dumb question: swinger bolts for 250r

[JasonB]

from what Im learning now, the 83 and 84 250r's have big issues with the swinger bolts locking up. They are expensive to replace, hard to remove, etc etc.

why dont people just use a bolt of equal size/thread pitch/length instead of buying another honda one to use after banging the heck out of the old one during removal?

I know it has a special flange on it for the brake lever, but couldnt a washer just be used to seperate the brake lever from the frame? It doesnt make sense to me why honda designed it like this, but I intend to find a solution so I never have to deal with this again!!

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to get mine removed without destroying the frame or damaging the swinger! Lots of new tools and stuff to bang on it with where im headed to work tomorrow :idea:


but ya, has anyone done anything besides just installing another honda swing arm bolt? Theres got to be something else that works better!

jason

[SYKO]

well mine was never removed since 83 and well, it slid right out like butta! bearings look good as well, best thing to do is tip your machine on its side and start spraying pb blaster around the swinger pivot areas, this may help if the bolt is somewhat stuck when you try to remove it, spray it like this over and over again for ahwile then let it sit over night and ty to take it apart the next day, should come right out!

[Brockey]

The swinger bolt on my father's 84 is the same. I watched one on ebay just go for $52. Thats crazy, its a bolt. My father is a welder 29 years and said he will find a way to fix this crappy problem. My question is, I have no bike infront of me to look at, is there any grease fittings on the swinger for this bolt? I know my 81 has a zerk fitting on both sides. If the 83-84 dont have it, it should be added.

[Yamahondaman]

John sent me one to copy and make out of Stainless .. i'm not sure when "they" will be done ... and 52 bucs is CHEAP ...... if you can't find em no where ! :naughty:

[Old 179]

but ya, has anyone done anything besides just installing another honda swing arm bolt? Theres got to be something else that works better!

jason

If people would get in a habit of taking time and pull those swing arm bolts out and relube them ( preventive mantenance), this works better then letting them freeze up!

[atctim]

Most of the REALLY stuck ones - like mine was - need to be cut out with a sawsall. I had machine shop make me a new one and make me some brass bushings along with it. I take it apart once a year - and re-lube it. Bolt and bushing were only like $75. The reason they bring so much on e-Gay is because you can't just buy a new one - they're discontinued - so be resourceful and get a new one made.

[toocheaptosmoke]

I came up with a $5 solution to this problem, after I got outbid on a bolt that went to $92 I figured drastic measures were needed. I got a piece of 5/8" round stock, drilled and tapped one end of it. I then put a stud into the round stock and attached the other end of the stud to a drill. I then clamped the drill and round stock to a workbench, turned the drill on to turn the round stock like a lathe. Then, use the grinder with even sweeping motions to uniformly grind down the round stock to the correct size. Smooth everything out with sandpaper. Cut it to correct length, weld a 3/4" nut to one end of the round stock, shim the brake lever with washers, then put a bolt with loctite into the tapped end of the rod to hold it all together. I've been keeping a close eye on everything over the summer and the "bolt" seems to be holding up just fine, no distortion or bending at all. I figure if the 1/2" piece of all thread that was in there to begin with held up, my fix should definately hold up. :lol:

[NINJA]

Just use allthread, that's a trick racemod!:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Huffa]

If people would get in a habit of taking time and pull those swing arm bolts out and relube them ( preventive mantenance), this works better then letting them freeze up!

Yep, the 83/84 has no problem with that bolt, the problem is with the owners.

I just took mine out hours ago and like sykolincoln said, it slid out no problem, bearings/seals were fully greased and in great shape.

[Huffa]

The swinger bolt on my father's 84 is the same. I watched one on ebay just go for $52. Thats crazy, its a bolt. My father is a welder 29 years and said he will find a way to fix this crappy problem. My question is, I have no bike infront of me to look at, is there any grease fittings on the swinger for this bolt? I know my 81 has a zerk fitting on both sides. If the 83-84 dont have it, it should be added.

I don't think the price is that out of line for how large the bolt is.

This is the cheapest I found it ...........

