I am in the middle of the first swingarm bearing check. Is it best to just wipe out some of the grease and put more in, or should i take the seals out, remove all of the little rollers (of course leave the cage pressed in) and clean everything good and then put all of the rollers back in and grease? All of the bearings looked good except for the one where the bottom of the shock attaches. The rollers were full of rust. Also, the bolt that attaches the rocker arm to the frame was a bitch to get out. I am going to replace that bolt since it was all corroded.
swingarm bearing maintenance
- Thread starter lemmy
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- #3
Unless there is something wrong with my needle bearings, the needles can all come out without pressing anything out at all. Just take them out, clean them, and then lay them back in packed with grease (kind of like a bicycle wheel ball bearing that doesn't have a cage).
I had to hammer out the bad bearing at the bottom shock pivot, but I have an arbor press that should be sufficient for pressing in the new bearing.
I had to hammer out the bad bearing at the bottom shock pivot, but I have an arbor press that should be sufficient for pressing in the new bearing.
It is better to take all the needles out. This gives one the chance to clean and inspect them, not just blindly hope they are still good as you layer good grease on top of bad.
After the needles are out, usse a shop towel and some brake cleaner. Spray some on the rag, then wipe out the bearing cage area. Spraying wildly may cause overspray to hurt the paint.
After the needles are out, usse a shop towel and some brake cleaner. Spray some on the rag, then wipe out the bearing cage area. Spraying wildly may cause overspray to hurt the paint.
- Thread starter
- #5
i saw somebody say swingarm bearing maintenance is a 30-60 minute job. It took me 1 hour to get everything off and then 15-20 minutes per bearing to get the needles out, clean them, clean the cage, and get them back in. I think there are 7 bearings total if you count the shock rocker bearings. Plus cleaning the 4 cage roller bearings on the swingarm. So counting putting everything back on this would be a 4-5 hour job.... Aren't you supposed to do this at least 2-3 times/year? I always new dirt bikes were a lot of maintenance, but I didn't think I would spend more time working on it than riding it :)
When I did mine the first time, The wife thought I Moved out to the shed, I thought I was staying out of trouble, The Next time, I install grease fittings, Loosen up inspeck seals, grease her up torq to specs about 30 mins, She's happy, and may let me go ride, Her- - - , Not ?
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- #8
I am having to replace two of the bearings in the suspension rocker. My question is can I just push against one bearing and have it push against the other bearing and have them both go out the same side, or is there a raised edge or stop in the middle of the bore that the bearings are pressed in to that makes this impossible?
If you use a heating torch a little heat not to fry the grease the bearings will almost fall out, there is no lip, when you reinstall the bearings back put one on side a little heat or not to press in you will have a 1 to 1.5 mm gap in the middle, or just press in enough so the seals fit flush, Hope this has help.
domino dave
Member
- Sep 24, 2003
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I freeze my new bearings before installing. I've always been able to get all mine pressed in with a large c-clamp . Use a socket slightly smaller diameter than the bearing to offset from flush.
I think there IS something wrong with your needle bearings, lemmy.lemmy said:
I took my swingarm off yesterday to change the rear spring and to grease the bearings, and the needles are not loose in the cage...they will not come out without removing the entire needle bearing, cage and all.
You might want to order new ones today so you can replace them this weekend. :nod: I'd also order new inner bushings (the piece that the needles ride on). And seals....!
Lube the new pieces up real well (I use Mercury Quicksilver Marine Grease with Teflon...high-quality, waterproof, etc.) and don't forget to clean and grease the swingarm bolt.
By the way, I have a quantity of very cool black plastic caps that snap into the frame recesses where the swingarm bolt goes through. They look better and keep the dirt and water out of those places much better than the stock rubber nut covers.
PM me if you want a pair.
Mud
