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mcns
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:36 am Post subject: swingarm bearing conversion? |
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I am getting frustrated trying to keep oil in my swingarm,(yes it has been completely rebuilt).
My question is does anybody out there have the bearing conversion specs, and what is involved?
Planning on a long distance ride next year and really dont want to be filling that up every couple of hundred miles(less oil to carry)
Any info much appreco. |
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norbsa48503
Joined: 07 Apr 2004
Posts: 1031
Location: Flint, Michigan
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:56 am Post subject: |
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| Remove the high hat bushings and cut them down in a lathe to 5MM long leaving the high hat. Be careful on the R&R therefore. Use a pair of Timken B-1416 mother company Torington to replace the portion of the bushing you removed. Pre-pack with a high quality grease. |
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L.A.B.
Moderator
Joined: 20 Nov 2004
Posts: 1945
Location: Norfolk, UK
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:09 am Post subject: Re: swingarm bearing conversion? |
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| mcns wrote: | | I am getting frustrated trying to keep oil in my swingarm, |
You don't really need to "keep oil" in the pivot, as the bushes are made of Oilite* (sintered bronze) which is porous and so absorbs a certain amount of oil, and once "primed" are more-or-less self lubricating, only needing a few drops of oil adding occasionally.
*Oilite "The original self-lubricating bearing": http://www.oilitebearings.com/home
Any oil that leaks out is just excess oil. |
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debby
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 898
Location: Boulder, CO
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:46 am Post subject: Re: swingarm bearing conversion? |
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| L.A.B. wrote: |
Any oil that leaks out is just excess oil. |
It's not a design flaw, it's a feature! The excess oil automatically drains away, and all the owner has to do is wipe it off with a soft cloth. 
I did the needle bearing conversion on my 750, but the new swingarm spindles do not appear to be hardened so I would expect them to wear quickly when used with the bearings. Because of that I retained the stock bushes in my 850 (it needed a new spindle). The excess oil all leaked out in a week and as Les said, what remained should be good for an entire riding season.
Debby |
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79x100
Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 704
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:25 am Post subject: Re: swingarm bearing conversion? |
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| debby wrote: |
It's not a design flaw, it's a feature! The excess oil automatically drains away, and all the owner has to do is wipe it off with a soft cloth. Debby |
I love that phrase Debby, it can be applied to so many aspects of Norton ownership |
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zotz
Joined: 15 Jul 2007
Posts: 33
Location: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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| They usually leak because it's hard to find the recommended SAE 140 lube. I have been using a 50\50 mix of 90W gear oil and STP which thickens up quite nicely and seems to stay in much better. |
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fastback
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
Posts: 245
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:29 am Post subject: |
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As Halloween just passed I thought I'd put on a cheerleading costume  and say that this was possibly the PERFECT forum thread.
All the elements were there.
Good question, perfect response (including part numbers..!), feedback on the pro's and cons.
What a great forum -thanks and keep it up!
I'll need you when I tear into the dusty 850 hiding in the back of the garage.[list=] |
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Yellow_Cad
Joined: 02 Apr 2008
Posts: 158
Location: Sacramento, CA
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| Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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| I know it's not perfect and certainly not something to do after a rebuild but aren't lots of these filled with grease and surviving pretty well in that environment? |
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panic
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 54
Location: Hempstead, New York
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| Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:55 am Post subject: |
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The needle bearing is one of those "looks like a good idea" that doesn't work.
The original bushing is not only (more or less) self-lubricating) but has far higher load capacity than a needle, and doesn't require a specific minimum surface hardness (or finish) to run on.
A needle bearing is designed to run only on a hardened and smooth surface, and will brinnel even this eventually.
There is also no gain to be had in any event - the swing-arm pivot does not rotate in the bearings but only oscillates a few degrees, so the difference in friction is too small to matter.
Since the contact sweep area is very small (30°?, or 1/12th of a circle), the pivot will develop small depressions only where the needles pass over them. Each needle only traverses a small fraction of an inch of pivot surface (rather than average the wear out over the entire circumference, as would be the case if there were rotation).
The needle bearings have no thrust (end play) control, so the lateral load must still be controlled by bushings.
The Harley-Davidson swing-arms (since 1952) use Timken bearings, which control both radial and end thrust but are larger, heavier and more expensive. |
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The Unapproachable Norton Commando
At the end of 1967 the Norton Commando was announced.
The Norton Commando was greeted with a certain amount of scepticism because on first sight the commando appeared to comprise of the old Norton Dominator twin cylinder engine mounted at an inclined angle in a set of new cylinder parts.
It was not realized that the new Norton Commando Isolastic method of engine suspension damped out all engine vibration and produced a machine which had uncanny smoothness for a vertical twin. In due course the critics were silenced and the Norton Commando had the distinction of being regarded as the first of todays so called superbikes. There can be little doubt that the original design concept of the Norton Commando has proved correct, since comparatively few modifications of any real consequence have been made since production commenced during 1968.
Now nearly 40 years later Norton Commando riders like us are a breed of our own, and as far as we are concerned its still more fun to go for a blat on the old Norton Commando, and fast. As a Norton Commando owner and enthusiast, my goal here is to promote and give credit to those who keep the Norton name going.
It is more deserving to give credit to the Commando itself, for after all these years it continues to be respected. The original Commando designers like John Favill are those who deserve the credit for developing this incredible motorcycle.
The Norton Commando Roadster and Interstate of the late seventies, never died. Although the Norton Villiers factory dispersed the tradition lived on. Today Kenny Dreer in the USA is developing the new 952 CC Norton. What a great looking bike this is, and its engineering is still based on the original layout. It will be interesting to see how the new 952CC Norton does in todays tough motorcycle market. One thing is for sure, I would own one if I could afford it.
