RX3 Swingarm bearings

pyoungbl · 12-03-2016, 05:17 PM

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.

jbfla · 12-03-2016, 06:02 PM

P,

Take some photos for us visual learners.....

jb

pyoungbl · 12-03-2016, 08:15 PM

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.

pyoungbl · 12-04-2016, 02:14 PM

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.

CSCDude · 12-04-2016, 02:35 PM

Awesome work, great photos, and great narrative. Thanks for posting.

BlackBike · 12-04-2016, 02:51 PM

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.

fjmartin · 12-04-2016, 03:00 PM

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

pyoungbl · 12-04-2016, 04:53 PM

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.

jbfla · 12-04-2016, 06:51 PM

P,

Thanks for the photos.

The mower deck for my tractor uses 6mm zerks...will see if they fit.

jb

fjmartin · 12-04-2016, 08:27 PM

Thank you for ALL of that!

AdventureDad · 12-04-2016, 08:33 PM

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?

Jay In Milpitas · 12-04-2016, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdventureDad

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?

Yes, the gap is normal. It's needed to give the rollers room so they don't rub against each other and gall.

pyoungbl · 12-04-2016, 10:39 PM

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.

AdventureDad · 12-05-2016, 07:50 PM

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.

BlackBike · 12-06-2016, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdventureDad

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.

Speaking of accident, how are those pins in your foot/leg feel after healing. Are you one of those weather predictor folks now?

12-03-2016, 05:17 PM	#1
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	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.
	2

12-03-2016, 06:02 PM	#2
jbfla Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: FL, GA, NC Posts: 771	P, Take some photos for us visual learners..... jb __________________ 2016 Honda CB500F......2017 Triumph Street Twin 2014 XT 250........
	2

12-04-2016, 02:35 PM	#5
CSCDude Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 247	Awesome work, great photos, and great narrative. Thanks for posting. __________________ Joe www.ExhaustNotes.us
	0

12-04-2016, 02:51 PM	#6
BlackBike Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: George West, Texas Posts: 4,097	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. __________________ ***************************************** 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~
	0

12-04-2016, 03:00 PM	#7
fjmartin Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Redmond, WA. Posts: 534	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 __________________ 2017 BMW F800GS Adventure
	0

12-03-2016, 08:15 PM	#3
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	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.
	0

12-04-2016, 02:14 PM	#4
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	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.
	2

12-04-2016, 04:53 PM	#8
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	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.
	1

12-04-2016, 06:51 PM	#9
jbfla Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: FL, GA, NC Posts: 771	P, Thanks for the photos. The mower deck for my tractor uses 6mm zerks...will see if they fit. jb __________________ 2016 Honda CB500F......2017 Triumph Street Twin 2014 XT 250........
	0

12-04-2016, 08:27 PM	#10
fjmartin Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Redmond, WA. Posts: 534	Thank you for ALL of that! __________________ 2017 BMW F800GS Adventure
	0

12-04-2016, 08:33 PM	#11
AdventureDad Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: South Mississippi Posts: 253	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?
	0

12-04-2016, 10:39 PM	#13
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	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.
	1

12-05-2016, 07:50 PM	#14
AdventureDad Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: South Mississippi Posts: 253	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.
	0