Servicing swing arm bearings

[hillrider]

Does the rear fender need to come off to svc the swing arm? I've never done this part of the maintenance.

[Hummingbird]

I'll bet Bubber can tell you

[Bubber]

I'll bet Bubber can tell you

Well actulaly I can't I havn't taken mine off to see.

But I'll bet that you wouldn't have to because it should be lower than the fender. My best guess.

 

Bubber

Edited January 10, 2011 by Bubber

[Guest Swifty]

1. How often does the manual say to do that maintenance?

2. How often do you think the average 2nd gen venture owner does this maintenance?

3. For those that HAVE done it, please reply with any visual indications, or subsequent riding characteristics that confirm that the maintenance was needed.

[RandyR]

here's a sleeperhawk thread on the subject.

 

http://venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46535

 

and read this thread carefully. There is an ERROR in the service manual Caught by Rick Butler..

 

So I saw that the torque for the left pivot bolt was 72 ft/lbs but when I saw that the right side pivot bolt was 51 ft/lbs. This didn't feel right so I checked my 1st gen manual and it showed 4.3 ft/lbs. Those Bozos forgot the decimal point and it should have been 5.1 ft/lbs and 7Nm! I even had a newer RSV manual that I had borrowed from a friend when I gave GigaWhiskey both of my manuals for the Texas Work Day, and it showed the same thing, 51 ft/lbs.

 

So, for you guys who have a RSV Service Manual, go to page 7-72 and put a decimal between the 5 and 1 for the right pivot bolt torque. Now if you always use newton meters for your torque settings, you will be ok because 7 Nm is right.

 

http://venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28269

Edited January 10, 2011 by RandyR

[hillrider]

The book says check'em at 8000, pack'em at 16000. I've got nearly 50,000. Might be a little overdue. But basically, I'm chasing the lousy handling. Road center ridges, tar snakes in the summer. My other two bikes are rock solid.

[Seaking]

The book says check'em at 8000, pack'em at 16000. I've got nearly 50,000. Might be a little overdue. But basically, I'm chasing the lousy handling. Road center ridges, tar snakes in the summer. My other two bikes are rock solid.

 

Holy crap... pack'em at 16,000 miles? I have to do this twice a year? wow

 

I'd better get on this right away since I doubt it's ever been done on my bike..

[Kirby]

This might be something that someone might want to set up at Don's MD next summer. Maybe even a demo on doing the clutch??? Just some ideas to throw out there. What'ya think Don???

[hillrider]

Tricks for reinstalling the rear wheel -

Pick it up and slide it on the pumpkin ???

Pick it up and slide axle in place then slide on pumpkin??

other ideas ??

 

Just spent last hour making myself really tired.

 

Oh bearings were fine, still wet. Waste of time pulling the swing arm. 'Course, it had to be done.

[aharbi]

Does the rear fender need to come off to svc the swing arm? I've never done this part of the maintenance.

 

No. But just about everything else does. I'd plan it around a major maintenance schedule. May as well do a coolant change, replace the fuel filter, lube all the rear suspension, rear end oil change, rear brake shoes swop/replace/fluid flush. You will either have these parts off or have easier than normal access to them. My bearings were fine at a little over (if I remember correctly) 23k. Cleaned, regreased anyway. My thinking is if they looked fine at 23k I can extend the next time to at least another 23k or about once a year to 18 months with the riding I do. Also, I do not pressure wash the bike, very seldom rode in the rain (just lucky) so there was no external force to washaway the existing grease. I used the Honda Moly 60 paste from the Honda CAR dealership. A motorcycle shop either won't, can't, get it, have it or charge way too much for it. I won't lie, it wasn't an easy job for me and I had the bike on the stand of a month till I got it back together thanks in part to the folks on this site. In fact it's been almost a year to the day.

[hillrider]

Got it. With the help of a friend and his lady, we got the wheel on the axle. And after much tugging finally sat on the floor with both feet on the wheel and holding on to the saddlebag rail getting ready to give a mighty push, and the wheel slid on like falling in a hole. When its right it goes and when its not, you can't make it.

[Rick Butler]

Chuck,

 

These bearings get neglected by most of us even with maintenance schedules and the best of intentions. I finally got around to checking and repacking mine at over 70k and the bearings and races were just fine and only needed repacked.

 

The best time to do this is when you change a rear tire and have the mufflers off. The biggest hassle is that you need to pull the rear exhaust to get to the bearings under that large chrome cap. Just repack the bearings and put her back together per the specs I pointed out in that other post.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Rick

[Seaking]

Well that was a lot of work.. but well worth it! The bearings looked to have some grease to it.. not too dry which is surprising after all the miles on it.. Once everything repacked and reinstalled, everything feels nice and tight as it should be. When everything was off the swing arm, some amount of side play was felt but now it's all gone once everything is greased..

 

Yep, if the bike is a few years old and ridden a lot, this is one recommended maintenance item that shouldn't be put off. I eagerly anticipate the first ride this coming spring as the bike now has the swing arm re-done, the neck bearings re-done.. New Progressive Springs in the forks and Works! shock in the back of the bike.. w00t..

 

Can you say "road trip" ??

[hillrider]

Seaking

 

Talk to me about getting top cap off of the triple tree. Got the top nut off and the side clamp bolts loose. Anything else to it. Boy is it stuck. The destination it to raise the forks in the clamps.

[Seaking]

Seaking

 

Talk to me about getting top cap off of the triple tree. Got the top nut off and the side clamp bolts loose. Anything else to it. Boy is it stuck. The destination it to raise the forks in the clamps.

 

not sure what you mean.. top cap on the stem nut?

[hillrider]

The four (2 on a side clamp screws that clamp the shock tube) screws, and the cap nut on the top cap (in my parts book, it's called a 'crown, handle').

I've prized the clamps open as best I could, and used a small persuader and a brass drift.

I've got a 3 lb rock hammer, but am hesitant to hit it that hard.

Soaked it with PB Blaster but it's still firmly attached. Don't see anything else that could be holding it - - but ??

 

Sure is stuck.