Looking for lower swing arm bushings By scooteraddict (Read 2,616 times)

[scooteraddict]

First I would like to say that I love these forums. Great information and all.

Now. I'm in a bind and need expert help.

Well after riding one day on a wavy road one day, I noticed that the rear end was wobbly. I pulled over thinking that my tire was going flat but it was fine. After further investigation, i found that the bushings on the lower haft of the swing arm were worn.

Now I have been searching for a while and can't find the bushings that I need.

What I need is a bushing that is 25mm OD x 10mm ID x 30mm w however the exact center is actual 72mm long.

I'm at a lost and really would like to get the bike up and running again before I go on vacation in two weeks.

Anyone might know where to purchase one?

[JR]

Welcome to the forum Scooteraddict! Help me out here, what scooter? 244cc CfMoto clone or 257cc linhai?

.roketa.com/product/parts_detail.jsp?partId=30732&partName=ENGINE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.roketa.com/product/parts_detail.jsp?partId=30732&partName=ENGINE ASSEMBLY(3)

Do you see the bushing here?

JR

[cruiser]

Welcome to the forum, scooteraddict. His scoot is a 257 Linhai, JR. I couldn't see this bushing from his description.

[JR]

OK then can you post a picture, trying to understand if it's an engine mounting bushing or the side wheel mount which some people call the swingarm?

JR

[scooteraddict]

My bad. Yes it is a 257cc MC54B

As far as the Roketa.com website, no they don't carry the bushings.

The swing arm would be number 23 under the engine section of the parts page.

The bushing that I am looking for is something like this.

You can see that the bushing actually extends longer on one side so that when you place two into the long section of the swing arm, it would make one long connection.

[JR]

Wow! Never seen this! They list the swing arm bracket (23) and say bushings not included and then don't even list them on the parts page! Wow!

Hey Cruiser do you know of a Honda parts house that we might find these on a Reflex? Got to get my googling shoes on for this one!

JR

[cruiser]

Yea, that's an odd one, JR. I noticed this also that there is no bushing included with the part so one would think that the bushing is ordered separately. I'm wondering if it's possible to remove just the rubber piece and press in a new one? I'll be googling on this one too.

[scooteraddict]

I manage to get a picture of the swingarm.



It will go into the lower long section or tube of this piece.

I was thinking of just eliminating them and using brass bushings and a insert to space the brass bushings apart. This would make it stiffer and prevent less flexing in that arear. As for taking up some shock and vibration, the two top rubber bushings would do that for me.

I did manage to find some bushings that were 25mm OD and 12mm ID but not extended. Being able to get use of a lathe, I was thinking of turning a rod to allow it to slide into these bushings and space them apart.

Now for the real question is, do I need to have the extra bushings in the bottom or can I make it a hard support? Being that this is a pivot point, does it matter?

[flyangler]

I would take the swingarm to your local Honda shop and ask about bushings for a Reflex, if you can do this without telling them that it's for a China bike you might get lucky. Dan.

[JR]

Yes I'm thinking ya got to adapt to another bushing and here's a thought?

.midatlanticrubber.com/prod_7.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.midatlanticrubber.com/prod_7.htm

Also the Honda place might be the answer?

.shspowersports.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=525810&category=Scooters&make=Honda&year=2006&fveh=12102" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.shspowersports.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=525810&category=Scooters&make=Honda&year=2006&fveh=12102

[scooteraddict]

Well, here is my solution to the problem. What I did is discided to go with a stiffer supspension.



What I did was, I turned a steel rod to fit some brass bushings that would fit the lower tube.



As you can see, the top of the swing arm has a set of bushings in it already. So by adding more rubber bushings in the lower section, I felt that this would allow too much wiggle. With the brass bushings and solid rod, this would stiffen up the pivot point at which the engine connect. I will also be greasing the heck out of it to prevent more wear like it did before.

If this is too stiff for my taste, i did come up with a backup plan but it involves some modification to bushings with the correct OD but larger ID. I would be subsituting the brass bushings with rubber ones and using a turned rod like the one pictured above.

[cruiser]

Nice job. Let us know how your semi hardtail mod works out. It will probably make the rearend feel a lot more stable without really hurting the ride.

[scooteraddict]

Well, I got the bike back together and took it for a test spin. And yes, it was a nice tight feel. No more swaying.

After giving it some though, I believe that the one reason for the wear is due to the nut and rod loosening up allowing play across the bottom section. I should have tried to tighten this up first before taring the bike apart.

While I had the bike apart, I delved into adjusting the valves again. They weren't too bad. I reset the intake to 4mm and the exhaust to 7. After starting the bike, I vibrated badly, although riding it, it doesn't feel had.

[JR]

7 is a little loose, hom many miles on it? If it's low mieage then she'll tighten back up and be OK if you ride much but if it's over 5k I would consider backing it back down to 5?

Nice job on the bushings!

JR

[scooteraddict]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try to get to the exhaust valve next week.