Rear Swinging Arm Bearing

[gregor]

After getting the annual MOT test done, I was given an advisory that there was play in the bearing at 17,700 miles. May just be adjustment or a new bearing needed. Anyone else had this happen?

Was PO as I'd left the bike at the main dealers for a whole day to have the front tyre and hydraulic fluids changed expensively.

Looks like it will be another day on a loan bike and more time off work to get this sorted.

[macx]

Not terribly uncommon, altho maybe a little early at that mileage.

Not that hard to adjust, but you must have a heat gun and an IR thermometer.

The wheel side rear pivot lock nut and adjustment bolt has to be removed and
all outside and inside threads well cleaned of loctite, then reassembled and
torqued to specs, both the bolt and the lock nut. Factory and the dealer will
require red loctite. Many folks use blue and then match mark both the bolt and
the locknut and periodically monitor the markings to make sure nothing loosens.
ALL APPLICABLE DISCLAIMERS APPLY !! It's worked fine on mine. With blue
loctite you don't need to heat the area to loosen things.

The heat gun is needed to heat the lock nut and area surrounding the bolt itself
to loosen the red loctite, otherwise you'll strip those fine aluminum threads.

The threads must be well cleaned or your assembly torque readings will be
inaccurate.

You also need a (most likely) 1/4" drive inch lb torque wrench that will read
down to 7 inch lbs, and a 1/2" drive torque wrench that will go to over 100 nm.

[Sunbeemer]

Mine needed adjustment ~30,000 miles, and it was not too difficult. The bearing on the wheel side was a little notchy, but I torqued it up anyway and noticed this weekend that I can again just feel some play in the rear wheel at 43,000 miles now. Probably will replace the bearings before a long trip this summer.

Search on "paralever bearings" for info on how to.

[gregor]

Thanks for that guys. Will be back to the dealer as I do not have workshop facilities at home. Maybe next year.

[gregor]

£160.72 for renewing rear pivot bearings. No facilities to do it at present so the credit card will feel it soon.

[hank]

£160.72 for renewing rear pivot bearings. No facilities to do it at present so the credit card will feel it soon.

Ouch. It's a pity you don't have some place to work on your bike, I adjusted mine last year and its still ok. Biggest bind is cleaning the old locktite off of the bolts, I used my wifes nail varnish remover and boy did I get a bollocking when she found out. I reasembled without using locktite as I figure it isn't needed when the locknut is tightened to 160Nm, as a precaution I marked the the adjusting screw, lock nut and swing arm so that if there is any movement I will see it when doing a visual inspection. Since then I have done 6,500 miles including a two up trip over the Pyrenees and there has been no movement so far. I will replace the bearing next time I detect play at the rear wheel.

Hank.

[gregor]

Adjustment would be about half that price. Asked dealer to try that first, we'll see. Play is considerable and I guess it may be affecting the steering.

Wish I could arrange a nice long trip to Scotland . Been to Applecross in various weathers (shudders) and my last trip was to Mull a couple of years ago.

[hank]

Adjustment would be about half that price. Asked dealer to try that first, we'll see. Play is considerable and I guess it may be affecting the steering.

Wish I could arrange a nice long trip to Scotland . Been to Applecross in various weathers (shudders) and my last trip was to Mull a couple of years ago.

When I found the play in the pivots it was when I checked after hearing a loud creaking noise from the rear of the bike while parking it in my garage. I never actually felt it while riding and had done some spirited riding over the Dukes Pass and down Loch Lomond side the day before. I think it is one of those things that happens gradually, so you slowly compensate for it.

Applecross is on my to do list, hopefully this year.

Hank.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Play back there is not a subtle thing, right? You know it. Right?

I need something else to worry over and this seems a suitable candidate.

Stella! has nearly 73k miles and I don't even imagine play. Twisting the wheel very gently as well as more firmly will move the bike on the centerstand but nothing else "feels" play.

getting ready for a trip in some boonies and don't want to get stuck.

tia

John

[hank]

If you got it you will know, when you grab the rear wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock, pull and push from side to side and see if it moves. If it moves get someone to apply the rear brake if it still moves it's pivot bearings if not it is something more serious like the main bearing in the final drive.

Hank.

[gregor]

Done expensively. The rear transmission splines had seized in place. The swing arm had to be removed and the bearings were in a horrid rusty state. I saw them.

[riceburner]

ouch.

My swingarm appears to need the play taking up now (MOT at 80,000 picked it up).

Anyone got a link to a complete run through of the adjustment procedure?

[CNorris]

When mine developed some play, I put in the Rubber Chicken Racing (yes, that's what it's called) bushing, which is a much better design AND less expensive than the fragile OEM parts. It made a difference in handling.

[omg1010]

Beware of that rubber chicken stuff cause there is a lot of mixed experience with that!

Brgds
Oliver

[gregor]

My OE bearing failed at ~17000 miles so the Rubber Chicken bearings must be poor indeed.
Never jetwashed my bike and a summer user so little excuse for failure. The dealer said the new bearing and grease would see me out. Watch this space.

[hank]

ouch.

My swingarm appears to need the play taking up now (MOT at 80,000 picked it up).

Anyone got a link to a complete run through of the adjustment procedure?

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85797 I followed the instructions here with the exception of the cutaway socket. I marked the adjuster and swing arm and used a normal socket on the lock nut.

[riceburner]

Cheers Hank,

Something on there concerned me though - they said the 7Nm is to stop ham fisted people (like me) stripping threads on the ally swingarm - but I'm confused - isn't it the locknut (160Nm) that interacts with the swingarm??

Or am I missing something?

[hank]

Cheers Hank,

Something on there concerned me though - they said the 7Nm is to stop ham fisted people (like me) stripping threads on the ally swingarm - but I'm confused - isn't it the locknut (160Nm) that interacts with the swingarm??

Or am I missing something?

When I did mine I tightened the adjuster to 7Nm, though I'm not sure how accurate my torque wrench is at such a low setting, and then had to tighten it another quarter of a turn till the play was gone. I then tightened the lock nut to 160Nm and checked my marks to make sure that the adjuster didn't move.

[riceburner]

Cheers Hank,

Something on there concerned me though - they said the 7Nm is to stop ham fisted people (like me) stripping threads on the ally swingarm - but I'm confused - isn't it the locknut (160Nm) that interacts with the swingarm??

Or am I missing something?

When I did mine I tightened the adjuster to 7Nm, though I'm not sure how accurate my torque wrench is at such a low setting, and then had to tighten it another quarter of a turn till the play was gone. I then tightened the lock nut to 160Nm and checked my marks to make sure that the adjuster didn't move.

yes, but my question is - which is the locknut and which is the adjuster?? is the locknut the outer bit? (which I'd assume), if so - what does it bite into? the swingarm or something inside?

[hank]

The adjuster is the inner part which is threaded into the swing arm and is used to take up the play on the taper roller bearing. The locknut is the outer part which is threaded onto the adjuster and locks it all against the swing arm at 160Nm.

I know that the inner screw is supposed to be torqued to 7Nm but when I set it so, there was still some play at the wheel. I slowly tightened it a little bit at a time till the play was gone. I reckon the torque wrenches used by BMW techs in the factory are much more accurate than the one I'm using.

The only time I have heard of the threads in the swing arm being stripped was when someone did it without heating the assembly enough to loosen the locktite.

It was quite a scary job for me, but I am glad I have done it. I know I will feel a lot more confident when the time comes to replace the bearings, or when doing any other job around the swing arm or final drive assembly.

Hank.