swingarm bearings

[mottyl]

I searched the forum and found some useful info but I do have one point that could use clarification.

With the arm off the bike I have two short bushings that fit in each end. In the middle there apears to be a longer bushing which which does not appear to come out until the bearings are removed.

If I flip the arm on it's side, so I now have a top and a bottom, do I use a bar or something to tap the centre bushing against the bottom bearing to knock it free?

If that didn't make sense then perhaps i will finally learn to post pictures.

One more. The short bushings which contact the bearings are slightly worn. I can catch the groove with my fingernail. Should they be replaced?

Thanks
Chris

[duaneage]

The inside bushing is a spacer of sorts. It floats around. I would consider a slide hammer with a hook to get them out, just stay away from the mounting surfaces at all costs.

The smaller bushings do NOT come with replacement bearings but are only 7 dollars each at the dealer. They should be replace with the bearings.

Have them pressed in properly, don't just pound them home. They are easily damaged. I used Park waterproof grease on the bearings, this is a bicycle grease rated to 400 degrees and takes a lot of pressure. It has lithium and is considered waterproof enough for this use. I would check and repack the bearings once a year, like when the tire is replaced, if you ride in the rain frequently. The GS I replaced the bearings on did not have grease fittings to inject grease into the races, perhaps putting a grease nipple on the center of the swing arm over the floating spacer may allow grease to be pumped past the bearings

Squeezing grease past the bearings would be cheaper than replacing them every few years.

[yaddy]

Good tip with the grease nipple there, i might try that myself. I've just gone through the process of renewing the bearings in my 650 and i had to dremel the little bearing cups out. It's a simple enough job to fit a nipple, especially if your swingarm is already out. As you say, much cheaper and easier than replacing the little blighters when they collapse!

[bwringer]

What sort of motorcycle might you have?

It sounds like you're talking about a chain drive GS, but who knows...?

[mottyl]

Thanks for the replies.

I really need to add the bike to my sig. It is a 83 katana 750. I think it is called a GS750S?

The information is great, unfortunatly I do not have a slide hammer or a press. I might just take it to the local dealer, the swing arm is off and sitting on the bench.

Then again being frugal the other thread mentioned heating it with a torch and tapping it out. Hmmm!

Well I will let you know.

Chris

[Suzuki mad]

Took mine to the local suzuki dealer and they removed the old and fitted the new bearings in a few minutes.

Suzuki mad

[katman]

The proper removal is with a blind bearing puller

[mottyl]

thanks again

I am short of speciality tools so I will find a dealer to do it.

Rob (Katman), I will not use that coil you lent me so one of these weekends I will return it.

Chris

[katman]

No worries Chris, when ever you get a chance. Glad you got it all sorted out.

[duaneage]

The proper removal is with a blind bearing puller

I used a slide hammer with a hook on it. The hook goes in at an anglen then it straightens up behind the bearing. 2 gentle yanks and it comes right out.

[mottyl]

For anyone who is curious. This is in Canadian funds.

Bearings 24.95 ea
bushings 22.00 ea
and a half hour labor to have the bearings re and re'd.

Right around 150 all together, I love buying things in canada.

Chris

[katman]

For anyone who is curious. This is in Canadian funds.

Bearings 24.95 ea
bushings 22.00 ea
and a half hour labor to have the bearings re and re'd.

Right around 150 all together, I love buying things in canada.

Chris

WOW, they are half that in the States. I can't remember the last time I actually bought anything up here. I have gone into shops dozens of times but just can't bring myself to pay the stupid prices we have to pay.

[mcycle-nut]

I used the "beat the crap out of them" method to get them out. Worked on one, but the other one got destroyed so much that only the outer race was left. A friend of mine ran a couple of beads of weld on the inner part of the outer race that was still left, and that gave enough surface to tap it out easily.

Installation was a breeze using the frozen bearing and redi-rod with washers/nuts combo.

Bike-GS1100EZ

[RyanBiggs]

I used a slide hammer with a hook on it. The hook goes in at an anglen then it straightens up behind the bearing. 2 gentle yanks and it comes right out.

"Gentle yanks" nothing! I did one side of mine a couple of days ago, and my hand still hurts from wailing on my blind puller! I almost gave up, but decided to try once more with extreme violence! Figured I'd heal up some before doing the other side! Maybe I'll try and drift that one out from behind. I have a 2 lb slide hammer puller, so maybe a bigger one would help - but as the hammer got heavier, you'd have an increasingly hard time keeping the swingarm from moving all around while you're trying to extract the bearing. I have a Harbor Freight puller with some good quality expanding heads - unfortunately the biggest size head won't quite fit past the bearing rollers, and the next smaller won't quite seat well against the outer race when fully expanded. So with my frozen in bearings, I ended up first just knocking the rollers out of the bearing with the smaller puller, then I could get the bigger one to fit well against the outer race and finally wallup the race out. Good times...

[duaneage]

YMMV, of course. I held the swingarm in a padded vise, sprayed a little oil around it, and used a 4lb slide hammer.