[Pivot Bolt w/ Grease Fitting] - ATV Riders Forums - Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, CanAm, Arctic Cat, Kymco ATVs

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Pivot Bolt w/ Grease Fitting
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Posted by: force

Does anyone make a swingarm pivot bolt with a grease fitting, for the 450r?? Seems like I remember seeing one, but can't remember who makes it.

Posted by: accorracer

try lonestar but i'm not sure

Posted by: MX#9

I'm not raggin on ya but a swingarm bolt with a grease fitting won't get grease to your swingarm bearings.

Posted by: 400exrider707

quote:
Originally posted by MX#9
I'm not raggin on ya but a swingarm bolt with a grease fitting won't get grease to your swingarm bearings.

Thats not the point of it, its to grease the swingarm bolt. Obviously you have never owned a 400ex, or you did and never try taking it out. Do a search. They freeze right up in there. Most 400ex owners would probably rather split their cases then deal with one of those frozen bolts.

Posted by: MX#9

I've owned 4 400ex's and unless lonestar or whoever drills holes in the walls of the bolt and seals off one end,all you have is a bolt full of grease.......doing nothing!

I also have had to destroy a couple of swingarm pivot bolts getting them out of friends quads so I do know what you mean.

I thought maybe the original goal was to get grease to the swingarm bearings. As for the pivot bolt,I have found that a good dose of never-sieze will forever cure the frozen pivot bolt syndrome. Of course you must take it apart a couple of times a year to service the bearings and such,at which point you reapply some never-sieze.

Posted by: woodsman250r

You can just make your own if you want. Take grease fittings that you buy at a hardware store for like .30 cents each and put one on each end of the pivot bolt. Then you need to drill small holes in the bolt right where the bushing rides on. This way when you pump the bolt with grease it goes in between the bushing and bolt preventing it from seizing up. I did this on my old 250r and it worked great.

Posted by: gbcap

i would rather have a stainless bolt like woodward specialties makes and just pull it out ever 2-3 races or so to grease it. i did it last weekend and it took me a matter of 2 minutes start to finish from finding the right size bolts to pulling it, greasing it and putitng it back in. seems liek there is less room for error then having a hollow bolt that isn't as strongwith a hole that could burr up and ruin your needle bearings.

Posted by: culookn

i made my own. take a look at the how to section. it shows you how to convert your own into one that has a grease fitting. the only i did different was have the fitting tig welded in. it looks trick.

Posted by: ex kid

quote:
Originally posted by gbcap
i would rather have a stainless bolt like woodward specialties makes and just pull it out ever 2-3 races or so to grease it. i did it last weekend and it took me a matter of 2 minutes start to finish from finding the right size bolts to pulling it, greasing it and putitng it back in. seems liek there is less room for error then having a hollow bolt that isn't as strongwith a hole that could burr up and ruin your needle bearings.

listen to him. Woodward has a VERY nice product. alot of the top XC racers are using it.

Posted by: HRC_rider

I'm going with a stainless one since the end snapped off my stock bolt. The best way to ensure they don't seize is regular maintenance.

Posted by: Pappy

quote:
Originally posted by HRC_rider
I'm going with a stainless one since the end snapped off my stock bolt. The best way to ensure they don't seize is regular maintenance.

10-4 and the SS units will seize just as fast as the stock ones

Posted by: 400exrider707

quote:
Originally posted by Pappy
10-4 and the SS units will seize just as fast as the stock ones

Yep they sure will, the only way to cure it is to grease it regularly, so instead of taking it apart all the time why not just do the grease fitting so it will be a two second job.

Posted by: HRC_rider

quote:
Originally posted by 400exrider707
Yep they sure will, the only way to cure it is to grease it regularly, so instead of taking it apart all the time why not just do the grease fitting so it will be a two second job.

I doubt that you'll be able to push all the moisture out by adding a grease fitting and a few holes along the bolt. You would need a hole everywhere there is a bushing or bearing and then need to get enough grease out of each of them to push the water out. A bunch of holes along the bolt will also likely weaken it.

There isn't a better way than removing, cleaning and re-greasing the bolt and the same should be done with the bearings, bushing and seals while it's removed.

