Swingarm and Linkage Bearings

blitz11

blitz11

Silver Level Site Supporter
Howdee,

Anybody have a better recommendation for swingarm and linkage bearings? I replaced all of those last spring, and this year they're shot already. This is really getting old. My kid's KTM is ridden just as hard, and its swing arm bearings are fine. My XR250 went five year w/o needing bearings.

Anyone try allballs racing bearings? I am all ears.

Thanks.

blitz
 
blitz11 said:
Howdee,

Anybody have a better recommendation for swingarm and linkage bearings? I replaced all of those last spring, and this year they're shot already. This is really getting old. My kid's KTM is ridden just as hard, and its swing arm bearings are fine. My XR250 went five year w/o needing bearings.

Anyone try allballs racing bearings? I am all ears.

Thanks.

blitz
Click to expand...

I have well over 300+ hours on the stock bearings, bushings, and seals. This is the first time I am going to replace them.

I think you cant do much better than stock.

What did you run before?
 
Has anyone put greese nipples into the rear linkage before? seen some people mod Husky linkages, might be an idear for longer bearing life?
 
Bought the bike used, so don't know the original. When I bought the bike, I pulled everything apart and greased it. Looked OK. (It was a low hour bike). Went to grease it the following year (maybe put 40 hours on it), and the bearings were destroyed. Of course, I was pressed for time, so I called GoFasters for the kit they sell (Moose, I believe) instead of the individual bearings and seals (didn't want to fish through the fische)

Maybe rode 35 hours this year (see broken wrist), and although the needles aren't flat like last time, the bushings are worn, especially the swingarm bushings. No heat treat there. What cheap junk.

Have you had your linkage apart in that 300 hours? You might be in for a surprise if you haven't.

Is there an OEM kit? Or do I have to pick out pieces? I don't recall a kit on the fische.

If no kit, I will put together a spreadsheet, i guess, that covers the bushings and bearings, and sent it off to GoFasters for OEM unless someone has had good luck with AllBalls ( iancp5 has) or Pivot Works. It's not that I am cheap, i just don't have much time to jack with this. It's insane that someone sells a kit which lasts only 40 hours of not very hard riding. Nice quality control. Jeesh.

Thanks very much.

blitz
 
I have just took apart my linkage and it is sitting out in front of me. It has almost no play at all. The only reason I am replacing them is just for good measure and I want my bike to feel new again.

If it was me I would try OEM before an aftermarket kit.
 
If your going through bearings your doing something wrong, either with the installation process, grease, or pressure washing the bike. As an experiment a few years ago, I went a full season without servicing the linkage, and my bearings were like the day I last greased them. Proper installation (press, no hammering), new o-rings, Jet Lube moly paste or Castrol Pyroplex Blue grease, and NO PRESSURE WASHER will give excellent service. Its wet and rocky here so the bike sees hard use. After owning three GGs and riding with others I have to say they are well above average as far as suspension linkage durability, certainly better than the disposable KTM heim joints on the PDS shock.
 
Pretty sure not doing anything wrong. Power washers are the work of the devil. I avoid them like the plague.

Always press, never hammer. Alignment is good as nothing is forced to fit.

I'll work through the OEM stuff. Like I said, the bike wasn't new, so I don't know what came in. Last time, I was in a hurry, so I think Moose was the last kit.

I'll go OEM and use the Jet Lube. I've been using either Maxima or Bel-Ray grease. That grease works ok in the KTM and the Yamaha, but maybe not the GG. I'll buy some, and redo it.

Thanks.

blitz
 
my 06 300 still has the original oem linkage bearings in it. probably only has about 150 hours on it. I do at least a once a year tear down, clean and grease. I used some kind of spectro grease. It was very wet and muddy this past summer and when I pulled them about this winter everything looked fine. cleaned them up and stuffed some new grease in there and put it back together.
 
The OEM bearings are uncaged with more needles than some of the cheaper aftermarket stuff. This is important in the high load linkage pivots, less so in the swingarm. Less bearing needles over the same area equals more load per needle, not the way you want to go. Its also important to properly pack the grease into these bearings, and due to their design of tightly packed needles its harder to do. Just smearing the visible side is not good enough. The moly paste is the best as moly wants to stick to steel and is a very high load lubricant.
 