17 BOLT A, RR.
90117-964-000 001 $59.11 ...........discontinued atctim ? , they still list it here.........

http://www.ridemsc.com/default.asp

There is no crappy problem if it's lubed once in a while.

[Brockey]

Well there wouldnt be a crappy problem if the PO had to lube it. Now its too late and has to be replaced. I do think the price is out of line. Its only a swingarm bolt. They charge high because of use and demand. You find that same bolt in another use and hes $10.

[JasonB]

ya seriously if I had owned the bike long enough to have prevented something dumb like this from happening than I wouldnt be bitching. but PO's do some stupid things to our machines!!!

yamahahondaman, any estimated time of arrival for thosebolts?! I'll take 2

I tried pb blaster, and my sledge hammer wasnt very kind to the bolt either. dumb move, but desperate measures were called for:rolleyes: Im too anxious to start sending parts off for powder coating and chroming :D


well atc eric and I are out at mr Sprocks' shop today and he assures me that that thing IS comming out :twisted:

[deathman53]

I had to cut bolt on 3 atc250r's and 1 86 200x. There was no hope of getting them out. Once out, I saw the reason, it was almost welded to the center collar(s), rusted in that bad. I did a 400ex also, that bolt wasn't rusted in too bad, but the bolt was bent, making is nearly impossible to get out w/o cutting the bolt and swingarm.

[deathman53]

Also any bolt won't work, the bolt has to be strong enough not to bend, unless you get a grade 8 + plus strength bolt, it will bend in no time. My way of maintence for them, is to pull them out every few months, they won't rust in that way.

[JasonB]

WE GOT IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! Corey first welded a nut to the opposite end and secured it to the concrete floor in his work shop with a chain and then hooked the the other side up to an engine hoist and that didnt work. Ended up using a 20 ton press and crushing the bolt out after like 6 tries. we managed to press the bolt out 4 inches and then cut it and pounded it back into the frame allowing it to realease the swing arm from the frame. PRAISE THE LORD! and corey sprock. he rules as well :lol:

NOW I get to drill out the bolt, smash out the seals and bearings, and send it off to be extended and chromed. fun fun.

[Dirtcrasher]

Most of the swinger bolts are all the same diameter of 14mm. Anyhow, if I were that desperate to pay 92$ for one, I'd rather find one that were longer, cut it to length and let a machine shop cut some new threads on it. They don't even have to be metric, they could turn it down a bit and just make a 1/2-20 fine thread etc etc, but if they are a good shop that metric 1.5 pitch thread should be a piece of cake. I cannot thread on my 1928 SB lathe.

Email some EBAY sellers, ask them how long the bolt is. With a little research, you may even find one that is simply a 1/2 longer that you could just add a spacer to. The differences in swinger bolts is the length, head size and style shoulder on the bolt itself.

Yamaha, Zuki, Kawi and Honda - they are all there for the taking and I can guarantee you that most of them are the same 14mm bolt.

Of course the S.S. stell Y-MAN can make up is the trick way to go, but I'll bet that there are lots of TRX bolts available brand new that can be used.

[atctim]

17 BOLT A, RR.
90117-964-000 001 $59.11 ...........discontinued atctim ? , they still list it here.........

http://www.ridemsc.com/default.asp

There is no crappy problem if it's lubed once in a while.

Go ahead and try to order it - I'd bet it comes back as discontinued - these guys have a bad habit of NOT updating their databases.

[JasonB]

Go ahead and try to order it - I'd bet it comes back as discontinued - these guys have a bad habit of NOT updating their databases.

ya I just checked their website which says its available, then called the actual dealership that owns that web site to confirm it was available and they look it up only to tell me its discontinued :rolleyes: go figure.


I have about 4 weeks to find a solution here, when I get my custom swing arm back from being built/chromed Im going to be pretty anxious to throw this thing together and ride it!

[deathman53]

A trx bolt isn't long enough , it won't pass through swingarm. The diameter is right, legnth isn't.

[JasonB]

what about the older 81-82 R's or the 85 and up R's?

[ditchmud]

Kind of an old post here but I have a friend in need of getting the bolt out of his '83 250r and then finding a replacement. Any suggestions? Did Ronnie ever make any of these in stainless?