Bad swing arm bearings so the chain tends to get thrown off today it cracked the clutch cover protector and the clutch cover the bike is in excellent shape except for that i think i am going to sell it be cause i am getting my drivers liscense in 6 months and will have other priorities. How hard is it to replace the swingarm bearings and clutch cover and if your intrested in my bike make me an offer and ask some questions.

 

Not hard at all. The best thing to do is since you are doing it, beef the frame becuase that is ALSO the problem. After you take out that swingarm bolt you will more than likely notice the HOLE where the bolt goes through the frame is oval shaped - also contributing to chain throw.

i fixed it by drilling the frame out and using 86 TRX250R A-arm bushings installed with the bolt. THe bushings are PERFECT for this. It is hard to find the right metric drill bit or 32nds bit though.

 

I've had several quadsports and currently have 3 of them. Everyone of them has thrown chains. Dan is correct in that the frame hole for the swingarm pivot bolt can get wollowed out. However, the biggest reason for the needle bearings going out is that the swingarm itself begins to oval. Even if you buy new bearings, you'll likely find that they seem loose when you put them in. The main reason this happens is because people tend to overtighten the chain in an effort to keep it from throwing. The problem with this is that the swingarm is so short, there is a huge angle when the suspension is unloaded and then it straightens out when the suspension is compressed. This will stretch a brand new chain in one day the first time you do a big jump and the suspension goes way down (trust me, I learned this the hard way), plus it puts so much pressure on the swingarm that it stretches the needle bearing carrier over time. The best think is a combination of fixes. First of all, consider Dan's suggestion about putting in a larger swingarm pivot bolt. I was actually able to find a long enough and large enough bolt at a hardware store that only had treads on the outside. (It has to be perfectly sized though because you can't have treads where the bearings will ride.) It was solid and heavy, but way cheaper than a real pivot bolt. Second, I actually cut of the pipe on the front of one of my swingarms and replaced it with a larger thicker pipe. I had a machine shop do the welding because it had to be perfectly parallel to rear axle for obvious reasons. (BTW, I have to buy special bearings that have the correct inner and outer diameter based on the bolt I used and the pipe I used. Any bearing shop can get you what you need and they're usually way stronger and cheaper than factory bearings.) Third, I built a very simple but effective chain tensioner that allows me to keep the chain plenty loose for suspension loads, but keep the tension on the chain enough to keep it from throwing. I took a 3" piece of flat aluminum about 1"wide and 1/4" thick and mounted a chain roller to one side. I then drilled a hole all the way through the square tube on my swingarm and mounted the piece to it using a bolt and a lock nut so that I could tighen the nut but the piece could swing freely. I also experimented with different bushings between the aluminum and swingarm and found that a thin piece of plastic works the best. Then I took a spring and attached it to the aluminum piece and drilled another small hole on the top of my swingarm to attach the spring to it. That hole needs to be behind the mount for the tensioner so that the tensioner pulls the chain roller up and back.

Since I've done this, my chain hasn't stretched or came off, and I haven't had to replace my needle bearings even once. I did these mods over 6 years ago.

Also, another option is to buy a new swingarm instead of having a stronger pipe welded on. They're surpisingly cheap (about $120) compared to the aluminum ones on the racers. Either way, I would definitely built a chain tensioner. It's the key to the whole system working.

 

where could i get a new swingarm none on ronnies or dennis kirk.

 

You'll have to go to a Suzuki dealer. Might as well get your magneto cover while you're there. (You cracked your magneto cover, not you clutch cover. Your clutch is on the other side of the engine.) The last time I bought a new magneto cover, it ran between $80 and $90. Could be more now as it's been several years since I've bought one.

 

i had same prob but i engineered my swing arm bearings with a spring washer from hardware store.
it doesent have any play and with a new o ring chain and sprockets from vinces cycle my chain hasent come off once.
but to be sure it dosent hit cover i fabed up a piece of 1/4 inch by 12" stainless bar that attaches to upper fender and bottom frame and theres no way that chain is coming off front sprocket at least..i love bikes that ya buy for 75.00 and people just got tired of buying covers for

 

A new swing arm is approx. $200 as I am finding out now..I broke my arm this weekend..bad enough that it can't be welded..again..