Suggestions on removing swingarm

roostafish

roostafish

Gold Level Site Supporter
My swingarm bolt is siezed to the bushings, heat doesn't seem to phase it, hitting it with a 3 lb sledge and a brass drift does nothing but make noise. I squirted WD 40 in all the joints and am waiting. Maybe I need a bigger torch!
 
The problem with heat is you can't get it where you need it. So, try cold instead. I know LN2 is beyond the reach of most but dry ice is common. Try packing the hollow of the shaft with dry ice and deep freezing it before you hit it with a hammer. The shaft should contract more than the sleeves. I have removed several frozen bearings from steering stems this way, one just fell off with a tap on the bench. I never had a swingarm seize to try it but its worth a try.
 
Go find some Kroil. You can get it at gun shops. Best penetrating oil there is. WD is worthless except as a solvent for cleaning.
 
I soaked it in Maltby penetrant. Then hit it with an air hammer. I didn't even try smacking it after the lube, but with the motor mounts loosened, and one shot with the air hammer, it shot out the other side like a bullet from a gun. My white cabinet in the garage now has a bruise from it! Yikes. I guess it wasn't that stuck. The grease looks good, and even the grease on the swingarm bolt was slippery. I think the biggest deal was loosening the motor mounts.
A lesson well learned.

I have a complaint though. Why so many silly different sizes of bolts???????? Geez, 16,17,18,22mm. All on the linkage. My one complaint with Gas Gas from the very beginning is that it's not a mechanic friendly bike. Wonderful to ride, "what were you thinking" to wrench on. I suppose after owning a Husky, anything is a pain to wrench on, that bike was made with the mechanic in mind.
 
roostafish said:
I have a complaint though. Why so many silly different sizes of bolts???????? Geez, 16,17,18,22mm.
Click to expand...

Us proffessional mechanics have a dream (and we mutter it often).... That engineers will spend all eternity wrenching on their own ideas in the afterlife:D
 
roostafish said:
I soaked it in Maltby penetrant. Then hit it with an air hammer. I didn't even try smacking it after the lube, but with the motor mounts loosened, and one shot with the air hammer, it shot out the other side like a bullet from a gun. My white cabinet in the garage now has a bruise from it! Yikes. I guess it wasn't that stuck. The grease looks good, and even the grease on the swingarm bolt was slippery. I think the biggest deal was loosening the motor mounts.
A lesson well learned.

I have a complaint though. Why so many silly different sizes of bolts???????? Geez, 16,17,18,22mm. All on the linkage. My one complaint with Gas Gas from the very beginning is that it's not a mechanic friendly bike. Wonderful to ride, "what were you thinking" to wrench on. I suppose after owning a Husky, anything is a pain to wrench on, that bike was made with the mechanic in mind.
Click to expand...

One advantage of having a factory trained honda master tech as your best friend -> Les at LT-Racing disassembled that bike and lubed everything for me before it was even ridden. That grease on there was from that prep. If he hadn't have done this - you might have had a little bit harder time with it...

And yes, he did the same for an '08 husky txc510 we purchased and there was much less cussing involved...

jeff
Webmaster
GasGas Riders Club
 
I forgot to follow up on this on the board. I soaked with Maltby penetrant overnight, then loosened the engine mount bolts and hit the shaft with an air hammer. It shot out like a bullet and nailed my white cabinet face, leaving a nice mark!
 
Great idea! I do think that if I'd have loosened the motor mounts it wouldhave shot out anyway. The grease still looked good. It had to have been bound.
 
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