Honda CG 125 Swingarm Bolt Stuck

[rpsmith79]

Hi all, sorry for the pleading question as my first post, but having only just bought my first bike (a CG 125) and it being in need of some work, my first task is get it roadworthy (i bought it cheap)

Mostly it just needs a headgasket, but while waiting to the gasket to arrive, i have decided to strip the back end down and get the rust off and get it painted up, having read how to remove the swingarm i figured it should be pretty easy

Now first problem was that the nut was cross threaded, so have ordered a replacement bolt and nut, the nut came off ok, but won' go back on, but the problems arise when i try to remove the bolt (already removed rear wheel and shocks), the bloody thing won't budge, even the bolt won't turn with a 4 foot breaker bar on it

Am i missing something, or should this knock out easily

Also, the swingarm is pretty stiff, stiffer that i would have thought it would be with no load on it

As i say, i am new to bikes, but have worked on cars for 10 years or so, so have a reasonable amount of experience pulling things apart

[neptune8]

I had my swinging arm pivot bolt out last year to grease it, and it was straightforward. Could you get away with just fitting a new nut? If not, then you must expect serious hassle. I would suggest using some heat, but that will likely damage the bushes, which I think may be rubber sandwiched between metal. There are two problems involved in trying to knock it out. One is that you risk distorting the threaded end of the bolt, making it too "fat" to go through the bushes. Using a large copper drift will help. Once you get it moving, you can cut off the damaged end with a hacksaw or angle grinder. The second problem is that if you just hit it, the frame will "give" and absorb/ wast the energy. This is the problem I had trying to extract my center stand pivot pin. Beg steal or borrow a piece of heavy duty tubing that will fit over the bolt head. It needs to be about a foot long. place the bike about one foot from a solid brick wall, and fit the tube over the bolt head with its other end braced against the wall. get someone to hold it. Get someone else to hold the copper drift on the end of the bolt. Hit the drift HARD with a BIG hammer. At your own risk of course. The only other way is to strip it down to the frame and get it in a hydraulic press. When you get it fixed, grease it annually.
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[rpsmith79]

Cheers for the quick response

I had my suspicions it was going to be a pain when it wouldn't budge, as i said, i have a replacement on order, so hopefully the nut will fit without bother (assuming the bolt is not also cross threaded)

Luckily i work in a engineering firm, so should be able to get hold of a die to recut the thread if it is damaged, assuming its not some strange thread like the exhaust studs, M7 thread, very odd, but that's another story

i guess i will just have to work what rust i can see and paint what i can with it in place