SF1 swing arm bearings

H

harpmeister

Full member
Location
UK
At present the swing arm is fitted with bronze bushes and before I take it off to be powder coated I was wondering if there would be any benefit in changing it over to needle bearing and if so is it straight forward or is there any machining involved.

Bronze bushes will be removed before it goes to get powder coated.

Joe
 
If they are in good nick and the spindle is also not worn from lack of grease, why change them? Shouldn't be a prob to seal them off before powder coating.

If you ARE replacing them I'd definitely upgrade to the needle rollers. No machining necessary but there are a few bits involved in the switch: centre spacer, a bearing 'spindle' for each needle roller to run on, a poly thrust washers at each end and a 'washer' or two to centralise the middle spacer within the tube (I used O-rings for this function).
 
harpmeister said:
At present the swing arm is fitted with bronze bushes and before I take it off to be powder coated I was wondering if there would be any benefit in changing it over to needle bearing and if so is it straight forward or is there any machining involved.

Bronze bushes will be removed before it goes to get powder coated.

Joe
Click to expand...

Most wear will be on the spindle, mainly drive side/end, bushes are generally OK.  If the spindle isn't too far gone (dependant on previous maintenance), turn it round to even out the clearances a bit.  New ones are unfortunately not readily available, NOS bushes pop up now and then.  Leave the bushes in situ, they're a pita to remove, especially without damaging them.

Bushes are far superior in this particular application, just need a regular blob of grease to let them last almost forever.  Needles will be knackered after a few seasons, no matter how well you care for them...

piet
 
Was wondering how to ensure new grease gets to the bushes in situ, as there is virtually no escape route for the old grease  when pumping in new stuff unless you remove the swingarm, or loosen the spindle and hope there is some limited clearance created. Maybe cutting a channel in the thrust faces of the bronze bushes before fitting the swingarm would help?

Right about the spindles, most are knackered when I've pulled swingarms out.

Anyone know if the internal 'bushes' that run inside the needle rollers are a Lav part only or can they be sourced from a bearing joint? If they are only made for Lavs, is there a std bearing internal race (similar to the crank outrigger needle bearings) that fits the swingarm needles? It could be pressed lightly onto a homemade steel bush/spacer. Just an idea ...
 
I don't loosen mine on my 3C but I do get some grease being pumped out at each end where the swingarm meets the frame.
 
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