Swinging arm pivot bearings

[Paul Rochdale]

When I started the refurbishment of my R100GS-PD I vowed both not to hurry it and not to make any mistakes. The older I get, the shorter my temper, you see. You know how when you have a job to do and your foresee it's not going to go well and you're proved right?

Well I have the swinging arm out and gave it a good clean in my eBay special Wolf Parts Cleaner. Then I thought I'd try to examine the pivot bearings. Well these are partial sealed so it's not easy. The Haynes said "Slip out the inner races from the bearings" well they wouldn't 'slip'. After a few taps with a drift - I am talking about the nearside one as the offside one is at the end of a long casting - it popped out sending fifteen rollers all over the floor. After a full thirty minutes I eventually found the final roller. The tiny plastic cage was a bit damage but not too badly so I packed the cage with grease and replaced all of the rollers. Replacing the bearing it wouldn't settle down into the out race still in the swing arms. More tapping, more fiddling and after ten minutes it all fell in place.

Am I going to remove the other one? What do you think?

 

[Rob Farmer]

Haynes were talking about the earlier bearings that can have the inner bearing removed. Your GS is fitted with the sealed for life bearing that should not come apart. You really need to replace the bearing now that you have bolloxed it.

Getting the outer bearing out of the swinging arm is fun.

The earlier bearings are £10 each and are conventional taper bearings, yours are the sealed for life ones that cost £33 each - middle of the page here http://motorworks.co.uk/vlive/Shop/Parts.php?T=5&NU=15&M=20&Ct=EA&SbCt=BA_15_20_EA_80&spPage=2

 

[Paul Rochdale]

So why didn't the friggin Haynes say so as my copy covers the Paris Dakar models. As it happens there was no brinnelling at all so a good bearing and my money wasted. I think I will try a bead of arc weld on the outer to remove it as that works with the head bearings which ARE fine.

 

[bwprice100]

Ah the Haynes book of lies.

Brian

 

[Beemerboff]

Check the fit of the bearings on the pivot pin - the Para puts a bit more load on the drive side and the bearings can turn on the pin, as they are not a particularly tight fit.

Moteren Israel sell a slightly larger pin which is cheaper than OEM and is claimed to improve handling too.

But if you fit them you will have to work out a way of removing the pins without pulling the expensive bearings apart if you want to remove the swinging arm .

 

[Redboots]

You can buy the unsealed variety as cheap as chips.
The only reason they are sealed is to increase maintenance periods. If you are prepared to re-grease them every year or so, you can save some money.

40x17x17 taper rollers from your local bearing factor or ebay will be a fiver or less.

 

[Paul Rochdale]

Check the fit of the bearings on the pivot pin - the Para puts a bit more load on the drive side and the bearings can turn on the pin, as they are not a particularly tight fit.

Moteren Israel sell a slightly larger pin which is cheaper than OEM and is claimed to improve handling too.

But if you fit them you will have to work out a way of removing the pins without pulling the expensive bearings apart if you want to remove the swinging arm .

The pins, those threaded parts, came out easily and without disturbing the bearings. What disturbed one of the bearings was me bashing on the inner race to get it to "slip out" as Haynes put it. As it happens the outer race is extremely thin with barely a lip to get a bearing puller onto.

RB, Thanks for the tip but I think I'll just bite the bullet and fit a £30 sealed bearing.

 

[Beemerboff]

The pins come out too easy - they are quite a loose fit in the bearing.

As you have the bearing apart check the fit of the inner cone on both pins - on mine the cone had been turning on the drive side pin and was a loose, wobbly fit.
The bearing was actually OK and could have been reused, if I hadnt made the same mistake as you.

The near side pin wasnt nearly as loose but I replaced them both with the MI pins.

 

[Rob Farmer]

RB, Thanks for the tip but I think I'll just bite the bullet and fit a £30 sealed bearing.

The GS swinging arm breathes through the pivot pins so the only way to grease the cheaper bearings is to take the swinging arm out and grease them without blocking the holes in the centre of the pins.

BMW issued a service bulletin years ago

 

[Paul Rochdale]

Rob

If you are talking about swing arm to frame pins, my R100GS-Paris Dakar doesn't have breathing holes. They are solid.

(Later) Just so I don't get egg on my face, I've just popped out to the workshop to ensure I wasn't talking rubbish. I think I'll be having soldiers with my egg.

 

[Redboots]

I think I'll be having soldiers with my egg.

Toasted?