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OK, they crumbled out of the swingarm when removing the inner race.

Should I just get 4 new from cheapcycleparts.com (OEM) or is there a better set out there? Do I need to replace the rubber seals and the inner race cylinder jobby things as well?

Thanks!

Crumbled??

How hard was it getting the pivot bolt out?

Other than getting a screw driver stuck in there for an hour (thanks CC) it came out pretty easily.

One bearing was missing 4 or 5 roller "holders", the little splines between each roller.

Water and dirt got in there for sure, dry rusty-colored.

Any suggestions on replacement bearings? OEM? Replace everything or just the bearings?

Thanks!

Better off using something softer, like a brass drift

Took me a couple days to get mine out

One day to drive to hell and back to find a drift

And another to heat and pound that sucker out

You can get kits that have all the bearing and seals

AllBallz......

You dont have to pound your bearings out, if you look at my post on the shock bushing you can your that method for the swingarm as well much better.

Whatever the hell " you can your that method for the swingarm as well much better" means?

I pressed most of mine out

Mr. Wibbens wrote:Whatever the hell " you can your that method for the swingarm as well much better" means?

I pressed most of mine out

Since there are two to a side, did you press both at the same time? Pushing one against the other?

It's been awhile but I'm not seeing any other way

Pivot Works is another vendor. In the case of the YZ, their kit included the OEM bearings and new sleeves and seals.

I think I bought a Moose swingarm and linkage kit

Yup to get them out you have to press one against the other but install you just do one from each side. The aftermarket bearings for the swingarm are one per side in the swingarm instead of two like oem. So those you just center where as the oem ones are like 6 mm in on each side.

Lots of vendors make kits of stuff....and a good lot of them are chinese bearings..which are crap. Kind'a like japanese bearings used to be crap..but now they are about the best choice.

Other than getting a screw driver stuck in there for an hour (thanks CC)...

Glad I could help you get your screwdriver stuck!

Re: 'It's been awhile but I'm not seeing any other way.'

There is enough space between the two to get to the outer set before the inner. Otherwise you are forcing out two bearings with purchase on only one. As long as they aren't stuck bad, it won't matter a whole lot. If the bearings are in such shape as rusty bits fall out when you finally get the pivot pin/collars out..chances are much better that you will have to get the outer races (the shell that holds the roller pins) out however you can. That may include a chisel to cut them out, a dremel, a sawzall.

Re: 'Yup to get them out you have to press one against the other.'

I didn't. But again, as long as they aren't a corroded mess of stuck, both at the same time isn't a problem.

If you're using a seal/bearing tool, you won't be able to get TO the outer bearing first, 'cuz the inner bearing will be in the way.

It all depends....on how bad they're stuck, what tools you have available, what you can make work.

The last outer race I took out of a swingarm that was stuck real good came out in little pieces with a chisel.

Do I need to replace the rubber seals and the inner race cylinder jobby things as well?

The 'inner' parts...the collars that actually contact the bearings have been sawing back and forth for who knows how long in a rusted up mess of corroded crap. Reusing them would be penny-wise and pound-foolish. You are familiar with that adage? You would be SO SMART to save a few pennies by not 'wasting' money on buying new collars/sleeves that you would completely waste all of your time spent 'fixing' your bike, complete with the $$ of the new parts you DID use. You would save pennies to waste dollars.

Replace it all.

Generally speaking, you never replace part of a bearing. And..part of the bearing assembly in this case is the 'inner race'...the sleeve/collar in this place.

The tapered roller bearings in the steering stem? Take yours apart and you will very likely find the bottom bearing is shot. You will see marks on the outer race where the rollers have worn through its hardened surface. So....just replace the outer race, 'cuz it's the only part that looks bad?

Nope. You can't even buy just that part..it's a matched-piece assembly.

Sure...there are times you can scotch-brite a collar/sleeve, check its diameter to find it's not worn, stick it back in for another go. Considering the trouble it is to get the swingarm out in the first place, don't even consider NOT replacing everything..collars, bearings, seals.

So what'r you using? Some kinda puller?

Hadn't even come to that part. There ARE bearing pullers of all sorts..a lot of them designed for a specific application.

Press, pull, punch, drift, tap, chisel.....choose your weapon and get-r done!

Looks like "love tapping" them out isn't going to work. I tried. My brother is a machinist and has access to many presses. We'll press them out.

From what I've read, its sounds like he can push the outer against the inner and have them both pop out. We'll be trying this tomorrow morning.

On the replacement bearings topic, it looks like the AllBalls kit is four bearings like OEM. Check out the kit on their website:

http://www.goallballs.com/SHOP/shopaddt ... quantity=1

Thanks for all the help guys!

IMO and all...but AllBalls is AllJunk.

I get a good 3X the life out of a set of wheel bearings from CBR..and they are LIFETIME guarandamntee, which means I get at least a second set for 'free'.

Haven't ever gone for three. Yeah...'lifetime' and all, but Charilie (CBR) doesn't make a living by keeping bearings in by dirtbike forever. Considering the stresses on the hub taking them out/putting them in, I'm happy with good NSK (Japanese) bearings for a couple of years over something from AllsBalls for six months.

Anyway, you can push the inner against the outer and get them out...with the right stuff...and a press big enough to take the swingarm (like the arbor press from HarborFreight won't).

It's all good.

A btw at this point, but, depending on how much you ride and what sort'a stuff you ride in, bearing maintenance (suspension, steering, wheel) is at least an annual thing you should put on your List Of Things To Do.

And change your suspension FLUIDS while you're at it (fork and shock). Riding with new suspender fluids is like a good new pair of shoes...new tires....AAAHHhhhh........

I have not had a problem with the All Balls steer head bearings I replaced back in 2003

canyncarvr wrote:Anyway, you can push the inner against the outer and get them out...with the right stuff...and a press big enough to take the swingarm (like the arbor press from HarborFreight won't)

I just don't see why it won't?

It's been so long, but I either used the arbor press or pounded them out. A big shop press was not needed

You used your 4" throat arbor press to get the steering head bearings out?



But...the subject was swingarms.

Granted: I cannot say alls allsballs bearings are alls bad, 'cuz I have not used alls of them.

It's just the ones I've used that didn't work very well. By that I mean they didn't last nearly as long as better quality bearings I've used.

'Big enough' wasn't a reference to thousands of pounds of push..but the depth of the press framework you would need to get to the swingarm bearings. Not so much the pivot pin bearings (they're on the end), but the unitrack bearings on the swingarm would be hard to get to, I'd think. It might fit in there sidewise OK. Holding it all in the right place and actuating the press might be problematical.

Again...whatever works and however you need to use it to get the job done.... that'll do!

There, I fixed my above post for people with such limited brain function