Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB500/550 => Topic started by: alexdecker on February 27, 2022, 04:50:47 PM
-
Hi all
I think I'm nearing the end of things that can be unmercifully rusted stuck on my CB550. But never say never apparently - I am down to the center stand now. The pipe going through is seized. Tried heat and hammering, but to no avail.
Do you guys have good tips as to how to get it out?
Also, the two bearings in the rear fork in the mounting holes for the springs. Holy sh**. Is there no end to this? Any tips for getting them out?
-
Centre stand cut off the ends and use a hacksaw blade down the inside, shocker bushes don't know, never changed any in 40 yrs!
-
Same trick with the shock bushes, drill out the rubber parts until the centre falls out and then cut carefully through the outer metal sleeve with a hacksaw until your through, it will collapse and be easy to remove when the slot is all the way across.
-
For shocker bushes I used a socket & threaded bar - after soaking with releasing fluid.
Centre stand - mine was a pig it was a combination of using heat, a hacksaw blade fitted inside the tube that I had to cut top & bottom followed by a corded impact drill on chisel setting with a suitable masonary bit as a drift - it took me hours of sweat to get it - to move an inch or so - then it let go very quickly.
-
The reason I want the spring bearings out is because I am getting the frame sandblasted and painted, and presumed I had to take them out for that. Correct, ya?
-
Alex, pardon me for asking, but what do you mean by “Spring bearing”?
-
Alex, pardon me for asking, but what do you mean by “Spring bearing”?
The swingarm shock mount bushings. Sorry, "spring bearings" was rather lazy and unprecise…
-
Yes Alex, they need to come out. Do the hacksaw method, less chance of damaging the welding around the fitting.
-
Never had much luck with the hacksaw method on centre stand pivot tube ...guess mine must have been super corroded in... plus it's quite hard to cut though the walls of the pivot tube at the centre without marking the ends of the stand ... (perhaps my hacksaw skills are not on the Allen Millyard scale ;D).
Drilled out about half a dozen of them out last year though... with good success .. because they are tubular the drill bit centres pretty well ... needs lots of cutting paste though and a decent set of drill bits.
-
I think it possibly comes down to what tools you have available, everybody has a hacksaw but I'm guessing Ash you used a pillar drill? If I had six to get out I'd buy a pillar drill! Just one then get yourself a good hacksaw blade, I used a Bahco and had to grind away a millimetre all along the top of the blade before I could fit it through the tube. If you used an ordinary hand held drill then fair play to you Ash.
-
I think it possibly comes down to what tools you have available, everybody has a hacksaw but I'm guessing Ash you used a pillar drill? If I had six to get out I'd buy a pillar drill! Just one then get yourself a good hacksaw blade, I used a Bahco and had to grind away a millimetre all along the top of the blade before I could fit it through the tube. If you used an ordinary hand held drill then fair play to you Ash.
I used a Makita mains hand drill .. kept going up in size in drills. Must admit the drills were good quality 'old-school' Dormer ones and I had them all sharpened by a guy at work. Interestingly, I drilled from either end until there was about a 35 mm plug left and tried to bash that our with a drift but it still wouldn't shift. Some of my bikes had been left out in gardens for years though, so pretty well corroded in compared with a bike that has been stored indoors/in a shed or barn for years or an import bike from sunnier climate.
-
If it's super corroded just do 2 cuts opposite each other, the tube will collapse away from the walls making it easy to remove, or do 2 cuts about 1/4 inch apart and remove that section so it collapses inward then.
-
If it's super corroded just do 2 cuts opposite each other, the tube will collapse away from the walls making it easy to remove, or do 2 cuts about 1/4 inch apart and remove that section so it collapses inward then.
Sorry Ken but tried that too (cuts on opposite sides and two cuts close together and the remaining pieces were literally corroded to the walls of the tube of the stand ... every man to his own method though. I don't doubt that with one, which is not too badly corroded, then the saw cut method works fine though. Incredibly though, my really badly corroded ones were fine on the outsides, once bead blasted .. I guess that they get a coating of muck and oil to protect them for serious pitting.
