Check your swingarm bearings, periodically!
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 6:51 pm
While pulling the bike apart to diagnose a rubbing rear caliper issue and to also replace the rear shock, I noticed that I had some lateral movement in my swingarm; about 1/8" side to side. I pulled off the covers and the nut was loose. As a friendly reminder, periodically pull off the side cover and check the torque of your swingarm. And once in a while, lubricate the bearings and check the condition of things.
On a side note, I found my rear caliper was scrubbing the rotor which led me to look deeper. At some point in it's life, my XJ had a chain failure which appears to have wrapped around the rear wheel and smashed up the swingarm pretty well. This isn't visible when the bike is assembled.
This damage tweaked the swingarm a bit and also tweaked the location of the rear caliper mount. I now have a replacement swingarm coming and will be checking the caliper cam and others for signs of damage.
On a side note, I found my rear caliper was scrubbing the rotor which led me to look deeper. At some point in it's life, my XJ had a chain failure which appears to have wrapped around the rear wheel and smashed up the swingarm pretty well. This isn't visible when the bike is assembled.
This damage tweaked the swingarm a bit and also tweaked the location of the rear caliper mount. I now have a replacement swingarm coming and will be checking the caliper cam and others for signs of damage.