Removing swingarm needle bearings

I am about to replace my swingarm bearings but am stuck trying to rem ove the old ones - is there a trick that doesn't involve too much brute force?

Typically I have just got my frame and swingarm back from the paint shop before realised the needle bearings are still in there, and no doubt stuck from years of rust and abuse........

I have a limited tool supply, I used a long 3/8's socket drive and a perfect fit spark plug socket to drive against the bearing via large mallet. I also applied lots of PB blaster before hand and heat. Honestly, should have just found someone with a press, but I'm stuborn!

That's basically what I did when rebuilding my bro's 500CR. "A little heat" is mandatory as far as I'm concerned. Just a simple warming up with a propane torch, and those bearings will drive right out of there. Sure wish I had a press to do it right, but not really necessary.

You should, however, try to press them back in vs. driving them so as to guard against getting them cock-eyed. I simply pressed the new ones in using the jaws of my shop vice. That enables you to keep things squared and lined up.

OK, great, thanks guys - I'll take it to a shop I think as I don't have access to a prss and given that the swingarm is freshly painted, I'd be so bummed if I slipped while swinging the mallet and chipped it...........thanks again.

So next question, is there anyone out there who can recommend a decent bike workshop in south east UK who has some vintage experience?

Roy Simmons engineering of Brook near Ashford Kent 01233 813385 for machine shop and engine building.
He is an old school style engineer/machinist with a workshop on the side of his house, re bored a yz250 barrel one day turn around £34.00 (3years back) last year fitted a new con rod kit to a KDX 200 while I waited and true'd to within 1.5thou run out (kawasaki usually to 4 from factory) £30.00 30mins to do the job. He can be difficult to get hold of as he semi retired and still works part time somwhere else. But he is good.

Guys!- you all have a press. It's called a vise. The sockets mentioned earlier work fine in a vise- no beating on it. Good control. Bunch of roughnecks!

When you use a vise you need a extra set of hands!

Just go down and pick up a threaded rod. Match up a stack of hardened washers with matching inside ID. And slowly turn your nut and
you now have a pressed out the bearing. Just look at the motion pro tool for the same idea.

I'm a goon without a vise either. Gary, good and very simple idea, the kind of solutions I like!

Socket in the vise always works well, lots of WD 40! Get a can of touch up paint!!!

Are these 'blind' bearings? I don't reckon my have come out since the factory.

You can use a large c clamp like a vise too with the sockets.

sometimes i use my balljoint press, a vice, or a large c-clamp. several ways to go about it..

A threaded rod can be used through both holes and use a flat washer with a nut on one side to pull the bearing out. You need another flat washer the diameter of the bearing.

Time to think and come up with a way of doing anything. I made all my own tool. I welded a metric nut on a pipe with a nut on the other end to turn with w ratchet, to remove the fork tubes in a 85 250cr Honda to do the fork seals. My point is we get the job done. Wether in our garage or basement.

Just wondering if they are up against anything in there, internal flange, 'blind' hole or are both the bearings up against themselves, come out either way? Thanks

As long as there has not been any damage to the edges, they press out either way. Should not take too much force - if it does make sure you don't have too big of a socket and that it is aligned properly. The threaded rod (i.e. motion pro tool style) works best, but I've used the vice set up with no issues as well. The motion pro tool is very nice for re-install as the precision machined drivers fit perfectly inside the bearing to hold needles in and keep everything lined up.

Reciprocating saw . Or hack saw

If you take threaded stock (1/4 inch/6mm or similar), long enough to run the full width of the swingarm, and use a stack (stack for rigidity) of washers and a nut on each end, you can press the bearings from the outside in. Just make sure your washer is wide enough to solidly span the bearing, but small enough to fit through the arm end (at-least on one end). The same setup can work to push them out, as well as back in. If you're reefing hard on the nuts at all, put some bracing between the legs of the swingarm, but hopefully with some heat and things soaked up pretty well you don't have to go there. NO impact wrenches when using this approach. No saws either.

Why did we all get suckered into posting on a thread that originated in 2013?

Ha! I thought the same thing, but looks like someone is tagging on to an old thread.