Hey guys,

I got on my bike yesterday and did a shake side to side, and felt some slack somewhere. I got to inspecting, and it appears that the bushings are either loose or worn on the right side. I can't get a good visual on the left side, due to the belt cover housing. I searched for info on this issue, but didn't find much help on the concentric drive setup. Has anybody encountered this? Also, does anybody know what size wrench/socket fits that large bolt head that is secured to the frame? I honestly do not see how this bushing could've worn, since I grease my bike constantly with Mobil 1 synthetic grease. Any help on this topic is appreciated.

Waylan

 

Just wanted to update this topic: I looked at the parts diagram, and it shows 2 bushings for the right side of the swingarm, and 1 bushing for the left side. I looked at my bike, and apparently, the bushings are made of eurethane. The bolts are tight, so this setup must be designed with some slack in it. The slack isn't real bad, but it was enough to spark my curiosity into further inspection. If the bushings would've been made of brass, the amount of slack wouldn't have been acceptable. Anyway, just thought I'd let y'all know.

Waylan

 

My Xplorer has had just enough 'wiggle' to detect in the swingarm since new. It has yet to get any looser (I grease it also). So far I rolled over 4500 miles. I don't jump it over 6 or 8 inches off the ground, which I am sure helps.
If you do need to work on the bushings, be warned they have a unique technique for replacement, if you need any pointers, I have the service manual.

 

Farmr123,

Are the bushings on yours eurethane, or brass? If yours is a non-concentric model, the setup is different than mine. How different, I don't know. Mine has enough slack to feel if you rock the bike side to side, but that is the only time I feel it. I have had it over a year, and if I hadn't rocked it side to side the other day, I still wouldn't have known it had any slack in it. I can only guess it comes that way. I plan to go to the local dealership and see if a brand new one has that slack. Thanks for your reply. Oh yeah, I have the service manual on mine, but thanks anyway.

Waylan

 

Farmr123,

I went by the local dealership and checked a new bike for slack....none at all. I bought new bushings from EPI, which are supposed to be oem or better. The bushings are plastic/eurethane. Is this the same bushing material used on the pre-concentric drive models? I'm seriously considering getting some brass bushings made at a machine shop. Provided I grease it regularly, is there any other material that would hold up better than brass? Thanks in advance.

Waylan

 

I have a '99, which is the first year for the concentric drive system. I don't know what kind of bushings it has, because, to be honest, they haven't gotten any looser. Mine were tight (zero play) when new, but after a few months, they got just loose enough to be able to feel it. However, since then, they haven't gotten any looser. The best way to find out exactly how much play you have in the bushings is to put a floor jack under the skid plate just ahead of where the swingarm mounts, jack up the machine, and grab the wheels/axle and see how much it wiggles and where. Sometimes the rear axle bearings have a little play, and it just feels like it is the swingarm. Those bearings are adjustable, so check them first.
Brass bushings would be OK if you were good at keeping everything greased. Personally, though, if I were getting bushings made, I would go for oil or grease-impregnated bronze. The bronze alloy is somewhat stronger than brass, plus going with oil or grease-impregnated bronze, there will be some amount of lubrication even if you forget to grease it & the joint goes dry. This is a similar alloy to what is used for the bearings in the heater fan in your car. Good luck.

PS the bolts need a BIG wrench [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Hey guys,

I don't mean to keep this topic going, but rather I like to post information that might be helpful to someone in the future: Once I got the bike apart, I cleaned up the inner pivot pins (the steel pin that the plastic bushings ride on), and put the new bushings on them to check for slop. There was in incredible amount of slop in these brand new bushings.......I refused to put these in my bike. Anyway, I took my swingarm and inner pivot pins to a machine shop and got bronze 6061 bushings made. The machine shop put grease grooves in the new bushings, and claimed that if lubed, the rest of the bike would wear out before the bronze bushings. I put it all back together. I rode for several hours after I let the loctite set up, and did not have to adjust the chain. To say the least, I am quite pleased with the setup.