[tatdotcom]

I have a 2003 Dakar XLT 1.0 and the bushing on the horst link rear suspension seems to be shot. It is squeaking horribly now. My friend has the same bike and has the same problem.

Before I try to contact Jamis, I was wondering if anyone else has the same issue and how did the company deal with a warranty request.

Thanks!

 

[danK]

I have a 2003 Dakar XLT 1.0 and the bushing on the horst link rear suspension seems to be shot. It is squeaking horribly now. My friend has the same bike and has the same problem.

Before I try to contact Jamis, I was wondering if anyone else has the same issue and how did the company deal with a warranty request.

Thanks!

Jamis will send tell you to deal with the local dealer. I doubt it's under warranty since those kinds of things fall under general wear and tear. FYI, I got rid of my 03 xlt2 after Jamis dropped the ball over a 4 month period to replace my many broken stays.

 

[ibmkidIII]

LBS issue for sure. 1.Take it to where you bought it, 2.the closest Jamis authorized dealer, 3. closest local bike shop.

I had a 2003 XLT 2...broken chain stay, and blown pivot (8+ times). Bike is now long gone.

Wish you luck.

 

[danK]

You got me beat. I blew out the pivot bearings only 4 times. Finally put in some high quality Japanese NSK(?) bearings. NO more problems in that area.

 

[tatdotcom]

You got me beat. I blew out the pivot bearings only 4 times. Finally put in some high quality Japanese NSK(?) bearings. NO more problems in that area.

danK, what bearings did you replace it with? i was gonna make a brass bushing at a machine shop, but an of the shelf bearing sounds better. thanks!

 

[danK]

danK, what bearings did you replace it with? i was gonna make a brass bushing at a machine shop, but an of the shelf bearing sounds better. thanks!

The seat-stay pivot bearings are marked as 696Z from NSK.* A super-high quality (industrial) replacement bearing a bearing supply house should have for about $11 msrp.

It lasted a heck of a lot longer than the stock POS's. I haven't heard a complaint from the buyer of my cursed frame.

 

[ibmkidIII]

Yeah, I switched to Enduro 696ZZ's which were supposed to be better, but ultimately I think the bike was over hyped as an ALL mountain bike, with a frame that could only handle light XC. They did redesign the whole frame for '04... wonder if they're any better.

 

[tatdotcom]

15mm sounds like the same one that's broken on mine. thanks!

any other issues i shd kno about this bike if i were to keep it for a long time? what type of riding do you do to have that much wear on the bearing? also, this is taboo, but how much do you weigh? i am a buck fifty. you guys seem to ride your bikes a lot harder and spend more time riding than me.

 

[danK]

15mm sounds like the same one that's broken on mine. thanks!

any other issues i shd kno about this bike if i were to keep it for a long time? what type of riding do you do to have that much wear on the bearing? also, this is taboo, but how much do you weigh? i am a buck fifty. you guys seem to ride your bikes a lot harder and spend more time riding than me.

165 pounds. Pure xc with no drops. I switched the stock Talas 125 rlc for a F100X, and basically turned the frame from an all-mountain (no way can it handle all mountain, at least not mine) into a long(er) travel xc.

My bearings went bad quicker due to what the dealer thought was a misaligned seatstay. Jamis sent chainstays twice because they automatically thought all the 03 problems were CS issues, which about 99% were, but they took 4 months to send the right part. Thankfully it was winter and I was on my road bike. Dealer said they switched warranty people and updated their system over the winter; great, right when I needed help. Dealer also thought the torque specs for the pivots at the rear of the shock were too tight from the dealer. Who knows.

My gripes aside, my lbs has sold a handful of 04 xlts with zero problems. Maybe their strengthened rear triangle is better. Oh, Jamis told me they would just keep sending new stays as opposed to replace it with an 04.

 

[tatdotcom]

after a season on the bike and having the horst link examined by mechanical geniuses, i have come to learn a few things about the jamis design.

use of this bearing for this type of application is not ideal. these tiny bearings are not designed to take such a heavy load. turner might have a thing going with the use of bushings.

monitoring of the rear suspension is required for longevity of the bearings. this design has a flaw in which the load of the rider is on placed on a bolt's thread. the design should have put the load on a solid round shaft rather than a threaded shaft all the way through. the original bolt gets loose every ~5 hours of riding. when that bolt loosens, the thread strips easier and then bearings alone are exposed to the weight of the rider and will require replacement. therefore, it is important to monitor the bolt for loosening.

if you have busted bearings, replacing the bearings alone will cost you frustration. here is why... you need to replace the bolts due to stripped threads, which is the load bearing surface. running the bike with the stripped threads will damage your new bearings in a short period of time. go to a hardware specialist to get a stronger bolt. the stock bolt is made of a weak material, so ask for a material with higher carbon content (harder). after i changed mine, the bearings have not required replacement for last year's entire night riding season. the stock one is a silver color and my replacement has a black anodized finish.

now i have no issues with the rear suspension.