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Its that time of year again, time to strip, lube and replace. As usual its the headstock, swingarm and brakes that get most of the attention but added to this was the radiator and sprocket carrier bearings. The steering head bearings were their typical awkward self for disassembly of the yokes but there were no surprises, probably because I did them last year. Changing the brake fluid it was noticeable how much the fluid degrades over the year, old vs new was cloudy and an odour of old inner tubes vs amber clear and an odour of freshly cut pine. Of course the calliper pistons were pumped out - but not removed from the callipers - so that the piston sides could be cleaned with wire wool and a film of lithium grease applied. Next they were pushed back in and I changed the brake fluid. Engine oil and filter was replaced followed by draining of fuel and a clean of the Weber carb.
The radiator was then taken off because I had spotted corrosion on the fan assembly. As might be expected, the bolts were solid, but not completely because I could actually turn them 1 or 2 degrees. This was all I needed and I liberally sprayed light oil onto them and tightened and loosened until the rotation of the bolt heads increased and finally they came undone. Once they were out I cleaned and painted the fan and radiator assembly then used thread cutting tools to reprofile the bolts and holes. Very nice it came up too.
A few days later I got to grips with the sprocket carrier, bit of a mystery this but a look at the bootleg service manual told me there were two bearings in there so using a sizable hammer and drift I gave the inner spacer a few belts and out they came. 6005 - 2RS1 the sizes but when the new ones went in I decided to heat the carrier to ease the insertion of the bearing. I certainly think that there should be a service interval for the carrier bearings because the outer bearing had a sizable degree of... ahem... radial play but there was no way of telling this whilst it was fully assembled and I have read of these bearings failing and causing severe damage to the swingarm.
Disassembly of the swingarm assembly went as strenuously as normal, I replaced all the linkage bearings 2 years ago so they are still very much within tolerance. Getting the swingarm out is a case of removing all linkage, the exhaust and shock absorber then using a support to rest the swingarm on, sliding out the swingarm bolt and pulling out the arm. Note the two spacers that fit between the swingarm and engine, they are what make the job so difficult when it goes back in. For cleaning I recommend white spirit for the chain guard and chain but a popular degreasant for the Aluminium of the swingarm. Its difficult to expand more on what is a routine but very demanding job, but for your delectation - I made a timelapse video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G_GuBQAexA

Just watched your video JW,I was hoping to get some tips on reassembly of the swingarm to engine but you worked to fast for me to get a good look .seriously though have you got any suggestions on replacing the spacer washers, as I'm about to tackle the reassembly myself and theres usually some little trick to be found to make things easier ? I know that mine will be a tight fit and I was thinking of some way to spread the frame ever so slightly to ease replacement.
Rgds Jay.

mines off waiting to go back into the powder coated frame next year, but i would tap it into place [gently] and then use a spatula to push on the edge to centre the spacer over the hole.
Maybe mark with a pen on the swing arm some marks to show the hole centre.
When i have used this tip before its important to tap straight!
You could even cut a curve to match the washer into the spatula so it holds it straighter

I take it you mean the shims between the dog bones, swingarm and linkage (3 in all). Or you could mean the large bush/spacer between the engine and swingarm (2 of). Either way I know they are tight but they are meant to be. The only thing you might do is loosen the engine bolt immediately above the swingarm bolt. Getting the swingarm in with those bushes to deal with as well makes for a tricky few minutes but bear the weight of the swingarm on a box and manoeuvre it in. The linkage shims are easy until its the frame / linkage casting but there is no point 'spreading' the frame because the linkage is going to rattle from side to side after that.

That's a GREAT video! I'm pretty sure I can see a few swear words on you lips when your sitting still for a moment

You are a really committed Paso lover. Good on ya!

I can not see if it stated any where or if you JW did loosen the engine bolt above. This I think helped me a great deal the last time pulled / mounted my swing arm. Even thou I had a hell of a job mounting it especially on the right hand side I could have used 0,10 mm more gab.
Regards
Klaus

I did not loosen the nearby engine bolts, I always consider that if it came out it will go back in. That was a guess by me because I have never found getting the swingarm back in impossible - only nearly impossible.
I didn't swear much during the making of this video except when I fitted the rear downpipe before the swingarm but I edited that part out!
Personally many of you might find doing this job yearly a Little over the top. You could be right but I have found that big jobs like this get put off and if you leave it for 4 or 5 years its often the case that bolts won't turn and bushes are seized in - that sort of thing. Its the same for the front end but each year nothing is difficult to work on because it was apart 12 months previously and although I never exactly look forward to it I am always pleased at the result and I'm damned if I'll put up with the former.

It's your bike,service it fortnightly if you so desire there are many benifits to be had by doing so.There's nothing like the smooth hum of well oiled machinery not to mention the satisfaction and knowledge gained by doing it yourself and parts definately come apart more easily when well lubricated, but........

Theres a lot to be said for the old adage 'If it ain't broke - don't fix it.'
Every time something is taken to pieces there is a risk of damage to the parts involved
bearings can be twisted in ways they were not designed.
gasket surfaces can be scratched.
threads are worn.
worn in surfaces are reassembled differently.
old plastic parts can disintegrate.
parts can be lost.
seals can be damaged.
the list goes on and on.

By using quality lubricants and antisieze on all threads or surfaces that are likely to corrode,replacing gaskets, seals and parts that are old or damaged and taking your time to do the job properly service intervals can be stretched out, leaving more time for rebuilding
the next project bike,drinking beer,fishing,drinking beer,anything else and of course drinking beer.

Rgds. Jay