CG125 Swingarm bearings

[Ingah]

22K miles and 9 years of wear and tear on my CG125 so i'm thinking of taking apart the swingarm bearings to check them out, and more than likely replace them. As i've never done the job before i figure this is the best bike to do first, as if i try to the same job on my 54K mile CB500 (which i fully intend to do) it's going to go badly and i'll hopefully benefit from the CG experience first.

Anyone got any tips for this job (it's a job i'm particularly nervous about doing), especially with relation to any special tools that would be useful for getting the seized old parts out?
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-- Ingah

[unitynotsocri...]

take the swingarm and new bearings to a grease monkey with decent tools ,not always but mostly its a pita to do.Well worth sanding and repainting the swingarm while its off.
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nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[SoND]

Make sure the bike is well supported, rope or chain through frame under the seat to a ceiling truss is perfect.

If there is no play in the swingarm they probably don't need changed. A clean with thinners and new grease (molybdenum not copper) packed in would do good.

To change the bearings you will probably need a puller set and a press to keep things simple. If you don't happen to have these lying around take the loose swingarm to someone who does.
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Go back to bed - You have no rights - "Streetfighters ~ Mainstream motorcycling's crackwhore sister."

[neil.]

Here's an idea of what you're up against:

https://www.bike-parts-honda.com/pieces-honda-detail-1438-17KGA401-CG125ES4-2004-F__2100-CG+125.html

It'll be bushings and spacers in there rather than bearings. You may also find that one or both spacers is stuck in the bush and impossible to get out without a press (I had the same problem with my YBR even using a G-Clamp and socket). A decent vice with the right sized socket might work though if you have one. The bushings themselves must be removed with a press in order to replace. They are really stuck into the swing-arm On my YBR they never wore out but the swing-arm did develop a squeak there and was showing quite a bit of resistance at around 35'000 miles or so. I had never bothered to touch them throughout the life of that bike - would probably have been better if they had been done at 16'000 miles (that was the last time I had the bike dealer serviced as well! ). The YBR also had oil seals either side that need replacing each time but it doesn't look like the CG does.

On the YBR it was an actual service item at 16'000 miles but on my CBF (and I suspect, CG) it isn't.

[Robby]

Looks like the same setup as on my CB250RS, which was really easy to do. The bushes were plastic, with a steel tube running down the middle of them.

I pressed out the steel tube using a bench vice with some assorted sizes of sockets as spacers. Once they were out I could pull the old plastic bushes out with a set of large mole grips on the top hat section. One side didn't come out like this, so I drifted it out with an old screwdriver and lumphammer. The bushes don't sit flush against each other inside the swingarm, so you can get an old screwdriver in there.

I pressed in the new ones with a bench vice, then did the same for the metal tube.

My bike has grease nipples, so I finished up by pumping in lots of grease.

Certainly no need for a press or serious engineering tools.