Installing new swing arm bearings.

[Doc_V]

Did you tap your new swing arm bearings in with a hammer or use a threaded rod with bolts and washers?

[Father Pobasturd]

Freeze them first.

[Doc_V]

Bearings have been chilling in the freezer since last night.

[RRS_07RdStar]

It's always better to press in bearings, or pull them in using threaded rod, rather than hammer them in. It's to easy to damage or misalign bearing trying to hammer it in.
I see you are cooling the bearing, if you heat the swingarm with a heat gun, sometimes you get lucky and the bearing will slide right in.

[Horsehammerr]

Both mine have

[Doc_V]

That's encouraging, I'll try hot and cold before I go buy some threaded rod.

[Doc_V]

Thanks for the suggestion guys, but no amount of heating the swing arm or cooling the bearing will make it "just slide in". At least not on the 1700s. [Maybe if I had some liquid nitrogen?] I'm off to buy some threaded rod.

[Jclevesque]

Did the cheap mans press work for ya Doc?

[Doc_V]

Jesus that was a serious pain in the ass. You guys didn't tell me about putting the swing arm back on. Not something I want to do again.

[RRS_07RdStar]

Thanks for the suggestion guys, but no amount of heating the swing arm or cooling the bearing will make it "just slide in". At least not on the 1700s. [Maybe if I had some liquid nitrogen?] I'm off to buy some threaded rod.

The heating and cooling isn't related to whether it's a 1600, 1700 or any other bike. It's all about the +- tolerances of each part. If the swingarm is on the + tolerance and the bearing is on the - tolerance, there is a chance that heating and cooling will work. I just did a swingarm on a Honda a few months ago and did the heating and cooling, one side slipped in fairly easy, the other side was really tight, so I had to press it in.

FYI, I think I saw you were buying a drill press. I have an old Delta drill press with a cast iron table and a pretty hefty quill, I use that as a press. I also have a Smithy Granite that I use as a press also. You have to be careful to judge if you drill press is beefy enough, to try this. But when you use heating and cooling of components, it works pretty well most of the time, except for the most stubborn tight press fits

This isn't the Delta drill press which I used when doing RoadStar swingarm, but this is using my Smithy Granite drill press for the Honda swingarm bushings,

.

Here I pressed in some leaf spring bushings, you can see the frost on the bushing. I did 8 of these, a couple practically fell in, the other I had to pressed in. it all depends on the tolerances.

[Doc_V]

I definitely understand the principles of heating and cooling for bearings, I'm just saying in the case of the R* swing arm, there's no getting around needed to press them in.

It was putting the swing arm back on the bike that I hated. The damn thing is heavy and awkward; plus you have to lift up the front end first, to clear the front end of the fender, but getting it aligned to slide in the swing arm axle in was the hardest part.

[D-Fresh]

You're a glutton for punishment Doc!

[Doc_V]

That graphic is pretty freakin spot on. I may have to use it some time.

To be honest, I'm no glutton, just stupid enough to try. I'd much rather not have to deal with any of this crap, but thanks to a lying dumbass tow truck driver, and the dipshit who mounted my new tire before the trip, the bike has *never* been the same. Apparently, asking for a bike that doesn't become unstable above 60 mph, is a bridge too far.

[roadiemort]

Do you have a stable ride yet? The only thing you haven't changed is the frame.

[D-Fresh]

Sorry to hear that Doc, I didn't know you were still being plagued by handling issues from the boneheaded tow job, bummer.