Are the OEM swingarm bushings soft? I see on GoFasters web site that they offer hardened (more hardened? Carburized?) swing arm bushings. Is that the hot ticket?

I am also going to make a grease injection bushing. All of these bushing are 22 mm OD. This will allow the pressurized injection of grease into the bearings. once you inject it, you pull the injection sleeve out, and insert the new/good sleeve.

This is getting fun now.

Thanks for the feedback.

blitz
 
Never had a problem with OEM sleeves, but a bad batch is not inconceivable I guess. I tend to think that if you had cheap bearings that failed they damaged the sleeves though.

The moly paste is not available in a cartridge, just a small can (1lb). This IS NOT the same as moly grease from Autozone, MUCH more moly. It also makes a good assembly lube and anti-seize. The Castrol is available in a cartridge. Its a waterproof grease for heavy equipment.
 
Thanks for sticking with me here. I have a few more questions.

0. The Jet Lube can was understood. I have a grease injector which you load manually, and can inject. I forgot i had it. However, if the Jet Lube is like Honda Moly 60 (which i use on the input shaft splines of my old bmws), it won't inject. Too thick. Thinking out loud, I guess.

1. The bike is a 2002 EC 300. I bought it as "low hour," but I think it had been raced hard. If my memory serves, when I first serviced the linkage and swing arm, I seem to remember o-rings, not lip seals. This would indicate that the PO swapped out original parts for less expensive bearings and o-rings as the 2002 would have come from the factory with lip seals. The Moose kit came with seals, which i (incorrectly) interpreted as better (see more below).

2. The 2003 parts book / .pdf shows P/N BE25610011 for the vast majority of seals, which is a 28x22x4mm lip seal, selling for $5.50. The 2005 fische shows O-ring, priced at $0.78, and dimensions of 21 x 3.5 mm (which is 28MM od, 21 mm ID, and 3.5mm O-diameter). Close to 28x22x4.

O-rings and these seals are interchangeable in the fische (item "6" in the drawings).

3. Looking at a 2005 EC 250 parts list on GoFasters, the swing arm was changed in 2001 (P/N BE250112002). The swingarm bushings were changed in 2003 (P/N BE250312007). Other parts haven't changed (i.e., rocker arm, pull rods, setting washers, etc.)

The bearing sizes/PN's are all the same, so that hasn't changed.

The question I now have is whether the hot lick is to upgrade to the O-rings. It appears cheaper, and from what I read here, they seal better.

However, what is a bit confusing is that the FSR 450 uses the same bearings and other components, and they use the lip seal, NOT the o-ring.

So, what I surmise is that

1. Unknown (either OEM or kit) bearings in suspension which first failed.
2. Moose kit failed due to poor quality and less than optimal choice of grease.
3. Replace w/OEM components, running o-rings and new setting washers instead of lip seals is preferred to lip seals (why else would GG change)?
4. Jet Lube.

Does that make any sense? Things really don't stack up as I've found them through the years.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

blitz
 
The moly paste is much like that Honda moly, maybe a little thinner. If you have that stuff use it, just pack the bearings with your finger.

O-rings replaced the seals in '05 or so. Maybe for cost savings? Not sure but I think the o-rings are better regardless. From installing both on mutiple bikes, the compression fit and contact area of the o-ring (and sealing) to the bushing is much greater than the seal lip. Stiction is greater but at the forces were talking here its a non-issue. I bought a bulk bag from an o-ring supplier and I'm set for life. Same with the lower shock bearing o-ring.

When installing the o-rings, wipe excessive grease from the area between the bushing and link with a Qtip, or the o-ring will hydro lock and not seat against the bearing fully. You may have to use a feeler guage, card, film. etc, between the o-ring and the link to burp or vent it as you push it in, mostly with the second side o-ring.

Once you do this you'll see how tightly sealed it is and should have no more issues.

Oh, don't sweat the GG parts manuals as they have had errors in the past.
 
That is the ticket. It all makes sense now.

I'll run the O-rings everywhere, and follow your installation tips. That should solve the linkage "opportunities."

Thanks for your help.

blitz
 
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