Posted by: Scro

This may help you out.

Posted by: JW450R1

ha pappy in that forum u said something about moly coating.i think moly coating is a type of grease correct?if it is just throw some moly coating on it and slam it back together?.....

Posted by: Scro

quote:
Originally posted by JW450R1
ha pappy in that forum u said something about moly coating.i think moly coating is a type of grease correct?if it is just throw some moly coating on it and slam it back together?.....

Molycoating is something like powdercoating, except it doesn't have any thickness to it. It's alot more durable too.

Posted by: Pappy

Molycoating is a great aid in preventing this corrosive issue. It is a coating that is applied and heat cured to form a bond that is almost impervious to rust and corrosion.

If one was to preform the grease zerk mod and have the bolt molycoated, i would feel pretty confident there would be no more issue. that still does not mean one should not regularly pull the bolt, inspect it and relube it, but from my findings the molycoating will solve 95% of the problems. Mine was pulled after almost a year and sprayed with WD40 and wiped clean, it looked like the day I installed it.

I have had 450R's in here that had less then 6 months riding on them and we had to cut them out....this issue is no joke and can cause you hours of severe frustration. At the very least, pull and lube everything periodically!

Posted by: JW450R1

ok thank for the info.i have a 04 that i bought brand new that i just now removed bolt and it came right out no issues.wow i guess i was lucky.

Posted by: TRX450R_Racer

quote:
Originally posted by MX#9
I'm not raggin on ya but a swingarm bolt with a grease fitting won't get grease to your swingarm bearings.

Yes it will. That is the purpose of it.

Posted by: force

thanks, TRX450R_Racer.
MX#9 sounds kind of ingnorant to the subject.
i didn't think i had to specify "does anyone sell a pivot bolt with a grease fitting and holes drilled in it which go to the bearing areas?". come on, MX#9. Don't be stupid.

Posted by: MX#9

I am not being stupid. If you ever had your swingarm off and greased your bearings you would see that I'm right.

Why waste your time or money putting in zerks to grease the bolt when all you are doing is keeping the collars from rusting fast to the pivot bolt.
Take it apart when it is new,never-seize or grease it and do it again everytime you take the back end apart for proper servicing.

You are not getting ANY grease to your bearing surface with ANY of the above mentioned procedures. The grease is only going to get to the INSIDE of the collars, and the swingarm bearing surface rides on the OUTSIDE of the collars.

You could drill holes in the swingarm itself. You would have to do it on both sides of the swingarm, near the top,favoring the engine side and making sure you had clearance for full range of motion of swingarm travel.
It would still be suspect at best as the grease will follow the path of least resistance and push out the inside seals,likely never getting to the outside bearing surface.

Posted by: 400exrider707

quote:
Originally posted by MX#9
I am not being stupid. If you ever had your swingarm off and greased your bearings you would see that I'm right.

Why waste your time or money putting in zerks to grease the bolt when all you are doing is keeping the collars from rusting fast to the pivot bolt.
Take it apart when it is new,never-seize or grease it and do it again everytime you take the back end apart for proper servicing.

You are not getting ANY grease to your bearing surface with ANY of the above mentioned procedures.

Yeah thats the idea bud, the bearings are NOT the problem. The bolt itself is the problem!!!

Posted by: JW450R1

yes,i just took my buddies 2001 400ex apart and it was very tight and just about seized up.i did barely get it out.wow.i'm going to clean it up and anti-seize it.it's a good thing i checked it now.it's never been apart either...

Posted by: MX#9

400exrider707, Read the two posts above mine........bud!

Posted by: md1985250r

mx#9 nailed it!!!

just take the damn thing apart regularly and clean it ,inspect it , re-lube it with something and re-install. the whole process will take about 20-30 minutes.

Posted by: JW450R1

YES,I AGREE.SO THERE'S NO HEAD ACHES

Posted by: 400exrider707

quote:
Originally posted by MX#9
400exrider707, Read the two posts above mine........bud!

hahaha sorry, so I guess he was wrong then, not you, I stand corrected. Either way the whole purpose of it is to get grease to the bolt itself. The bearings are not seizing up its the bolt. I realize the process might only take 20 minutes, but if there was a fitting right on the bolt it would only take 1 minute!

