Thought I would update this post with my experience with replacing the swing arm bearings on my 2011 TE449.
I searched high and low on the net for info but came up pretty short on how to get them out of the 449. I did find the post above from Pascal about his experience with his G450x which is basically what I followed
http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/449-swing-arm-bearings.41072/
I found a post on another site explaining that the swing arm bearings could be bought at a standard bearing shop with part number ‘NJ.204.E.G15’. When I inquired about this part the guy in the shop said there was no ‘G15’ on the end of the part # which had me a bit concerned. I also wanted to replace the metal bushing insert so opted to get the bearings, inserts and seals from a husky dealer at great expense. $69AU per bearing and $29 per insert. Anyway as you can see in the picture below when the bearing turned up it was in fact an SNR ‘NJ.204.E.G15’ bearing.
The bearing seals are pushed into the frame from the back and can be easily knocked out with a hammer and small screwdriver or similar. I wasn’t aware of this and ended up pushing them through with the bearing but no damage was done.
To get the bearings out I constructed a press style rig using some nuts, washers, socket attachment and all thread.
I bought the all thread (think it was 16mm) and nuts to fit at a hardware store. I cut the all thread down to a length which was about 200mm long so it was easier to handle.
I then got a ¾ inch socket which was big enough to allow the bearing to be pushed into it and also large enough to fit over the bearing housing on the bike frame.
I used a large flange nut as the pressing mechanism. It was about 33mm in diameter but was pretty snug so you could probably go a little smaller. The thread was larger than the all thread rod so it slid along it nicely. The actual nut section of the nut
fit nicely into the center of the bearing while the flange caught the inner race/cage.
Removal Process:
- Remove the bearing bushings.
- Insert the all thread through the bearing.
- Add the flange nut and two nuts to the rear of the frame and bearing.
- Add the socket to the front of the frame and bearing.
- Add a couple of washers.
- Add a nut and tighten by hand until socket starts to clamp down on frame.
- Align socket over bearing housing on frame and tighten with spanner.
- As you continue to tighten you’ll need another spanner on the nuts on the rear of the rig to stop it spinning.
- Keep tightening until the bearing is pressed out.
- Clean up the bearing housing with some brake cleaner or similar then regrease.
To get the new bearings in I used a smaller socked attachment and a hammer. I kept the bearings in the freezer for a few hours before and they almost went in without the need for the hammer.
I used the all thread and some washers again to press the new seals into the back of the frame as they were pretty tight and could not be done by hand. I didn’t take any snaps of the seals but they looked similar to these ones.
All in all it worked out pretty well. Some paint chipped off the frame where the socket was tightened against it but no biggie. No doubt with the right tool (blind bearing puller?) you could do the same job a lot easier.
