05 six rear linkage

So the deal is i have a 05 six and ive been having this problem with bending the shock bolt in the back. I dont ride super hard or anything but they keep bending it seems like all the force is distributed on that one bolt so i can see why. Does anyone else have this problem with their six ? im thinking ill drill out the linkage plates and make a thicker bolt. If anyone has any info on that year or has had the same problem some insight would be great

thicker bolt.. hows that work… meaning with your shock eyelet? ur gona have to drill that to make the hole larger as well… you bottom it out much?

Yea i was gonna drill out the linkage plates like where you can change it from 6 inch to 5 because there is a big spacer by the shock so i could use a smaller spacer and a larger bolt

Oh and no i dont really bottom much a couple times at whis this year thats about it

Firmer spring is your answer.
Or if you're a clydesdale then try a firmer spring in conjunction with 8mm mounting hardware (that's if you're currently running 6mm).
This is assuming there isn't an issue with the shock itself.

And stop bottoming. :)

drilling out aluminum is bad bad bad…
I did this with a gt i-drive that had slightly loose bolt… the whole mount cracked on me… seems like old Al has to be heat treated to be strong….. drilling out is a really bad idea because the amount of material around the hole has been optimized for strength. Making the hole bigger means there is less material around the hole and hence a likelihood of cracking… my suggestion is to phone norco and they will tell you what the safe thing is to do…
if things are bending perhaps the bike wasn't meant to be used as such or… if your bottoming out more than you think this would bend the bolt…

Firmer spring is your answer.
Or if you're a clydesdale then try a firmer spring in conjunction with 8mm mounting hardware (that's if you're currently running 6mm).
This is assuming there isn't an issue with the shock itself.

And stop bottoming. :)

This is the one true answer here. You have to look at what forces are causing the bend. If you are using a soft stainless screw, then over time it would bend a little, so repalce the screw with a harder material, and if you are repeatedly, quickly bending the bolt, then you are obviously overloading it, most likely from bottoming, so a stiffer spring is the safest bet.

just replaced the bolt on my '06 Six, it was bent because I need a stiffer spring (650 lb on order - I'm 215 w/gear). Don't go by the spring calculators (TF tuned etc) for Norcos, they don't seem to calculate a stiff enough spring (TF tuned says I should be running 500-550, am running a 550 and bottom off of 3-4' drops).

a thicker bolt won't work as mentioned above, if you were to drill out the linkage plates it still won't fit through the shock mount!