Popular Post YZEtc Posted January 1, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted January 1, 2015 [HASH]swingarmbearings Since there was no work today and my FZ-07 is off the road until March, today seemed the perfect day to perform that important job of periodically lubing the bearings and related parts of the swingarm and shock linkage.This is not a step-by-step tutorial, but a few pics of what the bike looks like when disassembled along with comments of what I've learned about this stuff over the years. With the rear wheel, footpegs, shift pedal, brake pedal, frame covers, chain guard, sprocket cover, and associated nuts and bolts removed, here's what your FZ-07 looks like - a naked bike that's gotten even more naked.Using a swingarm stand to get this far is just fine and dandy, but to get the swingarm, itself, off and on the workbench, you need a way of holding the bike up by the subframe from above with tiedowns.A sturdy overhead rafter is great, or you can use a portable overhead rafter that's rolled into position like I did (that's the blue thing).You can also see the red tiedowns holding up the bike by the subframe. Here's with the swingarm and shock linkage completely removed and on the bench.You can see one of the reasons the FZ-07 is such a light-weight motorcycle:There's not that much to it with the engine being used as a stressed member and allowing a minimalist frame around it.If you ever wondered why lots of bikes come with that thing in front of the sprocket that everyone knows as a "case saver", it's so when the chain lifts slightly off the sprocket during normal use, it will be harmlessly guided along and kept in place. The swingarm, shock linkage, and the smaller parts removed to allow this.The swingarm is made of plain ol' steel painted black, the dog bone-shaped link is steel, and the boomerang-shaped link is aluminum.The shock linkage is pretty simple and works on a similar principle as the 1983 Yamaha YZs did and that the TT-R125L still uses to this day, in case you want some moto trivia. The heart of the matter:The needle bearings of the swingarm.Yes, sir, when you twist the throttle and the rear wheel pushes you forward, these are what gets pushed on.They perform quite a job.There are two bearings on the drive chain side, and one bearing on the other side.The bearings are pressed into the bore of the swingarm, and there's an oil seal on the far end.Both bearings and the oil seal get grease applied to them.How much factory grease was on the bearings?Not so much that it oozed out onto the floor upon disassembly, but certainly enough to get by with a high level of lubrication, and if you want to maintain this high level of lubrication, you must periodically perform maintenance. These are the other parts of the swingarm pivot where the bearings live:The shiny thing on the right is the collar which goes through the middle of the bearings and is actually the inner bearing race that those needles ride on.The middle thing is the oil seal that sits inside of the thing on the left, the thrust cover.The oil seal and thrust cover seal the swingarm on the opposite side of the oil seal in the above pic.All of these parts get smeared with grease.What kind of grease?Any name brand lithium-based grease is suitable, be it Yamaha, Maxima, Valvoline from NAPA, etc.Just make sure it's fresh and clean.After the swingarm bearings are done, the same is performed to the bearings in the boomerang-shaped shock link and the dog bone-shaped link.These parts have bearings with oil seals and collars that function just like the swingarm bearings do, only in miniature. Here she is, swingarm and linkage all put back together and as snug as a bug in a rug.The FZ-07 is actually one of the easier bike to do this job on, really no different from the typical dirt bike once you get the bike supported from above.As I always do, I recommend you get a copy of the Yamaha Service Manual for the FZ07F as it's worth it if you choose to do your own work. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Great write up, thanks for hashtagging! That will help alot of FZ-07 owners over the years! Yamaha MT-10 ForumYamaha Tracer 900 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FZRDR Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Holy cow that's a fantastic write up! Very very clear and detailed. I just wished you'd have gotten a new rear shock to replace while you were in there, and perhaps a new exhaust. im definitely going to save those images for future reference!!! Great work!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ralph Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Great write up, to my everlasting shame I have never done this to any modern bike even when owning them for years and 40,000 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YZEtc Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Thanks, guys. I posted that as a quickie. A bona-fide step-by-step presentation would be a lot more pics and a lot more words. Pretty soon I'll will be doing the same to the steering head bearings and probably changing the fork oil since the forks will be off, anyway, and I'd like to be certain the fork oil level is actually set to specification. FZRDR, a new Penske or Ohlins would be awful nice, but that will have to wait ($$). Probably some day. I'd like very much the pleasant sound of a quality aftermarket exhaust system, but I'm riding in stealth mode. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkraft Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Great write up and pics, thanks. So if you had some rigid foot pegs (rear-sets) could you put jackstands under the pegs to support the bike or does that side plate need to come off to remove the swingarm? Are the two dogbones welded together on that collar? Interesting that the SA and dogbones are steel, I actually had some aluminum dogbones made for the SV. Did you remove the needle bearings to clean and lube? The R6, GSXR and SV all had a rubber membrane holding the needles in that seemed to be a possible source of holding dirt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskydave Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Yes I agree with taking something almost new apart to grease, as I did with my 2001 XR200R, and found no grease in the steering. The other thing I will do to my FZ is, put old style fork boots, the reason is, it makes the seals last because of no bugs or grit. I will change the fork oil, add emulators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YZEtc Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Great write up and pics, thanks. So if you had some rigid foot pegs (rear-sets) could you put jackstands under the pegs to support the bike or does that side plate need to come off to remove the swingarm? Are the two dogbones welded together on that collar? Interesting that the SA and dogbones are steel, I actually had some aluminum dogbones made for the SV. Did you remove the needle bearings to clean and lube? The R6, GSXR and SV all had a rubber membrane holding the needles in that seemed to be a possible source of holding dirt.The two frame side plates that the footpeg holders bolt to come off in order to remove the nut and long bolt holding the dog bone link in place. The two dogbones are welded in place, making it a one-piece link. The bearing needles stood in place and I merely smeared new grease over them, over the collars that pass through the bearings, on the oil seal lips, and on the linkage bolts and swingarm pivot bolt. The FZ-07 has a similar caramel-colored needle retainer on the linkage bearings.I have read this helps supply lubrication due to the material it's made of. The way I see it, if you're actually getting dirt to the bearing needles, something is worn-out and needs fixing.Over time, the grease dries-out and parts start to gall and corrode, and this will happen much, much sooner with dirt bikes due to the dirt and water they see.If you ever hear a [em]squeaky-squeaky [/em]noise when somebody sits on their bike and compresses the rear suspension, it's probably due to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgermeiser Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 How did you remove this piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyribs Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 That bolt goes all the way to the other side of the bike. The aluminum bracket in your picture will act as a wrench, since it's capturing the head of that bolt, so just remove the nut from the other side. Though you'll have to refasten that bracket to the frame before you go after the nut. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1limited Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 One of the most neglected parts of the bike next to triples and chain 1 “Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YZEtc Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) Three years, already. Time flies. I still own the bike and I am still enjoying riding it, and it will be time to do this job, again, before April comes. By the way, I did install an Ohlins rear shock about four months after these pics were taken. It works very well. Besides the chassis bearings, I like to freshen the fluids in the fork and shock every off season, so while the bike is up in the air, the shock gets sent to an Ohlins service shop for a basic service. Edited February 2, 2018 by YZEtc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YZEtc Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 7 hours ago, Burgermeiser said: How did you remove this piece? See the head of that bolt toward the top of that piece? That's the long bolt (called the swingarm pivot shaft) that holds the swingarm to the frame. That must be removed, which means you need to support the rear of the bike by the subframe and not a swingarm stand. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgermeiser Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Got it, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb.junior Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 Old, but good thread. I'll be doin this this weekend on my race bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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