Swingarm, Shock Arm Lubrication Question - Anyone Lubed Those Yet?

[greg the pole]

Just dug this thread out of the archives as I am about to crack open the project of pulling the swingarm to check the lube. I have been flogging this beast in really nasty conditions for 16 months now and feel it is due. BWC thanks for the great pix and explanations earlier in the thread. Greg - thanks for your blog post on the subject as well. With those two sets of tutorials in hand, I should be able to make it happen. The last thing I need is some help with torque specs to get this thing all buttoned back up. Does anybody know the torque specs for the swingarm bolt, the assorted nuts that hold the rear shock on, and the bolts that hold the pumpkin to the swingarm assembly? Thanks for any insights this great group can provide.

you're welcome, and thanks for reading

 

[Mzee]

Thank you for the pictures above makes life terribly easy.

 

[Koinz]

The toolkit does not have the appropriate 19mm allen wrench required for removing either wheel. You can buy a dedicated allen of the correct size, a universal tool like the one previously pictured that provides several sizes commonly used on motorcycle axles, or you can homebrew it with anything from the hardware store that has the required 19mm hex and extends far enough to get wrench on it (e.g., double-nutting two 19mm-across-flats nuts on a threaded rod, a coupler of the right size, etc.).

- Mark

I believe someone mentioned that some spark plug sockets have a Hex end on them that fit perfectly. Stick a 3/8 extension in it and works fine. In my case the larger socket accommodates the extension. The 5/8 spark plug socket does not.

 

[greg the pole]

yamaha was smart, and made both axle allen keys the same.
It's not something you would need for a road side repair, but handy to have in the garage

 

[Dallara]

yamaha was smart, and made both axle allen keys the same.
It's not something you would need for a road side repair, but handy to have in the garage

Oh, I dunno'... I carry an aluminum axle tool, much like the one pictured up above in this thread, onboard the bike, just in case. You never know when you might need to pull a wheel for a trail or on-road repair. Rear seal, tire too damaged to use a plug and perhaps you can carry the wheel with you to get a new tire, tire too damaged for a plug but can be trail repaired if you put a tube in it (like Pluric seesm to do *ALL* the time with his dented rims), etc., etc., etc. It might be the tool that lets you continue your ride, while without it you might need a flatbed or pickup truck to haul the bike in for repair.

It's a handy tool to have, and the aluminum ones weigh next to nothing and take no space. I think I got mine from "Motion Pro", but I can't remember.

Just my two centavos... YMMV.

Dallara




p.s. - I carry the lightweight aluminum one on the bike, with my other tools... while I have one of the hardened steel one of the tools at home in my toolbox.
~

 

[tomatocity]

I had a rear tire replaced on the road. Bought the tire from Cycle Gear San Luis Obispo. They will mount the tire but will not remove and install the wheel. They gladly let me R&R in the parking lot. Yes I used the threaded rod connector I carry on my Tenere.

 

[tomatocity]

Want to do the Swingarm Service. A couple questions:
- does the final drive have to be drained?
- do the shaft splines and coupler use a different grease?
- generally, how many hours are needed to complete this service?

TIA

 

[trikepilot]

Tomatocity - I just put mine back together yesterday after having the swingarm off for bearing replacement by Yamaha. Here are my answers YMMV

1) No. Pumpkin comes off without draining oil
2) I put the same BelRay Waterproof grease on driveshaft splines that I used elsewhere (not sure what is recommended)
EDIT: this got me curious to see if I had put the wrong grease in my splines. I used the search feature here at the forum and found at least two threads were folks quoted the Yamaha repair manual as saying that the forward splines take lithium grease and the rear splines take moly paste. This, of course, spawned your typical oil/tire/lube posts...
3) Took me under two hours to get the swingarm off and maybe close to three to get it back together. I was going slow on the re-install to check that I was doing it right so that could be faster.

It is not a terribly hard job to do. And judging on the reports of how many had insufficient grease from the factory - it could be a big piece of preventative maintenance. I was lucky and got my local shop to lobby Yamaha to fix my shot bearings under warranty. After seeing my situation, they told me that they are gonna recommend that all the SuperTens they sell get a swingarm treatment before it goes to the floor. I wonder if the dealer brass will let that happen....?

