Bottom shock bearing

[DVO]

Kootenaycat: I did the zerks thru the s-arm, will send you pics tonight if you wish. Works great!
Canyncarvr: I haven't gotten around to checking out the shock bearing zerking yet but the outer race of the bearing would be solid no? By that I mean it would extend the full width of its bore(minus the seals) so there would be no space to inject grease without drilling through. In this case there is an argument for through-the-bolt greasing but if I recall correctly, there is no space ta the side for a zerk to extend out(would get torn off by the tie-rods I think).
As far a thru the bolt zerking of the s-arms goes, it would solve the bolt rusting-to-the-sleeve problem 'cause this would get just as much grease as the bearings. I'm gonna do mine but leave the sleeve un-drilled so I can do both separately and guarantee greasing(maybe the grease would exit the side of the sleeve before flushing the bearings and I already have my s-arm done.)

 

[r.2 stroke]

Yeah, my lower shock bearing was toast when i last greased my linkages,i replaced it with a FAG brand bearing of the same dimensions(german made i think),and repacked it and everything else with Castrol boating grease(waterproof and very sticky)
Might check it again this weekend

 

[BRush]

CC, I was browsing through the McMaster-Carr catalog today. They sell a bronze plain bearing
16mm x 22 mm x 16mm, that would only have to be trimmed down to a 12mm width to be a perfect fit. You can get it in either SAE 660 or SAE 841 bronze. The 660 being stronger and the 841 being oil impregnated. Cost: a whopping $4. There are also some very interesting synthetics: Vespel and Rulon, but they don’t seem to come in metric sizes.

 

[canyncarvr]

dvo:
As you say..the bearing is CLOSE to the full width of the assembly when the seals are included. And there isn't room for a fitting in the bolt.

Haven't done it yet (just got all the parts I need over lunch), but I figured to drill a hole at an angle from the machined groove inside the knuckle to the hole the zerk is in. Probably end up running the bit through the same hole with the zerk in to make sure there's a grease access path. I don't know where there is room to put a zerk in the first place...but I've got the stuff if I find a place for it! I know it's all pretty close down there (say from the knuckle to the swingarm). Maybe there isn't any reasonably accessible place to put a zerk.

r.2:
I'd appreciate hearing how it looks. Have a source for that bearing?

BRush: (thanks for the mcmaster-carr input!)
So, that would be with the idea of continuing use of the sleeve. Do you think the thickness (or thinness?) of the bushing would compromise its viability? Would you choose oil impregnated or not?

They also have graphite filled bushings of the same measure. What about those? Too many choices..too much grey matter needed to decide which!!

heck...by the time I'm done this weekend, I'll be buying a new unitrack arm!!

GIMMEE THAT 1/2" JOBBER-THINGAMABOB!!!:eek:

 

[DVO]

Kootenaycat: Try this;
http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39005
Take a look at the last 3 pics; The first is the right hand side, it's the easiest place to access for greasing. In pic two, the grease you see is escaping out the inside front. You can't see it in this pic but it exits out the bottom outside also, completely flushing the bearing. Cool eh? The third pic is the back of the s-arm just infront of the tire where the tie-rods attach. .Very easy to do.

 

[Canadian Dave]

CC I read a thread in the MX forum a while back. It seems that grease selection is critical with this bearing. I wish I could remember what brand grease they were recommending but at any rate it was a grease intended for heavy load applications. There were a number of KX owners responding that indicated it substantially increased the life of the lower shock bearing on their KXs. It might be worth a post in the MX forum.

David

 

[Kootenaycat]

DVO, thanks for the link to the pics! Upon looking at the diagram just above the 3 pics, I now wonder how much grease is worked in between the needle bearings! The grease will take the path of least resistance, meaning it will go past the bearings and out the seals (easy route) before really penetrating the space between the needles (dead end!). I think the zerk idea is great as long as you still disassemble couple times a year to inspect, clean and pack. With the zerks, at least you can almost guarantee to pump the water out if done right after every ride, which should make the bearings last forever!

