swing arm sleeve removal

[kwaka]

Hi all, i've been trying to remove the swing arm sleeve out of the swing arm on my B but there seems to be a fair bit of resistance. The manual says pull out the sleeve, which suggests it comes out easily. Do they seize up with time or are they normally hard to get out. Also i've noticed that the sleeve doesn't rotate even when applying a lot of force, perhaps the bearings are seized? Any suggestions before i get frustrated and take to it with a big hammer.

[zed1015]

Hi. Sleeve should slide out under the pressure of one finger and rotate with ease, so it looks like yours is seized . You could leave it to soak in diesel or wd etc for a while to see if it will free off but it's 99% sure that it will be clapped out anyway so time to get busy with the universal pursuader i think.

[kwaka]

Thanks zed1015, i'll try the diesel soak because if i can avoid it i dont want to damage anything. ive discovered that you can pay a lot of money for some parts that seem very uncomplicated.

[Garn 1]

Kawka, it is most common that the sleeves are seized in the bearings and that the inside of the sleeve is, incorrectly acting as the bearing surface for the swing-arm pivot. This is a Kawasaki Z series inherent problem with these plain sleeves and bearings, however, when correctly installed they are long lasting.

Make sure that the grease nipple is not fouling the distance piece by removing it. I have found using a long drift with the end a close clearance size of the sleeve inside diameter, you can apply pressure (slightly on the skew) to the inside of the sleeve and knock out it out. The opposite side sleeve is done the same way.

The bearing may also move with the sleeve, this is good as once one side is out, removal of the distance piece, makes it is easy to use a larger diameter drift to knock the opposite side out.

Remember that the distance piece is critical, as it has to be the correct length to sandwich the sleeves, so they remain locked to the pivot.

RegardZ.

[kwaka]

hi garn 1, as it turns out my model doesn't have bearings in the swing arm, but instead a brass bush with a grooved insert. after removing it and cleaning with wet and dry the bushes and inserts seem to work well with a slightly tight fit, however when i put the bushes back in the swing arm the inserts seem to really tighten up and do not move freely. Is there a cure for this eg taking some brass off the inside of the bush to increase the clearance or am i playing with fire.

[paul doran]

I had this problem ages ago and I found the only answer to be heating the swinging arm and that released the bushes

[Rich]

Fit bush and ream to size

[Garn 1]

Kwaka, you may be a little confused. The brass-bush and the grooved insert are in fact the "bearing and the sleeve" I am talking about. They are the swing-arm bearings!

You are on the right track and you may have to ream the brass bush, as Rich suggests. However, I expect the steel insert (Sleeves) to be damaged at the removal process. Continue with your wet & dry emery to slightly bevel the edges of the sleeves and ensure a good fit.

Assemble the sleeves with the distance piece and check it with the two end caps to ensure the sleeves protrudes, so that the sleeves will be locked by the pivot shaft onto the frame. Also, that the bearings (brass bushes) are firmly held in the swing-arm.

You may have to lengthen your distance piece as this is critical to get the sleeve sandwiched so that they cannot move. The length of this distance piece is 141.5 mm as per parts manual.

Its not an easy job, but it is extremely important for the handling of the machine. Re-read my earlier post to see if you follow the "inherant problem".

RegardZ.

[kwaka]

Garn 1, I thought that possibly different models may have come out with 'true' bearings as opposed to bush type bearings, because the exploded view drawings in both my service manuals show them to be needle bearings. I've managed to manually reem both sides with wet and dry so that they are a nice fit. Now all i need is a replacement washer on both sides because i think that the contact surface betweem the insert and washer was "acting" as the wear surface due to the bush being seized. Is the washer and O-Ring available as a seperate part?

[Garn 1]

Kwaka, all z900-A4's had the bush type bearings the needles came with the Z1000's.

The caps (washers) are available and are important as they too, get locked into position with the sleeves and the distance piece by the pivot bolt. So it's only the thickness of the cap that is important. The O-ring just holds the grease and, supposedly, stops the ingress of dirt.

When the swing arm is fitted. remove the shocks. The swing-arm should swing freely and you should notice the end-caps (washers) do not move with the swing-arm, but remain in position tight to the frame as they are locked to the sleeves. If you see the caps moving with the swing-arm, you probably have the sleeves locked in the brass bush and the swing-arm is swinging on the pivot-bolt! Meaning the brass bush is doing nothing!

RegardZ.

[Garn 1]

Kwaka, all z900-A4's had the bush type bearings the needles came with the Z1000's.

The caps (washers) are available and are important as they too, get locked into position with the sleeves and the distance piece by the pivot bolt. So it's only the thickness of the cap that is important. The O-ring just holds the grease and, supposedly, stops the ingress of dirt.

When the swing arm is fitted. remove the shocks. The swing-arm should swing freely and you should notice the end-caps (washers) do not move with the swing-arm, but remain in position tight to the frame as they are locked to the sleeves. If you see the caps moving with the swing-arm, you probably have the sleeves locked in the brass bush and the swing-arm is swinging on the pivot-bolt! Meaning the brass bush is doing nothing!

RegardZ.