I didn't realize Pro-Flex employed sadist engineers.

[fyrstormer]

And yet they must have, to use flat-sided O-rings on the 857's main swingarm pivot. I can see I'm not the only person who's ever struggled with getting those reinstalled.

They can't possibly work that much better than comparable round-sided O-rings.

EDIT: On the up side, the 857 rebuild is basically done at this point. 

[shovelon]

And yet they must have, to use flat-sided O-rings on the 857's main swingarm pivot. I can see I'm not the only person who's ever struggled with getting those reinstalled.

They can't possibly work that much better than comparable round-sided O-rings.

EDIT: On the up side, the 857 rebuild is basically done at this point. 

Hey Shawn, was it curiosity killed the cat?

Or did you paint the frame?

[fyrstormer]

Neither. I take everything apart before I first use it, to make sure it's working right. In this case, I wanted to make sure the nylon bushings weren't too tight (the ones in the strut were, but a Dremelathe and some emory paper fixed that), and I wanted to regrease them anyway.

Next time I have to service them, I'm replacing the square seals with round ones. Not gonna put up with that nonsense twice.

[shovelon]

Neither. I take everything apart before I first use it, to make sure it's working right. In this case, I wanted to make sure the nylon bushings weren't too tight (the ones in the strut were, but a Dremelathe and some emory paper fixed that), and I wanted to regrease them anyway.

Next time I have to service them, I'm replacing the square seals with round ones. Not gonna put up with that nonsense twice.

The reason I ask is we never remove the swingarm unless we know there are worn bushings.

If you look in the files section, there is OP's quick lube sequence that does not require removal.

Terry

[shovelon]

Neither. I take everything apart before I first use it, to make sure it's working right. In this case, I wanted to make sure the nylon bushings weren't too tight (the ones in the strut were, but a Dremelathe and some emory paper fixed that), and I wanted to regrease them anyway.

Next time I have to service them, I'm replacing the square seals with round ones. Not gonna put up with that nonsense twice.

The reason I ask is we never remove the swingarm unless we know there are worn bushings.

If you look in the files section, there is OP's quick lube sequence that does not require removal.

[fyrstormer]

I can see how you'd lube the spindles and the outer thrust bushings, but I don't see how you'd lube the inner thrust bushings without removing the swingarm.

Anyway, on my 756 the seals are round, and 12 years into owning the bike I'm still on the original bushings and seals, so obviously the round seals aren't allowing grit to get in and tear up the bushings, so the reason why Pro-Flex specced square seals for the 857 is still unknown to me.

EDIT: If the file you're talking about is OP's Pivot Jiffy Lube somethingsomethingsomething.PDF, the file appears to be corrupt; it won't open in Adobe Acrobat 9.

ANOTHER EDIT: None of the pretty-girl pictures are working. I think they need to be re-uploaded.

[shovelon]

EDIT: If the file you're talking about is OP's Pivot Jiffy Lube somethingsomethingsomething.PDF, the file appears to be corrupt; it won't open in Adobe Acrobat 9.

Opps, you are right. We had a hacker take down the site a couple of years ago.

But in a nutshell, remove the pivot bolt and 2 alum cups. Regrease without pulling the swingarm and then reassemble.

Terry

[fyrstormer]

That "quickie lube" procedure does get most of the part re-lubricated, but it leaves the inboard thrust bushings out to dry. (pun noticed, but not intended.) And anyway, no seal is perfect, and given the way grit likes to accumulate in tight spaces and crevices like the areas where the frame and swingarm meet, I'd feel much more comfortable taking it all apart and thoroughly scrubbing everything anyway. Otherwise, the only ways to remove the grit from that area is to scrub/spray from the outside, which will just drive some of it through the seal and accelerate wear on the thrust bushings.

So yeah, definitely switching to round seals next time that has to come apart. It's only every couple of years anyway, so it's not that big a deal, it's just a pain in the ass at the time.

[duc]

I just took my swing arm off of my 5000 and I agree that the seal design is poor. By any chance did you ever find the correct size of a round oring that fits our swing arms?

Cheers,
Matt

[fyrstormer]

No, I haven't gone near them since I finished the service. A quick trip to the local hardware store's plumbing section with an O-ring in-hand should make quick work of it.

[duc]

Sounds good....I'm on my way