks good. Once I get to the end of today's 'Honey Do' list I am going to poke around.

The 1 thing I have never touched are the swing arm bearings, so I wonder what they do when they are getting old.

The bike had almost 40k miles on her. Does anyone think I should drop the arm and re grease? I could replace them if need be, and likely will in the off-season anyway.

Also wonder if the shock bushings are noisy, fit I'll know more when I roll up my sleeves and dig in. I intend to look closely and check torque in all the bolts.

I hate things that lessen my confidence in the bike. Any pearls of wisdom from the community?

 

[FinalImpact]

Lower shock bearing is highly suspicious....
CC bike and stick a bar under the tire and lift the tire while holding shock to feel for a clunk. Top is suspect too! In that case, verify the bolt is tight!
G/L...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If you can feel / hear it Tom, I suspect you'll find it pretty quick once on the CC..

You might have someone sit on the bike (while on the CC and front brake held) as you do your lifting, prying, etc.

Please post back what you find..