12-03-2016, 05:17 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Posts: 632
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RX3 Swingarm bearings
Early winter is a good time to take care of those nagging bike projects...like checking the swingarm bearings. Actually, I wanted to take a close look at the grease zerks because they are too small for any of my grease guns. The best way to accomplish that task is to take the swingarm off the bike. Once I had the swingarm off I found that the bearings were in need of grease. The left (chain) side had just a bit of grease, the right side had none. This is a one to two hour job. If your bearings are greased, good for you, no harm done. If yours are like mine you'll be saving future problems by applying $.10 worth of grease on these needle bearings that take such a load. Back to the zerks, I'll take one off the bike and see if any of the local hydraulic or bearing supply houses have a gun to fit these. If not, I might just drill and tap for a more standard size.
Peter Y. |
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12-03-2016, 08:15 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Posts: 632
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The plot thickens...
I removed one of the zerks and measured it. Compared to published standards I am perplexed. Here are the standards (I think we have a 6mm zerk since mine measures 5.92mm across the fat part of the diameter) http://saeproducts.com/metric-grease-fittings.html My measurements are X=7.56, B= 4mm, A= 11.41mm Nothing seems to match up with the standards! More to follow. Peter Y. |
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12-04-2016, 02:14 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Posts: 632
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My local Autozone happened to carry a small assortment of metric grease zerks. They appear to be 6mm size and the threads measure out to be the same as what comes on our RX3. There are some differences, the OEM zerk has a slightly different profile and slightly fewer threads:
OEM on the right The profile lets my normal grease gun grab the zerk so I replaced the stock zerks with the Autozone ones. Due to the size I did not crank down hard on these when I screwed them in. The sleeve that runs on the needle bearings still rotates so that small bit of extra thread did no harm. While I had everything apart I center drilled each end of the swing arm bolt and the rear axle bolt. On the lathe this was just a 2 minute job. Those holes now give me a more accurate way to measure axle to swingarm length, and thus get the two bolts running parallel. Now when I adjust the chain I can check using a simple tool I made from some old political signs (something we have in great quantities right now!). Yes, I know that I'm being anal. Folks have eyeballed this adjustment for decades. Once again, too much time on my hands. Peter Y. |
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12-04-2016, 02:35 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 247
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Awesome work, great photos, and great narrative. Thanks for posting.
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12-04-2016, 02:51 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
Posts: 4,097
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Pyoung.. the chain length is always a head scratcher
I have tried the yard stick method- right cumbersome. Eyeball- NOT Started counting threads on the tenensier nuts. Seems to work well enough and is quick, just have to keep accurate count. Still not prefect . This is how I do treadmill rear roller belt tension adjustment, with a speed wrench and thread count. Your method is dead on , and should provide perfect equality for both sides of the axel adjustment. when in doubt, use a jig.
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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12-04-2016, 03:00 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Redmond, WA.
Posts: 534
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Do you have the Autozone part number? I may do the same as you as I'm planning on doing a tear down and grease on mine next week since I've done so much puddle jumping lately!
BTW-Great write up and I love your jig. I ended up using a punch to put a mark on mine to use for the measurement and then use a tape measure. Yours is much better! http://www.harborfreight.com/spring-...punch-621.html
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2017 BMW F800GS Adventure |
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12-04-2016, 04:53 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Posts: 632
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I do not have the Autozone part number but the package says Performance Tool (PT) Metric W54218.
Here's a set on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/CTA-Tools-778...rease+fittings fj, I forgot to mention that it's easier to install the swingarm if you disconnect the lower shock mount from the dogbone. Then you can rotate the bottom of the shock to the rear and give yourself more room to wiggle the swingarm back in place. You'll probably want to grease all the dogbone bearings anyway (a 5 minute job). Oh, and you will have to remove the chainguard. There is a retaining screw that is hidden by the chain. I lifted the chain near the front sprocket with a socket so I could get to that screw. |
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12-04-2016, 06:51 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL, GA, NC
Posts: 771
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P,
Thanks for the photos. The mower deck for my tractor uses 6mm zerks...will see if they fit. jb
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2016 Honda CB500F......2017 Triumph Street Twin 2014 XT 250........ |
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12-04-2016, 08:27 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Redmond, WA.
Posts: 534
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Thank you for ALL of that!
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2017 BMW F800GS Adventure |
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12-04-2016, 08:33 PM | #11 |
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Mississippi
Posts: 253
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Hey Peter, I just did mine last week. Did you happen to get a count of the number of needle bearings? I remember Spud saying he had 36. I lost some, reordered a new bearing, and believe I had 34. There was a half-needle sized gap when I got done....normal?
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12-04-2016, 08:56 PM | #12 |
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Milpitas, CA. USA
Posts: 775
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Yes, the gap is normal. It's needed to give the rollers room so they don't rub against each other and gall.
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12-04-2016, 10:39 PM | #13 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Posts: 632
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AD, I did not count the needle bearings...they all stayed in place. I also did not notice any gaps in the bearings when I was slathering them with grease. If yours fell out you had a significant lack of grease, much greater than what I found.
Peter Y. |
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12-05-2016, 07:50 PM | #14 |
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Mississippi
Posts: 253
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I had grease holding them in, but when I sprayed the contact cleaner in, they went a-flyin'...had to order a new bearing and process my lesson(s) learned. Anyhow, I regreased the new bearing with Maxima waterproof grease as I didn't care for the packaged white lithium grease. Probably a waste of time and grease. I had a gap of about half a needle bearing width. Not enough to shove another bearing in, as yes, I did it again. I set a magnet down next to the bearing and it sucked the needles out. (my family say I am accident prone---currently have a new set of stitches in my right thumb from cutting flowers for my wife with a VERY sharp pocketknife...but I digress) Anyhow, my findings were the same as yours, I had some grease on the left/shifter side of the swingarm, and very little in the right side. Glad I did it. I did have to heat the knuckle thing with a candle, and I froze the bearing for an hour or so, slid right in.
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12-06-2016, 01:37 AM | #15 | |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
Posts: 4,097
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Quote:
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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