 

[Chuck B]

I use a moly paste on the splines....not grease.

 

[tomatocity]

Thanks guys. Just in case there are bad bearings (etc) or other problems, I will do the Swingarm Service at home. I have the lithium soap based grease. Need to get some molylube. Thanks again.

 

[Wanderer]

Howdy,
Well here's my 2 cents worth. I've had many single shock motorcycles over the past 40 years. A 1982 Honda Sabre, a 1988 Yamaha Venture Royal and my ex-wife had a Honda Silver Wing, I can't remember the year. I think we might be a little critical with mother Yamaha. I too went through the same thought process when I first pulled the linkages apart and found them pretty dry on every single shock bike I have owned and my first thought on the first disassembly has been to blame the factory for not greasing the pivots at the get go. What I found after multiple maintenance cycles on the linkage is that they are always dry when you take them apart no matter how good a job you did when you put them back together. What they really need is a grease zerk on each pivot so you can grease them without taking them apart.
Later,
Norm

 

[markjenn]

What they really need is a grease zerk on each pivot so you can grease them without taking them apart.

Way too practical and would make the bikes last way too long. I guess you have to give Yamaha some credit for having a greasing interval - most bikes have none.

- Mark

 

[Frenchfries]

I am about to do the swing arm maintenance, but I am fearing that the nut (3) going onto the axle (4) requires a 27 mm socket, and there may not be enough clearance to introduce a 27 mm socket with its 1/2 wrench. Are you using a regular socket or a special one such as low profile? Also is there a need to have another 27 mm socket on the other end?
I know that some would answer: just start and you'll see by yourself... But I don't want to be stranded in the middle of this operation because lacking of the proper tool(s).
Thank you.

 

[trikepilot]

You should be fine. I had no low-profile 27mm socket.

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=11428.msg188098#msg188098

 

[Frenchfries]

Thank you. But I am still puzzled. Do you wrench the swing arm axle from the right side (side of the brake pedal) or from the left side (nut 3 on schematic).
If it is the right side, the nut 3 has to be held while wrenching the axle out, and to tighten the axle back on. Is it the case?

 

[tubebender]

You only need to loosen the bolt from the left hand side.
As you probably noticed, you cannot get to the nut on the right. The cover plate holds it in a well so it will not turn.

 

[racer1735]

And as has been noted in other threads, when you get to the bearings they will seem dry. But you'll note they have 'yellow' rubbery-like stuff on them. That is the lubricant that Yamaha and other OEM's use. Its good stuff, but appears dry and leads you to believe your bearings are running dry. You can add your own bearing grease to this without hurting things. But odds are (unless you find rust in there) tat your bearings are ok.

 

[~TABASCO~]

Its no problem.. The wing arm axle (4) just pulls out.. The nut on the (L) is captive and will sit there unless you take the screw out of the frame that holds the captive nut plate on.. Just pull the axle out and remove the swing arm.. There is a shim on the (R) side. If it says in place you will need to make sure its still there when you reinstall the swing arm. If it falls down to the ground, make sure to reinstall it. This is a good time to check the rubber boot around the shaft drive.

I've performed this job many times, let me know if you have any other questions..

 

[mrpete64]

I remember when I bought my 2008 new in '08 part of the deal was that the dealer would take off the swing arm and repack it with grease. The dealer thought I was nuts to say the least. I had known the mechanic for years and he told me that he had never seen anything like it in all his years of fixing bikes. It was a brownish sludge that oozed out of the inside of the swing arm. He cleaned it out and filled it with the appropriate grease. The stuff was....nasty!! If I still had the bike I would have grease fittings installed.
I do not understand why all motorcycles are not properly greased or have fittings. I guess the idea is that "sealed" fittings never need grease...or....it is nice repair job for someone down the road.
So, it does not surprise me that the bearings in the swing arms are....dry! This looks like a winter project.
Mr. Pete-------->
aging hippie

 

[Andylaser]

I am going to ask my dealer to do the swing arm and shaft when the bike gets its next service. At the last service, I got them to do the wheel axles. They said the bearings used are pre greased and sealed, therefore no additional grease is needed. He did say that greasing the axles and pivot bolts on the bike is worthwhile though.