Reading the FAQs on F650.com left me scratching me head wondering if I could even change the swing arm and wheel bearing on my 2007 F650. Heating and freezing things, lots of hammering with big hammers – it sounded like an almost impossible task.
For anyone contemplating this maintenance, at least on my era of F650, don’t be put off by the descriptions in the FAQs because that isn’t at all how the maintenance went for me. Just for the record – I had to get male assistance with a couple parts of this job since I wasn’t strong enough.
Swing Arm and Suspension Bearings
The suspension bearings were no big deal at all except for getting the swing arm bolt out. I don’t know why it wouldn’t budge – maybe the steel bolt had fused to the aluminum engine, or the swing arm bushings were rusted onto the bolt, but it took a lot of penetrant and a male swinging the 8 lb. sledge hammer to make the bolt come loose.
The bearings on the dogbone and links were in great condition so I only needed to clean and grease them, but I had recently purchased Kouba links to compensate for putting on Ohlin shock on my lowered F650 so these parts had weren’t in original condition.
Their good condition was contrasted by the swing arm bearings that spilled out broken needles when the bushings were removed. Yes, I was way, way overdue on this maintenance. Unfortunately the broken needles had scored the bushings and they needed to be replaced along with the bearings.
The guys at Purvis Bearing, where I purchased all my bearings and seals, were so great about educating me that I asked them if they knew of a good machine shop that might help me get the old bearings out and put the new ones in. They directed me to a shop with a wonderful owner who used an arbor press to remove the bad bearings and put my new ones in and charged me $20. It was painless. It took me longer to drive to the shop than it took to do the bearings and he let me help so I learned about the entire process for the next time around.
A note on going to a machine shop: they do this kind of thing all day every day and their level of comfort and expertise was perfect for someone who was a total and complete newbie. They answered all my questions and I left a lot more knowledgeable than I arrived.
The only thing I screwed up on was not getting an accurate measurement of how recessed the swing arm bearings were before removing them. Because I failed to do this I had to adjust the bearings a couple times using my vice at home before the swing arm would go back on the motorcycle.
I couldn’t get the swing arm back in place solo, but everything reassembled easily after that. The swing arm maintenance is simple bolts and bearings.
Wheel and Sprocket Carrier Bearings
Next it was the wheel bearings. I have three words to say: TUSK BEARING REMOVER. I talked a friend into going halfsies on this $90 tool and we both ended up thinking it’s worth every penny. After reading the FAQ on wheel bearings I wasn’t sure I could do them. This tool made the removal of the old bearings no big deal at all — so in my humble opinion it’s the ONLY way to go. No heating, no trying to find a proper sized drift, no pounding with a hammer. It hooks the bearings and just yanks them out. Again – something I needed male assistance with.
Tusk Bearing Remover at Rocky Mountain ATV
I took the wheels and sprocket carrier back to the machine shop for insertion of the new bearings and when I saw how easily it went I probably could have done it myself. I’m not sure why the FAQ talks about heating the hubs and freezing the bearings. We greased up the bearings and gently hammered them in with a rubber coated hammer and drift. I took step-by-step details on how the various parts had to go together so all the circ-clips and spacers went in properly.
The thing the machine shop provided that I didn’t have was an assortment of huge sockets that were the proper size drift for pounding the bearings in, so in the end it boiled down to paying them $20 or buying the huge sockets that would catch the outside race of the bearing – sockets I would have no other use for. Your call on that one, but I’ll probably go to a machine shop the next time.
I took the sprocket carrier and wheels home and got everything back on all by myself. Finally – something I didn’t have to get help on.
FYI – I asked the guys at Purvis how long my Timken wheel bearings should last and they told me they are rated for 10,000 hours, but that doesn’t factor in the bumps they taking going down the road.
Wrap Up
Just for fun I called a dealer and asked the service guys how much it would cost for them to do all the bearings and I was quoted $1600. I spent a total of $320 — $215 for bearings and bushings, $40 for the machine shop, $20 for grease, anti-seize, etc, and $45 for my half of the Tusk Bearing Remover. This maintenance is extensive, but if I can figure it out anyone can. When I found out my efforts were saving me $1300 it made the work very worthwhile. Besides, the more I learn about my motorcycle the more comfortable I am with it 🙂