-
Never cut one in all my time, Oxy acetlene works every time ;)
-
Cut today, and it still won't come off. It is really badly corroded to the walls of the center stand. Gotta have to go to a pro, before I throw the whole thing down on the junk yard in anger!
-
Finally got it off! Hacksawed them. Unfortunately, made a small cut to far into the actual swingarm on one of the bushings. Hoping it won't make a difference when I get a new one fitted.
I removed the pivot collar as well, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the bushings out (the ones that are meant to be replaced with bronze bushes afterwards). Does anyone have any good tips?
-
Its the hacksaw again im afraid
-
Its the hacksaw again im afraid
Seriously, so many things have been stuck on this bike. Is it always like this, taking it apart? Damn hacksaw…
-
It was the only way bback in the 70's as well, best bit is the steel collar wears more than the plastic bushes!
-
If your swing arm bushes are like the 400 a weird plastic/nylon type material like mine were they should came out quite easily after some heat.
I left mine in when the arm was powder coated as I did not intend to change them. When I got my rear swing arm back from the powder coater they pulled out with my fingers - I suspect the heat from the powder coating process had broken the rust seal that was holding them in place.
Might be worth using a plumbers blow torch if you have one or an electric heat gun (paint stripping type) to just warm them up without melting them so they break free.
I fitted the brass type bushes - put bushes in the freezer for a couple of days then just tapped them in place with a small hammer then the last bit (5 mm or so) using threaded bar & washers.
-
I use 3 double D shaped washers that will drop into the swingarm. Turn them once inside the tube. Then a big drift and they hammer right out.
-
This is the state of my rear swingarm collar. Will this be fit for more duty, or should I go for a needle bearing conversion and get another (as that seems to be the only way to actually get a hold of a new collar these days)?
-
I’m not expert, but that looks fooked to me?
-
That’s mullered I’m afraid, my needle bearing kit arrived today, lovely bit of kit, 2 needle rollers, 2 special end caps and a hard chromed spacing collar. For the price of a new Honda collar, pair of new bushes and possibly new end caps it’s a no brainer for me which to choose.
-
Thats the later collar which is more difficult to find but you can use the earlier collar if you use the long bolt with the greaser at each end
-
One thing to be aware of if considering the Tourmax needle roller conversion is that the 500 swinging arm bolt is essentially useless. The 500 bolt uses 2 grease nipples, one on either end, the idea was it pushed grease down the inside of the bolt and through holes about 2 inches down, this was then forced through holes in the collar and between the collar and the bush, this gave the lubricantion it needed but in practice it seemed to be a bit hit and miss.
The Tourmax collar hasn’t got any holes in it, so to get grease to the needle rollers would be a big problem. You need the grease to be external to the collar like the 550 has, the 550 has a central grease nipple located on the underside of the arm and it in essence fills the entire tube up with grease. This is ideal for the Tourmax system, but you can drill the 500 arm and fit a central grease nipple if your considering this kit.
-
One thing to be aware of if considering the Tourmax needle roller conversion is that the 500 swinging arm bolt is essentially useless. The 500 bolt uses 2 grease nipples, one on either end, the idea was it pushed grease down the inside of the bolt and through holes about 2 inches down, this was then forced through holes in the collar and between the collar and the bush, this gave the lubricantion it needed but in practice it seemed to be a bit hit and miss.
The Tourmax collar hasn’t got any holes in it, so to get grease to the needle rollers would be a big problem. You need the grease to be external to the collar like the 550 has, the 550 has a central grease nipple located on the underside of the arm and it in essence fills the entire tube up with grease. This is ideal for the Tourmax system, but you can drill the 500 arm and fit a central grease nipple if your considering this kit.
I do have the central grease nipple on the underside of the arm, so a needle bearing conversion should pose no problem then :)
Is Tourmax the preferred brand for this conversion? When I look them up on eBay, there are plenty of options. Are there any preferred brands?
-
Only ever seen Tourmax, which other makes are there. Post links if you can so I can compare.
Tourmax is a Japanese manufacturer so should be good quality. Mine certainly looks like it is.