MC5 Swingarm

[Lloyd Boland]

Thanks guys.

Thom, thanks.  this is a '77 model but produced in late '76.  I have the manual for the '77.  I asked Al when I ordered the piece if he had the type that I have, but he didn't.  He only had the one with the hole in the back.  I think this will work.

Gary, I have the nylon piece, it just mounts differently than the one I have on the bike.  I don't think this will be much of a problem.  I am going to line it up and drill 2 holes into in and use the current mounting system.

Doug, I had the tube and nut soaking for about a week.  The past couple days even tried the 50/50 mixture of ATF and acetone.  Last night secured it well and no luck loosening by hand.  May try impact this weekend.  But this comes to mind, do I need to remove it.  The manual states to locktight the nut to the sleeve and slide it in from the right side of the swing arm.  It is this locktighted nut that you then hold with the wrench when putting on the swingarm bolt.  If I have to locktight it anyway, wouldn't just be the same if I left everything the same?  Am I trying to fix something that doesn't need fixing?

I am also having no luck getting the outer bearing race off the swingarm.  There is no lip to try to punch it out from the other direction.  How do you remove this?  tTe only thing I can think of is somehow trying to cut it off from the inside, into a couple of pieces to then be able to bend it and remove it.

Thanks guys.

Lloyd

[Doug Bridges]

You have a good point about removeing the nut from the tube Lloyd. If you can't get it off try puting it back together once you get the new bearings in. If it looks right then it should be fine.

Doug Bridges
73 Jackpiner
74 Jackpiner/FrankenPenton
project
82 XR200R

[john durrill]

Lloyd,
This is from a post back a few years. It should help with getting the old outer races out of the swing arm. The shell is hardened. Its the outer race for the needles so files and saw blades dont work well on them.

Kiethuu,
we used 2 ( for enough strength) thick hardened washers, ground a flat on opposite ( 180 degs apart) sides so we could turn them side ways to insert. The OD of the washer was just large enough to clear the swing arm tube and still get a bite on the edge of the bearing when they are upright. The thread all ( 3/8 , 7/16, largest that will fit inside) and some washers and a socket finished the rig up. It works a lot like a wrist pin extractor does.
If you dont have the right size OD washers you can use a bolt and nut to hold the washers together. Chuck the bolt in a drill. Clamp it lightly in a vise and use a file to cut the washer OD down to size.
If the ends of the bearing are too far gone then you have to use something to cut the outer shell length wise ( thin it enough so you can tear it) , like a dremmel and carbide bur. You can use a small hard screwdriver blade ( like the metal handled tool steel precision drivers used in electronics) to lift an edge then and collapse the shell inwards allowing the whole thing to be remove.Clean up any burs or dings you make in the removal and the new bearing will press back in , good as new. The bearing shell is hard . Its the outer race of the assembly.
Hope this helped some. Its not a fun job chuckle chuckle. If we check and keep the oil level topped off they should never rust up on us again.
John D.

[Big Mac]

Lloyd, you're sweating the fixed tube nut for no reason. Leave the left side nut on and forget it. The swingarm's pressed in needle bearings are a royal pain to remove. After trying all angles I could, the only solution I've found was to knock out all but the outer race, put a hardened cutting bit in a drill and grind away to cut a groove all the way across the race. After it's been "relieved" you can drive a screwdriver in behind it and collapse it inward. It puts a groove in the inner wall of the swingarm, but no harm.

Believe the replacement bearings are HK 3040 and easy to find. To press them back in, a threaded rod, couple of nuts with large thick washers, and something like a socket to push into the recess as needed will work well.