 

[Tantrum]

Kootenaycat,

If you are going to consider Zerking The Swingarm, check out my site at
http://www.kdxmodifications.com

One of the advantages of going thru the pivot bolt, is that when you do decide to dissasemble, the bolt cannot be rusted to the inside of the whole assembly. Im sure you have seen threads pertaining to beating the heck out of the bolt just to dissasemble. I too looked into zerking right thru the swing-arm, but thought that there could be a possibility of ripping off one of those little buggers on the trail. Another advantage is that when the whole assembly is full of grease, it is nearly impossible for water to intrude the bearing area.

Cheers,
B.

 

[canyncarvr]

re: zerking the bottom shock mount.

Not enough room behind the unitrack. Won't clear the swingarm. Could put it in from the top, but no reasonable access with a grease gun. Link could be sculpted some just in front of the bearing to allow for flat mount of fitting. That would allow easy access, but I'm not real crazy about removing metal on the link to get the zerk to fit flush.

I just replaced the bearing/sleeve/seals...again. Used some of that purple hydrotex grease I mentioned earlier. It's pretty sticky stuff!

Re: placement of bearing in link (and subsequent seal fitment)

On closer inspection with my calipers, seems the bearing should NOT be dead center in the link. <edit> This doesn't compute..although it's the way it turned out. The metal inside diameter of the seals seat against the sleeve. There shouldn't be any lateral force against the bearing.


I still put my link bolts in from the RH side for easier disassy..more difficult access to the shock mount, though.

Broke my 14mm socket on the linkage bolts! THAT hurt when my knuckles played interference with my 16" ratchet! And, yes...they WERE torqued to 65lbs last reassy (four days ago).

 

[DVO]

Kootenaycat;
Don't worry about grease missing the bearings, it inevitable.
Tantrum; no chance of the nipples getting torn off, they're well hidden. Actually, I thought they'd stand a better chance of getting torn off in your application. But I'm still gonna do it.

 

[DAVE C]

Well, I just checked the price for the UniTrak Arm and the dealer wants $140! :scream: Glad it didn't happen on my bike! I am trying to convince my brother to let me take it to a machinist and put in a brass bushing. That would save him the $140 for the arm and $35 for the shock bottom bearing kit from Pivot Works. Thanks for the ideas guys!:cool:

 

[canyncarvr]

Cost from the dealer for bottom shock stuff (here anyway) $28. That includes sleeve, bearing, seals.

 

[DAVE C]

canyncarvr,
I guess that is b/c my dealer SUCKS! I went in yesterday and asked for an inexpensive RK chain (specifying non-Oring) and he comes back with a $135 DID X-ring O-ring chain. Then I asked if he had a 520 master link instead. He said for what chain. I told him it was a stock chain from a '99 KDX 200. He proceeded to tell me, quite vehemently I might add, that no bike comes stock with a master link. I then proceeded to prove him wrong on his own bikes. Then I got into the whole bearing kit thing and UniTrak Arm and I had to find the parts for him on his own computer! Don't think I will be buying anything there ever again! I have to give him a little credit though, he did manage to scrape together an el-cheapo KMC "bottom of the barrel" chain. Price - $35. I can get that chain for $17 from any website.

 

[canyncarvr]

It's easier to laugh if it's you and not me...but that's really funny!! Yeah..in a very pathetic sort of way...but funny, still.

Ha!..A 520 master link..for what chain? :)

Better luck with some other dealer. Nothing short of 'moron' to describe yours.

 

[DAVE C]

Oh, I forgot. He told me last night that NoToil dropped them as a dealer. It can't get any worse than that!

 

[Tantrum]

Sounds like your Dealer and my Dealer must be brothers, or had the same business administration class. ;) He told me that all I had to do in order to repack my stock silencer was to drill out the rivets. Uh, Have you ever seen the stock silencer on a KDX dood?

B.

 

[r.2 stroke]

Finally got round to looking at the bottom shock bearing.....sweet as!last time i greased all the linkages & bearings was about six months ago...a few rides and washes since then,can recommend Castrol Boating grease(lithium based i think)