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time to replace the lower shock bearing, was tracking down info on your conversion to a bushing, but other than the encouraging pictures,"ITS BEEN DONE!" I've been unable to find the actual info on what you came up with, can you help a brotha out?

Hey! If you don't get answers to your questions...ASK again..maybe even differently. PM or email me (in this case).

For one...the bushing idea didn't work. I never found a material that held up suitably.

For two..I have replaced that bearing with a double-sealed bearing. Said bearing requires the OEM seals to be relieved to fit the longer (wider bearing).

Bearing: From page 21 in my gallery....


Bearing PN..note it's 16x16mm..double seal, 5905K98 from McMaster-Carr, $11.20 ea.



How much to relieve the seals? Don't know. Enough so they fit like they're supposed to. I didn't take a before measurement. Ooops.

Just curious, what bushing materials did you try?
My rear suspension was loose as hell, but the majority of it was just loose bolts (not tightened enough to draw the mount brackets in tight), but the lower bushing is definitely on it's way out.
Since I've heard that this can be a problem with these bikes, I ws thinking of trying a bushing.
Did you try any cast bronze material?

I didn't want to modify the knuckle..then end up having to buy a new one to fit the OEM parts if something didn't work out. The machinist wasn't happy with the thickness of bronze bushing he'd end up with if he didn't take metal out.

He used Nylarod.

BEing a machinist, I'd sure give bronze or something more fancy a try (metalized graphite, TPFE). It's not like it's BRAIN surgery!

I did some research at the time I was fussing with it..didn't find a material that would meet the load of the bearing spec.

Speaking of: '..not tightened enough to draw the mount brackets in tight'

Is that a reference to the pull rods?

If so, I bet'cha that's not what happened. I mean..it's not that they weren't tightened enough.

The OEM bolts have too short a shoulder. It's easy to get the pull rod against the shoulder of the bolt..not have the shoulder IN the pull rod. You tighten it up..go for a ride...it gets bounced around..the pull rod gets knocked off the edge of the bolt shoulder...now it's loose.

Now you have a bolt with a damaged shoulder and maybe a pull rod with a chewed up hole.

That is particularly easy to do after a grease job when the seals are fat with grease..which makes the bolts even shorter!

Which is the main thing I like about Devol's pull rods: They use KX bolts which have a plenty long enough shoulder to fit into the thicker (being aluminum) pull rod. No way you can catch an edge with them.

I don't know of this Nylarod. A cast nylon bushing material?

I'll look into it later in the week. It's hard to beat the cast bronze material, and I have lots of it.

The swingarm was floppy as hell, and so was linkage where it bolts to the bike frame. I was sure the bearings were toast, but they looked fine, so I put it back together, and tightened both bolts up until they drew the (frame) mounting flanges up tight to the spacers. The floppy was gone. The space between the frame, and the swingarm spacers was at least .5 mm.

It looks like Vesconite.

That's a thermoplastic, and probably way too soft for the small diameter, and narrow width.

I'll order up some of those sealed bearings, and give that a try.

What was the verdict on the double sealed bearing? Do they have those to fit other areas of the linkage also?

James

I bought the double-sealed bearing. It is wider by 5/32". I installed it in the knuckle and would have had to modify the o-ring caps with machine tools and probably lose the double seal lip. So, to me it wasn't worth it. Lose one seal to gain another.

In the end I spent more money for the bearing, and would have had to modify things, which makes things difficult down the road, or for the next owner.

I spoke with Canyncrvr via email and he said the double-sealed bearing only bought him 3 months more time anyway..... Stick with the OEM Kawi parts...

James