I got a dirty swingarm for a decent price with free shipping. I guess nobody really wants Nighthawk parts. I had some free time over the weekend so instead of letting the swingarm just sit there until winter, I decided to hose it down and degrease it. When that was done, I still had time to kill so I started to remove the swingarm pivot bearings. There is an unsealed round bearing on the right side and a needle bearing on the left side. I decided to replace both even though only the needle bearing appeared to need replacement (it was gritty and had some play in it before I started wacking on it).
Although the round bearing came out pretty easily with a few wacks from the other side with a nice rod I had laying around from repairing my garage door, the needle bearing would not move because it was recessed in the cavity essentially evading the prodding from my smooth rod. I tried some penetrating spray and discovered that a threaded rod with a skirted nut could give me enough of a catch on the needle bearing lip to get some movement when I brought out my big hammer. Don't bother trying the concrete anchor that is making the rounds on youtube, I tried the biggest one available at home depot (5/8") and couldn't get it to do much from either direction.
Although the round bearing came out pretty easily with a few wacks from the other side with a nice rod I had laying around from repairing my garage door, the needle bearing would not move because it was recessed in the cavity essentially evading the prodding from my smooth rod. I tried some penetrating spray and discovered that a threaded rod with a skirted nut could give me enough of a catch on the needle bearing lip to get some movement when I brought out my big hammer. Don't bother trying the concrete anchor that is making the rounds on youtube, I tried the biggest one available at home depot (5/8") and couldn't get it to do much from either direction.
The swingarm is made from square tubing so most of it is hollow. I found a little mud and rust inside the swing arm near the pivot so I sprayed some water with a garden hose and then once it dried out, a little primer with the hope of sealing it a little, but the air column in the sealed tube prevented the paint from getting very far. I found a can of oil based rustoleum paint from one of my wife's projects and poured some into the cap of a can of spray paint to carefully pour into each arm of the swing arm. A little tilting backwards and forwards and I got the inside of the swing arm coated. (Unfortunately in bright red). An absolutely unnecessary step that gave me something to do while I wait for parts on a rainy Sunday.
I've primed the scratches and rust spots and have repainted most of the swing arm. Again, this is not going to be a show piece, so a glossy smooth finish of the paint is not a goal I'm trying to achieve.
the replacement swingarm parts are on order. Since the parts do not appear to be available as a kit, I ordered them one at a time.
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The weight of the new swingarm with bearings and collars/spacers is: 10.4 lbs (~2.5 pounds savings)
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