Well, just went to rebuild my swingarm finally and found that the main pivot point needle bearings are rusted and need to be replaced. I've searched for info on how to remove the stubborn b@stards, but only found a couple tips suggesting to use a long socket extension or dowel rod and tap them out with a hammer or mallet. I've since tried but they still don't want to budge, and I'll be taking them to the roush metal shop tomorrow. I'm basically just curious how many people have had this problem, and how they removed the bearings eventually without any swingarm damage. I was also curious how good the pivot works bearings are, that would be my first substitute after the stockers are removed. Thanks alot for any advice you guys can give me!

 

this happened to me also when i was replacing mine. I just found a scocket the size of the hole and slammed on the scocket with a sledge hammer for about 15 min on each side till they came out. If it dosnt work at first, soak it with wd40 and try it again the next day. If you keep slamming them they will eventually come out

 

"PB Blaster" if you can find it. Take the swingarm and wedge it somwhere you can hold it tight then find a socket that will fit just barely inside the arm against the bearing then proceed to bash it hard, if this dont work you will need to take it to someone with a hydraulic press and that will solve the issue.

 

Well right after I made this post I tried wd40 and a spark plug socket and they came right out! I did one thing to make the process a bit easier, just grind down the lip of a spark plug socket on the flat side of a grinding wheel so that it's perfectly square, and it caught the lip of the bearing perfectly! Just about all sockets have the rounded edge, and it just wouldn't grab at all. I also kept rotating the socket inside the arm to hit the bearings at every opposite side about every five hits, and it stopped it from getting lob sided inside there. The service books are right about the three year service interval, they were just getting rusty and dried up, if I waited any longer it would of probably damaged the arm getting them out. Yamaha actually greased up my bearings good from the factory, and most of the time it seems most factories grease them minimally. If that was the case I should of had to a year ago. WD40 is right about their claim that people keep finding more uses for it, it cleaned up my swingarm real good with cut up quaters of a rag and a fluvel brush, and made it look brand new again without a scratch done over the whole process. Good call on the wd holeshotz, worked f*cking awesome for me too!!! Thanks for the time guys!

 

good idea with the scocket, i should try that next time. WD is deffinatly one of the most used things in my garage.