Posted by: MX#9

Not a big deal. I have thought about this some for the guys that go thru the process of putting a zerk and drilling holes in the pivot bolt.

You could drill some holes in the collars,this way some grease would get to the bearing surface.

Posted by: cdrookie

the swing arm bearings need greased just as much, if not more, than the bolt. i'd be willing to bet that more than 70% of the ATV's, with swing arm bearings, in the US right now, have bone dry/bad bearings. they have very little grease from the factory and because they're a pain in the arse to grease, people would rather forget about them. wish i had a dollar for every time i removed a swing arm and the needle bearings fell out.

Posted by: force

MX#9, some people do not have enough time to "properly" service every aspect of every piece of machinery they own.

And, also. I am not wanting the grease fitting to grease the bearing. I want it to grease the area between the bolt and the bearing, so that when i HAVE to take it out, I can remove it without major headaches.

As far as the bearings go, I would rather buy new ones than piss around with pulling out the pivot bolt and greasing the old ones every month.

Posted by: MX#9

cdrookie, that is the best post on here and I'd say you are right on the money.

force,I'm not trying to start a fight or flame fest,but if you can't find time to service something properly that has the potential to kill you if you don't,....... it's your ***** man.

Posted by: force

do you get under your truck and inspect and grease your ball joints at the proper intervals? i seriously doubt it. A broken ball joint can result in a broken tie rod, which can result in a crash, which can result in a fatality.

yet, i'm sure you don't properly service your vehicle.

don't preach to me, dude. anything can happen to anyone at anytime. pivot bolts do break. but, i do not know of anyone that has broken one.

all i wanted to know, is if someone made a bolt with a grease fitting. because, i'm sure read about one somewhere in these forums. but, you had to go and get all technical. and, YOU are trying to tell ME what I want?? come on man. I worked in a machine shop for 6 years. I am not concerned about bearing wear. My concern is ease of pivot bolt removal.

Posted by: force

quote:
Originally posted by cdrookie
the swing arm bearings need greased just as much, if not more, than the bolt. i'd be willing to bet that more than 70% of the ATV's, with swing arm bearings, in the US right now, have bone dry/bad bearings. they have very little grease from the factory and because they're a pain in the arse to grease, people would rather forget about them. wish i had a dollar for every time i removed a swing arm and the needle bearings fell out.

and how many of those had broken pivot bolts??

Posted by: cdrookie

i know of a number of machines with broken pivot bolts. most had the hollow ones. i know for a fact that cannondale and honda both had hollow pivot bolts that do break.

just because you don't maintain your vehicle doesn't mean that others don't. and i have yet to see a pivot bolt that won't come out with some penetrating oil, a punch, and a BFH. swing arm bearings, on the other hand, can be a B****.

since you worked in a machine shop i'm sure you'll have no trouble putting a couple holes in the hardened sleeves to lubricate those bearings. you shouldn't have any problems putting a grease zerk in the swing arm bolt either.

Posted by: MX#9

I actually do grease the ball joints and tierod on our Durango(where it has fittings). I also change the oil at the proper intervals. We have an annual state inspection,so I try to do what I can,so I don't have to pay someone else.

I was not trying to preach to ya. I must have came at you at the wrong angle and got you worked up. Getting you wound up was not the intention. I thought you and others might have thought you were getting grease to the bearings.

I will continue to never-seize my pivot bolt as it has never failed for me since 1986 and I will also tear mine apart at least 3 times a year and completely service the entire back end.
This,for me,is the ONLY right way to do it.

I can tell cdrookie has done this a time or two as well!

Posted by: force

cdrookie, i didn't say i was a machinist. I am a draftsman. So, I do know how grease fittings work.

mx#9, sorry if i got worked up. I thought you were trying to "upstage" me. I am not trying to act "smarter" or more knowledgable than others. I just wanted to ask a simple question. But, thank you for your advice. That is what makes these forums so useful.

Posted by: MX#9

We cool! I always learn something from a good "discussion".