swingarm bearings

[Anonymous]

It's a little too late for me now but what is the proper way to get these needle bearings out? I'm pretty much down to the very thin hardened outer shells (the lips broke off and rollers fell out) and I can only pound them inwards. I've tried to pound them straight through from one side to the other but it appears to me that there is a sleeve (not the big spacer) welded inside of the tube that prevents this from being possible.

They've got me beat! Any tips and/or tricks to scare these things out?

Thanks, Steve

[Anonymous]

The proper tool is an expanding blind bearing puller. Expensive and rare. The Suzuki special tool is a version of this.

I ended up chiselling mine out with a small sharp chisel. :P

[Anonymous]

If you have a drift long enough and skinny enough you should be able to knock it out from the far side.
You could also, as gently as possible, use that inner sleeve like a drift and drive one side out. Then the other side would be easy to knock out.
You'd probably have to cleanup that inner sleeve with a file after doing this.
I never seen one this small, but one of the internal claw type pullers would work, again if you could find one small enough but tough enough to pull the bearing.

[Anonymous]

well srivett im at the same point your in right now!!! a few minutes before lunch today i tried to pull the very thin bearing race out with a claw deal on my slide hammer, will try some more around 5pm today...i got my bearing in yesterday but the bone head part guy only ordered 1 bearing :x , yes it only took 2 weeks to get that bearing in my hands :x :x im gonna try to heat the metal up then hammer it out, ill let you know how it goes.

[Anonymous]

My Clymer states that this job requires special tools and should be referred to a shop. I had mine GL550L done this winter at a local Suzuki dealer for $150. The bike rides real smooth over bumps now.

[Anonymous]

Two weeks to get the bearings? I hope they are a regular size that I can just pick up at the local bearing shop. I just finished waiting 3 weeks for my rear sprocket and I need to get riding soon.

Steve

[terry]

OK Guys, sit down now and hang on to something, because I'm gonna say something scary. Factory needle roller bearings are expensive crap! I read a very old "hop up" article in a US book I've got at home called "Great Bikes of the Seventies". (which, by the way rightly describes the Suzy GS1000 as the best bike ever built!)
One of the fixes for improved handling for the GS 750 is to trash the needle roller bearings and replace them with good old nickle bronze bushes, the popular race fix for old 750 honda's etc. Now luckily I have my own lathe and mill, so I bought a chunk of this stuff from a bearing shop for under 20 bucks and turned up a nice pair of bushes.
That was 2 years ago now and guess what? They were right, it handles a little better, but for me 20 bucks for material and an hour or so labour time was a heck of a lot better than 150 bucks and several weeks wait.
If anyone is interested in trying out the "NiBro" experience, I'll make you up a set and airmail them to you for 75 bucks, you'll get them in a week and you can spend the change on good bourbon.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the offer Terry but I was able to find a deal here in Ottawa. The local bearing shop was able to get 2 swing arm bearings, 3 wheel bearings (1 for sprocket hub), and a seal for 50$CDN + tax. I'll have a look at them tomorrow just to make sure that the numbers I gave them over the phone checked out correctly.

Steve

[Anonymous]

well my 1 bearing costs 19$ gonna order the other 1 soon...the bearing supply place said they could get the bearing but its gonna take like 3 weeks so ill go back to suzuki for the other bearing

[focus frenzy]

another reason why I ride a shafty!!
the shafties use large (2 inch) tapered roller bearings in the swing arm, once the wheel, shocks and brake caliper are off, it takes under five minutes to pull the bearings and swing arm off!
I was reading one of my vintage magazines, and the cb750's from the late 70's/ early 80's used plastic bushings in the swing arm, and the testers said they were worn out and sloppy after just 1500 miles!

[MichaelHoward]

Get em Bubba!!

[terry]

another reason why I ride a shafty!!
the shafties use large (2 inch) tapered roller bearings in the swing arm, once the wheel, shocks and brake caliper are off, it takes under five minutes to pull the bearings and swing arm off!
I was reading one of my vintage magazines, and the cb750's from the late 70's/ early 80's used plastic bushings in the swing arm, and the testers said they were worn out and sloppy after just 1500 miles!

That's right mate, bloody el-cheapo plastic bushes, I pulled the ones out of my '72 CB750K2 and once I cleaned off 30-odd years of gunge I realised they were plastic. I think the later models might have been bronze, but don't quote me. Anyway, it's all bronze now, I did buy a special needle roller kit for it, but I think the bronze bushes will outlive the rest of the bike. (once I finish the resto, he he)

Re: shafties, yeah I agree that they are cleaner and less maintenance intensive, but I wouldn't want all that extra weight penalty, not to mention that you can't play with final drive ratio's like you can with a chain and sprockets. But for comfortable long distance touring, as opposed to spirited canyon racing, you can't beat those shafties, I guess? :twisted:

[Anonymous]

UPDATE!!! i used the flat end of a long chisel and was able to hammer them thru, now to put them back in 8O

[Anonymous]

I used a 1/2" round stock steel and pounded out bushing #1 today. #2 was tough as I tried to pound it through (can't be done on this bike) so I used what looked to be a 1" pipe to pound the other one out. Using a vice made it very easy, I must buy one.

Oh yeah, turns out I could only buy the needle bearings for the swingarm, the bushings(races) that go inside of them are only available through Suzuki. ie. the company that makes them doesn't list them for the sale of general bearing dealers

Steve

[Anonymous]

Rick:
Are you going to put in grease fittings? I got a pair of 45 degree 6mm x 1 nipples (gotta keep it metric ). Then used a 13/64 drill bit and 6mm x 1 tap. Things turned out very well.

Steve