Swing arm bearing conversion...opinions?
- Thread starter hewhoistoolazytologin
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2005
- Messages
- 696
Everyone.....I just tuned in for the three minutes I have free this evening...before leaving again, direction a long ride to an overnite at some club and I just want to say that I have a lot to digest here...info ...I mean...and can't even try to answer this thread properly at the moment...but I will tune in again on Monday....if this can be forgiven...... :wink:
Please do continue the conversation though...as I am surely not the only one interested in this thing....my.... what we can learn from you all...
Please do continue the conversation though...as I am surely not the only one interested in this thing....my.... what we can learn from you all...
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2005
- Messages
- 198
swingarm bearing conversion
Hi Ludwig,Responding to your question to Debby,my apologies to Debby for sticking my nose in!!,I did this conversion several thousand miles ago,I made a new spindle, hardened to 60 Rockewll "C" scale,a recent inspection of bearings and spindle shows no degrading of either component,I believe that the needle rollers are able to rotate in the cage to distribute any wear pattern. Ride safely. James.
PS. -- I stated in an earlier reply that I bored out the bronze bushings that are used to press in the bearings and remain in position,that I believe now is a mistake,the bushing,left at stock size, would help to bear some of the load.
Hi Ludwig,Responding to your question to Debby,my apologies to Debby for sticking my nose in!!,I did this conversion several thousand miles ago,I made a new spindle, hardened to 60 Rockewll "C" scale,a recent inspection of bearings and spindle shows no degrading of either component,I believe that the needle rollers are able to rotate in the cage to distribute any wear pattern. Ride safely. James.
PS. -- I stated in an earlier reply that I bored out the bronze bushings that are used to press in the bearings and remain in position,that I believe now is a mistake,the bushing,left at stock size, would help to bear some of the load.
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2005
- Messages
- 696
Answer to one and all..
Finally got up the nerve to give this an answer...lots of differing opinions here. In digesting all this...I seem to think there is something to be said for keeping to the old tried and true original bronze bushings and the normal everyday drilled and bolted to the cradle type shaft...it was brought up that there are a number of ways to change this setup to a bearing type, as used by some of the other (obsure or not so obsure) manufacturers..but no one really seems to agree that this is for the better...not really, if you read what you all have written here. Enough questions about it to make me, do the old wait and see thing....as you will.
So...I got a good strong feeling that I will handle this in the following manner. Take the shaft out, check that it is still fit. See if I can dress, resurface the cradle sides. Replace "O" rings. Finally get off my butt and find some 140W...single, not multigrade and not do what I have been doing for years and throw just any old oil I had in the hand in there. Had synthetics, 30W...90-140, tranny oil, 10-40....any thing that was lying around at the moment. I did top it up often though...not as one of you mentioned, a couple times a year...which may be all it really needs, as I completely fall for the theory about the oil absorbing bronze...this is indeed correct, now that I recall it. I will find 140 somewhere...if maybe as mentioned, in the tractor dealership. Thanks once again to all the kind folks with the brilliant ideas out there...once again, you have proved to be a great help....I have now less leakage, due to your ideas about PCV valves, ring seals on kickstarts and such, and a bike that looks better than it ever has with it's shiny tank and fancy exhausts. I'm sure this will be another case of moving forward....and, we will, despite reports to the contrary, as Jerry Garcia so aptly said ..."survive"...... :wink:
Finally got up the nerve to give this an answer...lots of differing opinions here. In digesting all this...I seem to think there is something to be said for keeping to the old tried and true original bronze bushings and the normal everyday drilled and bolted to the cradle type shaft...it was brought up that there are a number of ways to change this setup to a bearing type, as used by some of the other (obsure or not so obsure) manufacturers..but no one really seems to agree that this is for the better...not really, if you read what you all have written here. Enough questions about it to make me, do the old wait and see thing....as you will.
So...I got a good strong feeling that I will handle this in the following manner. Take the shaft out, check that it is still fit. See if I can dress, resurface the cradle sides. Replace "O" rings. Finally get off my butt and find some 140W...single, not multigrade and not do what I have been doing for years and throw just any old oil I had in the hand in there. Had synthetics, 30W...90-140, tranny oil, 10-40....any thing that was lying around at the moment. I did top it up often though...not as one of you mentioned, a couple times a year...which may be all it really needs, as I completely fall for the theory about the oil absorbing bronze...this is indeed correct, now that I recall it. I will find 140 somewhere...if maybe as mentioned, in the tractor dealership. Thanks once again to all the kind folks with the brilliant ideas out there...once again, you have proved to be a great help....I have now less leakage, due to your ideas about PCV valves, ring seals on kickstarts and such, and a bike that looks better than it ever has with it's shiny tank and fancy exhausts. I'm sure this will be another case of moving forward....and, we will, despite reports to the contrary, as Jerry Garcia so aptly said ..."survive"...... :wink: