TT250 swingarm lube - Page 2

2LZ · 01-06-2017, 11:15 AM

I guess I'm the lost guy here but I'm having trouble understanding where the zerk is (can't see pic).
The swingarm is bushed, not bearinged, so all you can grease is the cups on either side.
I'm so confused....unless this is a place where the Hawk is different from the TT250.

Mudflap · 01-06-2017, 12:00 PM

Do they use bronze bushings with a polished steel sleeve around the swing arm bolt? All my China bikes use rubber on the swing arm pivot. Rubber ones don't need grease except maybe to keep the bolt from rusting.

I bought a box of various Zerks from Harbor Freight and installed them in the Lifan Honda Prolink type pivots that are bronze bushings around a polished steel tube. My Zongshen uses rubber in all the prolink pivots as well as the swing arm.

pyoungbl · 01-06-2017, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2LZ

I guess I'm the lost guy here but I'm having trouble understanding where the zerk is (can't see pic).
The swingarm is bushed, not bearinged, so all you can grease is the cups on either side.
I'm so confused....unless this is a place where the Hawk is different from the TT250.

The 2016 TT250 does not come with a zerk for the swingarm. The swingarm pivots on bushings, which are protected (to some extent) by metal cups installed between the frame and swingarm. CSC has a tutorial showing all this. The 2016 RX3 swingarm pivots on needle bearings and also comes equipped with zerks for each pair of bearings. I guess the bushing design is one of those cost savings that help make the TT250 cost about 60% of the RX3.

2LZ · 01-06-2017, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

The 2016 TT250 does not come with a zerk for the swingarm. The swingarm pivots on bushings, which are protected (to some extent) by metal cups installed between the frame and swingarm. CSC has a tutorial showing all this. The 2016 RX3 swingarm pivots on needle bearings and also comes equipped with zerks for each pair of bearings. I guess the bushing design is one of those cost savings that help make the TT250 cost about 60% of the RX3.

When I did Mrs 2LZ TT250 project, I tore all that apart. That's why I was having trouble understanding where the zerks would go if you only do the cups.

This was after a good cleaning and greasing. Should be good for quite a while. Dakar it's not going to live through. ;-)

pyoungbl · 01-06-2017, 08:22 PM

2LZ, mine looked just like yours. I could smear grease on the cups but with no guarantee that the grease was getting all the way to both bushings. If you drill and tap for a zerk about half way between the cups you should be able to get grease to the entire shaft and thus to both bushings. When I do this I'll drill/tap for the zerk from above, just so the zerk is protected. I did not notice how wide the bushings were so I'd be concerned about drilling close to the ends of the shaft. I'm kicking myself for not doing this job when I had everything apart!

2LZ · 01-07-2017, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

2LZ, mine looked just like yours. I could smear grease on the cups but with no guarantee that the grease was getting all the way to both bushings. If you drill and tap for a zerk about half way between the cups you should be able to get grease to the entire shaft and thus to both bushings. When I do this I'll drill/tap for the zerk from above, just so the zerk is protected. I did not notice how wide the bushings were so I'd be concerned about drilling close to the ends of the shaft. I'm kicking myself for not doing this job when I had everything apart!

I'll be interested to see what you come up with. I guess you'll have to drill all the way thru the bushing to reach the shaft?????????? There has to be a way to get that grease past the pressed bushing.
My other concern is just going overboard. Most of my bikes have been bushed and I've only had to replace one set after coming over a blind hill and finding a pond. I shut the motor off on the way over the bars so after a drain and flush (among other cleaning), it was ok. It was about 3 months later the bushings let loose.

'16 TT250 · 01-21-2017, 10:47 AM

It looks like it has rubber bushings. (?) If so the rubber is either adhered to the inner sleeve and the movement happens by twisting the rubber like on car suspension bushings, which probably wouldn't work given its small diameter, or it's a hard polyurethane type bushing and the inner sleeve can come out for lube. If it's the former, lube won't help and could hurt. If it's the latter putting some grease on the outside of it won't help it. In either case greasing the dust caps would be a good idea. If it's a poly type bushing you could drill through the swingarm and bushing, with the inner sleeve removed, and install a zerk. Whether it's vulcanized rubber or a slip fit poly bushing, the inner sleeve needs to have something behind it to lock it in place when the pivot axle is tightened. If it doesn't have something then the bushing is just going to pivot on the axle in which case I'd drill through the entire bushing with the axle out so that grease can be pumped to where it needs to go. Either way I'd install the zerks on the bottom to make sure grease is getting to where the load will be. If it's pivoting on the axle, hopefully not, rotating it once in a while would be a good idea to prolong its life.

01-06-2017, 11:15 AM	#16
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,081	I guess I'm the lost guy here but I'm having trouble understanding where the zerk is (can't see pic). The swingarm is bushed, not bearinged, so all you can grease is the cups on either side. I'm so confused....unless this is a place where the Hawk is different from the TT250. __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
	0

01-06-2017, 12:00 PM	#17
Mudflap Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 1,870	Do they use bronze bushings with a polished steel sleeve around the swing arm bolt? All my China bikes use rubber on the swing arm pivot. Rubber ones don't need grease except maybe to keep the bolt from rusting. I bought a box of various Zerks from Harbor Freight and installed them in the Lifan Honda Prolink type pivots that are bronze bushings around a polished steel tube. My Zongshen uses rubber in all the prolink pivots as well as the swing arm.
	0

01-06-2017, 08:22 PM	#20
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	2LZ, mine looked just like yours. I could smear grease on the cups but with no guarantee that the grease was getting all the way to both bushings. If you drill and tap for a zerk about half way between the cups you should be able to get grease to the entire shaft and thus to both bushings. When I do this I'll drill/tap for the zerk from above, just so the zerk is protected. I did not notice how wide the bushings were so I'd be concerned about drilling close to the ends of the shaft. I'm kicking myself for not doing this job when I had everything apart!
	3

01-21-2017, 10:47 AM	#22
'16 TT250 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Hacienda Heights, Ca Posts: 281	It looks like it has rubber bushings. (?) If so the rubber is either adhered to the inner sleeve and the movement happens by twisting the rubber like on car suspension bushings, which probably wouldn't work given its small diameter, or it's a hard polyurethane type bushing and the inner sleeve can come out for lube. If it's the former, lube won't help and could hurt. If it's the latter putting some grease on the outside of it won't help it. In either case greasing the dust caps would be a good idea. If it's a poly type bushing you could drill through the swingarm and bushing, with the inner sleeve removed, and install a zerk. Whether it's vulcanized rubber or a slip fit poly bushing, the inner sleeve needs to have something behind it to lock it in place when the pivot axle is tightened. If it doesn't have something then the bushing is just going to pivot on the axle in which case I'd drill through the entire bushing with the axle out so that grease can be pumped to where it needs to go. Either way I'd install the zerks on the bottom to make sure grease is getting to where the load will be. If it's pivoting on the axle, hopefully not, rotating it once in a while would be a good idea to prolong its life.
	1