Been experiencing some clicking noises on the rear of my EX8 and up until now I thought it was the ferrules on the gear cables.

After lots of grease and tests I now know it is the shock. It seems to happen in the first 10mm of travel when pressure is on the shock and then taken off (2 noises).

Has anyone else had similar issues and if so, what was the cure?
The shock has seen 600 miles but has been cleaned after every ride, and fork juice applied to keep it smooth.

The noise is now driving me mad! and no level of ignoring it or Ipod volume helps.
Help?

Sounds like the shock bushes are worn. Does it click when you lift the saddle gently?

I don't know if this helps, but I recently bought a 2010 RP23 from TFT, on their notes it says 'you may notice a knock from the ProPedal, this is the shuttle between compression and rebound and is inherent in this damping system.'

So… it might be that they all do that. Might be worth giving TFTunedShox a bell and asking them if it sounds normal. Good people and very helpful.

Yeah it does. I started with the saddle in my investigation as it is that type of noise. Do bushes wear out in 600 miles?

Or yeah, it could be the bushes. And yes, they can wear out in 600 miles, it may just be one. Betd and TFT both do uprated replacements btw.

The pro pedal can make that noise,can sound louder on some frames as they act like a sound box. Does nt effect the working of the shock

Check the bolts holding the shock in aren't over-torqued

Cheers for the advce guys. Pivot bolts have been slackened off and previously removed and lubricated so they are fine. Shock was fine 4 weeks ago and noise free.

TFT heavy duty bushes look good.

Bushes fitted today and the click is still there.

Have sat on the bike with all cables loose and out of their mounts and still it clicks.

I have let the air out of the shock and it still clicks.

I have GT85'd all of the pivot bearings inside and out and also loosened of the shock securing pins so will see what it is like tomorrow.

Whats next? Pivot bearings?

i would say pivot bearings!

Going to grease up the seat post and clamp to rule that out and then strip the rear swing arm off and see if I have a dirty bearing.

I have GT85'd all of the pivot bearings inside and out and also loosened of the shock securing pins so will see what it is like tomorrow.

Won't GT85 remove all the grease from those bearings?

if its clicking when your lifting the bike gently, it wont be the shock itself, considering theres probably 100psi in there?

lift gently by the seatpost, rather than the saddle, by putting a finger on the joint between two parts of a pivot, you should be able to work out whats moving, even if its moving a tiny amount?

when you put the new bush(es) in, did the "top hats", or whatever reducers were used, push in very tightly or easily?
could be worn reducers?
what bike is it?

if its a giant, it could be something else again, (though if you replced 2 bushes, its not a giant, as they only have the one)

I used to spray my rear suspension pivots and bushings with GT85 regularly and it used to creak like buggery even when virtually new – stopped doing it and had the shock bushes replaced and it stopped.

I have GT85'd all of the pivot bearings inside and out

There's you problem then.

Worth a strip then and grease the bearings or just new bearings?

I am not going to claim to have found the problem until I have ridden it for a good few hours but!

After taking out the seat post I noticed that the rear bearings near the bottom bracket have an axel/shaft going through the frame so that the frame doesn't take all the weight and it is evenly spread.

The axel looked like it was dirty, so (I know you guys don't like it but) gave it a few squirts of GT85 and left it for a bit, cycled the rear up and down and gradually the noise went. After a bit more lube and more cycling it has stopped.

The long term fix I guess is a full strip down and apply a proper grease to it but for now it appears to have worked and hopefully will stop me getting distracted on the trail.