Is There a Ball Bearing on the L4 Swingarm?

[Tirpitz]

I have removed the rear suspension on my L4 as part of a shock change and am taking the opportunity to grease everything up. Having taken everything to bits I'm concerned by what appears to be a ball bearing on the RH end of the swingarm. On the LH end there are two needle bearings, on the RH there is an inner needle and apparently this ball bearing on the outside. Concerned because there is no evidence it ever had grease in it, the balls look oval and badly worn, and the bearing is seized. Is it a ball bearing?

If it is I need to replace it. How does it come out, I can't see anything retaining it in place so does it just drift out?

Photo below to show what I mean.

[RedexRobB]

That all sounds about right, except for the apparent damage....

http://www.zxrworld.co.uk/images/Lseries/lswingarm.gif

Unfortunately its one of those places that doesnt have easy access, so a lack of any lubricant doesnt surprise me, I had the same issue when i changed mine. On the plus side it doent have any great exposure to the elements either. If the bearing is ok, the inner ring will turn nice n smoothly, the needle bearings youll have to have a feel of, as they dont rotate a great deal they tend to flatten on the edge that faces the spindle. If you renew, repack with plenty of molybdenum grease

The larger ball bearing, be careful not to mistake the casements round the bearings for them being oval. Im assuming thats what you meant??

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00KB ... 204ZZ-.jpg

As you said, to remove its a case of drifting them out

[Tirpitz]

Thanks Rob. The inner ring doesn't turn but you're right, I am mistaking the oval casement for the bearings themselves. In fact, when I saw what I thought was the bearings all oval I was pretty horrified as I've never seen a ball bearing as bad as that and the odd thing is there is no play. I think before I start belting them out I'll flush them clean with some white spirit and then lube them up with some moly grease and see if the inner ring starts to turn. If it does then if there's still no play I'll leave well alone.

The needle bearings were well lubed at the factory and they look all right. I'll just clean those up and relube.

Had a right job getting the swingarm spindle out. Ended up drifting it out with a lump hammer Just about to give up and it started to shift. Is grease a precious commodity in Japan or something?

[stonemonkey]

Same issue I had with mine, in-between the ball bearing and outer oil seal there is a 41mm circlip that will need removing to allow the bearing to be knocked out. They aren't too expensive to replace if it does look iffy and will be the best decision in the long run. I just replaced the lotbut trying to source the inner sleeve as my bearings were that bad they carved a groove in it.

[Tirpitz]

Thanks, I thought I could see a circlip in the service manual but couldn't see it in the flesh. I guess if I have to remove it once I've got the oil seal out it will be clearly visible.

[Mori Man]

Heating up the arm with a hairdryer will make them pop out easier.

Does sound like they were never greased from new

Not sure what year it was but factories used to send bikes half assembled so the shop had to add front and rear ends. Some clever sod worked out the cost saving was negated by warranty claims so they now send fully built bikes that have been checked on a rolling road in the factory so the shops have nothing to do but sell them. Your new bike has a bill of health stored in the factory database and has already seen the redline The crazy part is they still quote crank PS yet they get a print out of every new bike with rear PS so they know actual

Common issues were bone dry spindles , bearings , suspension linkages and fasteners not up to torque, headstock and wheel bearing prematurely failing.........

Treat it too new bearings all round and a pin Make the most of that new shock

[Tirpitz]

Thankfully all the needle bearings were greased, still plenty of grease in there when I stripped everything down. Just that some dozy pillock missed the ball bearing by the looks of it. But then, knowing what I know now about the joker of a dealership who sold me the bike nothing surprises me (no longer in business, funny enough :wanker ). However, the good news is it wasn't siezed, I think it just got crud in it during removal which locked it. Once I'd flushed it out and put a bit of light machine oil in it turned freely with no play. Not quite sure how it's managed to survive 11k miles with no lube but as the bike has seen hardly any rain I guess that's what saved it. Anyway, all molyd up now and put together again.

One item of wear that was apparent was on the RH end of the swingarm sleeve where the needle bearing runs. The coating is badly pitted over about a third of the circumference. Looks to me like the majority (all?) of the bearing weight is taken on the bottom half of the sleeve. I've cleaned it up with some light emery so it is smooth and reassembled the sleeve with the fresh, unpitted section now at the bottom. I'll see what it looks like at the next suspension strip down and if the other half has gone then it will be refurb time. I'm hoping that the thorough strip and grease might sort it though.

Despite the nasty surprises there's something really satisfying about working on a bike you care about yourself. You just know the job's been done right. You deffo miss out on an important part of biking if you just hand your bike and a wad over to some fella to do it all for you (well, you reckon he's done it...... )