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Side to Side Play in swingarm along pivot

12K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  BillV 
#1 ·
Hey, I noticed this when I was converting my 05 750 to a 1k swing arm,
But I stripped my k6 1k down and I have found the same thing.

You can shift the swingarm from side to side along the pivot bolt about 1/16th of an inch, Is this supposed to be like that?

The bearings are seated fully against the internal spacer, so I cannot see how this is possible to correct, or what would cause it in the first place.

I've also got up and down movement from the bearing in the lever that attaches to the frame. PO was a heavy guy. That bearing is worn, I checked. Need to replace it.

But anyway back to swinger, AnyOne else have this?
 
#2 ·
I've never had mine apart but I thought that the left pivot shaft nut pulls the shaft such that it clamps the swingarm/bearings/spacers against the left pivot boss. Then the right nut applies tension to the shaft that either compresses the frame to get rid of any gap or just secures the shaft against the right pivot boss.

I'd think that the PO would have to be damn heavy to get significant wear. It sounds like something else was going on.
 
#3 ·
There has to be some play otherwise the shoulder of the 2 sleeves would bind on the the swingarm. I had this on my K7 and did not notice on removal so I was a little concerned. I had a buddy come over who is a tech and he said its fine.

It is designed like this:
The internal spacer, 2 side spacers get preloaded in the frame and do not move. The swingarm and bearings rotate around it. You take all the gap out, the whole thing will bind.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hey, I noticed this when I was converting my 05 750 to a 1k swing arm,
But I stripped my k6 1k down and I have found the same thing.

You can shift the swingarm from side to side along the pivot bolt about 1/16th of an inch, Is this supposed to be like that?

The bearings are seated fully against the internal spacer, so I cannot see how this is possible to correct, or what would cause it in the first place.

I've also got up and down movement from the bearing in the lever that attaches to the frame. PO was a heavy guy. That bearing is worn, I checked. Need to replace it.

But anyway back to swinger, AnyOne else have this?
just serviced my bike for road trip to spain... my swingarm has this play too..it feels bad... my swingarm bolt is good & tight.. but still have the play in the pivot bolt... :scratch:scratch in the uk... this play could be a M.O.T TEST FAIL
 
#9 · (Edited)
I've had mine out since my earlier post. You may need to reference page 8-59 of the service manual and/or the parts fiche to understand this.

The swingarm pivot has two pressed in needle bearings. The bearings ride on flanged spacers that are separated by a center spacer. The distance between the spacers, and consequently the gap between the spacer flanges and the sides of the swingarm pivot, is determined by the length of the center spacer. The gap should be quite small but not so small that the spacer flanges rub against the pivot.

The pivot shaft runs through the pivot/flanges/spacer as well as the pivot bosses that are attached to the frame. The shaft threads into the right pivot boss until it compresses the flanged spacers and center spacer tight against the left pivot boss. Once it's tight, lock nuts secures the shaft on either side.

The only place where there should be any play is between the spacer flanges and the pivot - and it should be very small. If it isn't, the center spacer or the flanged spacers are too long (unlikely). If (more likely) there's any gap/play between the outside of the left spacer flange and the left pivot boss, the pivot shaft was improperly installed and should be redone. There will be a small gap with no play on the right side that's associated with tightening the pivot shaft. I guess that it would be possible to spring the frame by over-tightening the pivot shaft (11 ft-lb). But it would take a hammer mechanic to do so and even then there shouldn't be any gap on the left side. A gap might also be created if the pivot shaft wasn't kept from turning while the left side lock nut was tightened. A 19 mm hex wrench is supposed to be used for that purpose (8-60).

Note that all this refers to the swingarm pivot, not to gaps at the cushion lever. Those gaps can be bigger as they do not control the left/right position of the swingarm.

P.S. Page 2C-2 of the K9-L1 manual shows the gap between the spacer flanges and the pivot as .02". K5/K6 is probably the same. That should translate into side-to-side play. Anything more means something is wrong, most likely involving the pivot shaft. The OP's 1/16" value is too much. The gap/play could be reduced by removing material on the inside of the flanged spacers (I'd be happier with .01"). But it's important to not remove so much that the flanges rub against the pivot.
 
#10 ·
The swingarm where it attaches to the frame should not have any play or side-to-side movement :nono
 
#12 ·
I'm resurrecting this thread. I've got some side to side play on my swingarm,it feels more than "normal" . I'll loosen everything up and torque to specs in the right order.I'll let you know of any findings.

Have you (everyone) checked yours. you really need to press the wheel horizontally to find out. Or just follow the procedure described in the workshop manual (remove rear wheel,suspension linkage bolt etc,etc)
 
#14 · (Edited)
You ought to be able to measure the side-to-side movement of the swingarm pivot with a dial indicator. By swingarm pivot, I mean the cast aluminum part of the swingarm that the bearings are pressed into. Alternately measure the gap between the swingarm pivot and the flange on the bearing spacers with a feeler gauge. It shouldn't be more than .5 mm.
http://oi67.tinypic.com/29lyexk.jpg
ok,I get it. thanks @BillV.

there's no "service limit" for swing arm play in the K5-K6 1000 workshop manual. there's only a "preliminary inspection" where you remove the wheel and the suspension linkage bolt and if there's some play then firstly you tighten the nut on the right side and then on the left side. if there's still some play then you need to replace the swingarm needle roller bearings.

edit: I know fully understand your earlier post:cheers
 
#15 ·
The pic and tolerance are from the K9-L1 service manual. With the exception of the actual swingarm casting, all parts associated with that tolerance are the same as K5/K6 so I don't see any reason for the tolerance to be different. I've made some minor improvements to the pic and have updated the link.

I was concerned that post #9 was hard to follow. The pic greatly simplifies things.
 
#16 ·
I loosened everything up,I removed the rear wheel,I removed the linkage's upper bolt and nut (the one that's on the swingarm) so I could freely move the swingarm up and down. I torqued everything according to specs in the correct order. I ended up with .45mm gap. the swinarm moves freely up and down without binding.
thanks again @BillV
 
#17 ·
Congratulations. After taking a critical look at the swingarm writeup in the K5/K6 service manual and comparing it with K9-L1, I'm of the opinion that it could be improved. Among other things:

8-59: There ought to be a statement that the swingarm bearings should be pressed in until they're flush to .5 mm into the swingarm pivot.

8-60: The title "SWINGARM PIVOT THRUST CLEARANCE ADJUSTMENT" is misleading. There is no adjustment. It ought to be "SWINGARM PIVOT SHAFT INSTALLATION". Similarly, "Adjust the swingarm pivot thrust clearance in the..." is misleading. You're not making any adjustment.

8-60 and elsewhere: "Swingarm pivot thrust adjuster socket wrench" is actually a "Swingarm pivot shaft lock nut wrench"

8-60 After installing the pivot they ought to recommend checking that the swingarm pivot to swingarm bearing spacer clearance is 0 to .5 mm.

I'm updating the manual and will try to add them.
 
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