KDXRIDER.NET

Hi.

How difficult is it to replace all the rear linkage bearings?

I greased all those bearings a few months ago. And they were all rusted and in awful shape.
I decided during this winter I'll need to replace them. Will I be able to take the old bearings
out without heavy machinery? Or will a big hammer and some pipes do the job?

My buddy has a Harborfreight hydraulic press, and he said he wouldn't mind letting me use
it in his garage. But problem is that he lives 3 hours away from me. Is it worth it to trailer
my bike over to his garage to use his hydraulic press?

Not at all difficult.Do not use hammer and pipe!!! simply remove the swing arm and the rocker no need to carry whole bike with you and take them to your friends press.Use a piece of round stock that matches the outside diameter of the bearing.Make sure the ends of said round stock are perpindicular to the side so that the bearing is pressed in straight.Using the info in the kdx factory service manual press bearing in to bore,seat to proper depth.Grease up with bel-ray waterproof grease (green stuff) and re-assemble.

the bearings are easy to remove & install, all you need is a large vice & a socket the same size as your bearings for when you press the old ones out, you will need a suitable spacer placed on the other end of the linkage for the old bearings to drop through when you press the old ones out...i used a large brass coupling from some plumbing pipes i had kicking about but i suppose some 2 or 3" pipe in diameter & around 2" long will do..clean out the linkage before installing the new bearings & make sure you line them up true before you press them in..pack them with a good quality grease- bell ray waterproof or any marine grade grease is sound..job done

How much is 6hrs worth of fuel? HF sells a press for $130....they are handy to have, and I need one myself. All you really need is a vice, propane, and some misc sockets/hardware to 'rig' your way through it.

a propane tourch will be your best friend. I did some of mine with the press and it sure was nice.......a vice will have to be a decent size and you will need two set of hands. IT sure is nice to have it all tight again though.

I bought one of those HF presses, and I use it frequently. It makes swapping suspension bearings a pleasent experience. I did manage to break one of the pins that holds the table at the desired height. I now use two 3/8" extensions as the pins.

The HF press has multiple uses, a big vice will do the job nicely.

I've also done the job with threaded rod. I bought about 2' of 5/8 threaded rod and some nuts and washers and used sockets and pieces of pipe to do the pushing and catching. It was almost easier than using the vice. I clamped the threaded rod in the vice and did some of them with the rod horizontal and some with it vertical.

I bought a harbor freight press on craigslist for $50, used it to press mine out and back in. It sure made the job easier, they were really crusty and pretty hard to press out. I don't think a vice would have done it.

I just wouldn't use it enough to justify taking up valuable garge space. ( I guess I could keep it in the living room.)

fuzzy wrote:How much is 6hrs worth of fuel? HF sells a press for $130....they are handy to have, and I need one myself. All you really need is a vice, propane, and some misc sockets/hardware to 'rig' your way through it.

That is how I do it.

Pressing is best but those bearings are cheap and I have had success with the following: freeze the bearings, use a small torch to heat the metal, use a little finesse using a hammer and a socket. worked like a charm. just make sure the recess is set tin far enough so the seals set right. Its a day job. Use good grease wouldnt hurt to have some marine grease. Use a manual too. the clearance for the seals are important.

How long can I wait to replace the linkage and swingarm bearings?

The last time I checked, the bearings were all rusted out. I just slabbed a bunch of new grease on the rusted out bearings and
put everything back. I set my chain extra loose to compensate.

It won't be very long before you start screwing up your swingarm and linkage. The new bearings won't fit right, you know? It all depends how bad they were.....