Custom Swingarm Bushings (for swinger conversions)

[mlymanz71]

I'm with you on that Mlymanz71. What postman is talking about I making a sleeve that presses into the swingarm. With the I.d.(of the sleeve) the diameter of the 750 roller bearing o.d. Then using the 750 roller bearing and its inner race. If I had a 750 roller bearing at the time I might have gone that route.

Alright so I have been doing some research here and might be able to find a suitable alternative possibility, might be what you all are already talking about but I have to be able to see the breakdown. I pulled up the explosion figure on partsfish and looking at it #9 in the figure looks like it is a spacer that goes inside the bearing and then the pivot bolt goes inside it, correct me if I am wrong on this. Could I not just get one made up with the same OD and Length but make the ID 14mm to fit the stock 750 swinger bolt?



Sorry had to post the attachment cause I could not get it to show in the post

 

[T8erbug]

I agree reamming the frame will work fine. However, if you do not have a Drill press or Boring Mill and your motorcycle is togerther with engine in the frame. The other alturnitive is to make a new inner race and inner spacer.I didn't like the 14mm-16mm spacer idea. What I did was using H-13 tool steel I roughed machined it leaving .050 stock on it. Then I heat treated the race to 38Rc. I then finised machining it to the exact size of the 1100 inner race only with a 14mm hole. I made two sets I have one set left.I could make more if anyone is interested going this route... Norm

Haha you guys have great ideas! Just a skosh late, but hey this should help others out who don't end end drilling the frame (which is what I ended up doing). The reason being was just to upgrade the pivot bolt along with the swingarm plus I figured out a way to keep the holes pretty concentric using the drillpress. I also like the idea of machining a sleeve to press into the 1100 swingarm basically making it 750 size to accept 750 bearings, bushings, and bolt. Anyhow what's done is done and I ended up drilling the frame. Spent $33 bucks on a really good 5/8 bit from fastenal, drilled the holes, then cleaned them up lightly with my dremel (to open the 5/8 holes to 16mm takes very very little) so the 16mm bolt slid through. If anyone wants pictures of how I did it let me know or check out my build thread.

 

[postman_pat]

Alright so I have been doing some research here and might be able to find a suitable alternative possibility, might be what you all are already talking about but I have to be able to see the breakdown. I pulled up the explosion figure on partsfish and looking at it #9 in the figure looks like it is a spacer that goes inside the bearing and then the pivot bolt goes inside it, correct me if I am wrong on this. Could I not just get one made up with the same OD and Length but make the ID 14mm to fit the stock 750 swinger bolt?

That's exactly what you do. But the spacer has to be made from a material that can withstand bearing applications. Suzuki OEM spacers are hardened and precision ground steel. Trying to find a workshop that can do that sort of small job at a reasonable price seems to be getting hard these days. My suggestion of spacers made from nickel aluminum bronze is close enough, provided that you keep the bearing well lubricated. The spacer is not as hard as the original Suzuki item, and it won't last as long, but it will do.

I think, on reflection, the best way to go is my "option b" - to machine up a reducer sleeve which press fits into the GS1100 swing-arm pivot tube and then fit the standard GS750 bearing into the sleeve.

 

[T8erbug]

I agree. The reason option B is better is because you can still rely on oem parts from the manufacturer and the cost is much less. Even though you'd be sticking with the 14mm pivot bolt and smaller bearings at least it would be a tight, centered fit with the bearing riding on the right kind of metal.

 

[Smurf]

I ended up sourcing custom inner races that allowed me to avoid drilling my frame lugs. I used a stock-diameter (although shortened) GS750E 14mm pivot bolt and stock GS1100E bearings.

You can see photos here: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=204383

 

[TheCafeKid]

I just drilled my frame. Of course this was like 4 years ago before everyone had started talking about making bushes and such. It was a little scary at first because I knew if I somehow got so much as an 1/8" off on one side, by the time it translated to the other side it would be WAY off.
I just used a very new, very sharp 5/8" bit, kept oil on it and let it do the work with a good quality hand drill. It actually went very smooth to tell you the truth. I spent more time worrying and fretting than it actually took to do the job. One thing I DID do was use a wooden dowel that I'd center punched dead center and run through both holes to use as a guide of sorts. I had a buddy back the dowel out as the bit pulled itself through the hole and I just made sure I kept the tip of the bit in the center punch divot in the dowel so I could see I wasn't side loading the drill. Or at least that's what I was thinking...

If I were to do it over again, I'd probably still drill the frame provided I wasn't doing this to some rare model. The chances of me ever wanting to go back to a heavier tube steel swinger over the lighter, arguably stronger Alu swinger was slim to none.

 

[T8erbug]

I ended up sourcing custom inner races that allowed me to avoid drilling my frame lugs. I used a stock-diameter (although shortened) GS750E 14mm pivot bolt and stock GS1100E bearings.

This was my original plan. It seemed like the most simple and straight forward option until it came down to metal choice. What metal did you end up machining your parts out of? How is it all holding up?

You can see photos here: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=204383

I just drilled my frame. Of course this was like 4 years ago before everyone had started talking about making bushes and such. It was a little scary at first because I knew if I somehow got so much as an 1/8" off on one side, by the time it translated to the other side it would be WAY off.
I just used a very new, very sharp 5/8" bit, kept oil on it and let it do the work with a good quality hand drill. It actually went very smooth to tell you the truth. I spent more time worrying and fretting than it actually took to do the job. One thing I DID do was use a wooden dowel that I'd center punched dead center and run through both holes to use as a guide of sorts. I had a buddy back the dowel out as the bit pulled itself through the hole and I just made sure I kept the tip of the bit in the center punch divot in the dowel so I could see I wasn't side loading the drill. Or at least that's what I was thinking...

If I were to do it over again, I'd probably still drill the frame provided I wasn't doing this to some rare model. The chances of me ever wanting to go back to a heavier tube steel swinger over the lighter, arguably stronger Alu swinger was slim to none.

Exactly what I did minus I used a drill press instead of a hand drill. It was an expensive bit and if anyone else is doing this swap and decides to go this route let me know and I'll give you a steal of a deal on the bit. IF I did it over again I'd probably build an outer sleeve of aluminum to press into the 1100 swingarm, then pressfit stock gs750 bearings and sleeve for use with the 14mm bolt. I'd do it A) to maintain my sanity (as a perfectionist it would ease my mind to know I didn't have to drill) and B) to use a stock pivot without having to cut the threads further down the shaft. Drilling does work it just has to be done very carefully and the end result can be close to perfect but never will be and no two holes are the same. Sleeves are the route to go IMO because they can be fashioned of aluminum rather than machining inner races which must be a hardened steel. Even though most of the good info came a tad late for me this should help a bunch of folks with their swaps.

 

[T8erbug]

Line it up in the drill press using the stock pivot bolt

Use multiple angles

Once it's as close as you can get it swing it in and line it up

Use lots of cutting oil and start small and check that it's starting centered. Make sure it's clamped and shimmed securely

Punch it slowly through and BAM you're done

Not too shabby just take your time and make sure you use quality tools and an even better bit. Since the hole you will drill will likely be with a 5/8 bit be sure to either ream it to 16mm or do what I did and lightly hit it with a dremel fine grit sanding tool. The head is about 15mm so it's a great fit. Very very little material needs removal so don't overdo it and make sure you hit it all evenly. Good luck!

 

[Guest]

Guess the end result is we got our swingarm conversions done...not sure I would want to do it again though....:clap: