+Swingarm bearings

[Todd5774]

After seeing another thread about Swinging arm bearings and the linkage bearings i thought i would check mine, and sure enough there was some play not enough to be worried about the cases and the swinging arm being hollowed out but enough to know that they needed changing..

So all the bits have been ordered and have arrived on the doorstep,
got the swing arm out of the frame, and yep the needles all fell out but im having a hell of a job getting the races out of the swingarm, Im having no luck with a large screwdriver and hammer!

Am a bit unsure of putting heat on the area because of the aluminium involved.

A`nybody got any tips on how to do it?

[blitz11]

Use a long threaded rod, thick flat washers, nuts, and sockets which have an OD Larger than the ID of the needle bearing, but smaller than the ID of the journal in which they ride. Arrange the socket so as you tighten the threaded rod, you pull the bearing through the journal.

Hammering on it will just garf up the swingarm, and wreck it. This works much better.

If it is REALLY stubborn, you can apply some (not much) heat to the swingarm.

If you go to a kawasaki kx250 parts fische, the needle bearings they show are the same as GG uses. i don't have the part numbers here, but numbers 2216 and 2210 seem to ring a bell.

Newer GG models used o-rings and flat washers to seal in the grease/seal out the crud. I went to that last year, but haven't pulled the bike apart yet. I am told that is the best way to go.

good luck.

blitz

[Bryan]

Use a small shop press if you can find one. I went to Harbor Frieght (here in the US) and got the 12 ton set up. One set took almost all the power it had to get them out. Maybe there is a local mechanic that can press them out and in for you.

A press is the best way to prevent damage to everything.

[Todd5774]

Well i got the 2 bearings out that i hadnt been at with the hammer, using the threaded bar methed this evening, going to attempt the other side tomorrow night, when i have a bit more time, as i think they are going to be abit tricker now thanks to my hamfistedness!!

Got all the linkage ones replaced though, will be interesting to see if the bike feels alot tighter when i ride it next as it has felt abit loose the last couple of months, i hope so as all the linkage and the swingarm bearings were all collapsed, its definately going on my list of things that are going to be regulary checked and replaced/greased.

[GMP]

I use a piece of aluminum round stock of the right size to drive out the bearings with a hammer, no damage that way and fast. Warming the swingarm is no problem, just don't go crazy. For inserting new bearings I use the blitz method, but with an old sleeve I ground into a special tool. Get the depth correct and use o-rings with moly paste and your good for a whole season before next service.