T500 Swingarm Bushings

[Mgmark]

I'm going through my '74 T500 resto project and the swingarm bushings are allowing a lot of side to side play. Are original type bushings good enough or is there a better alternative, such as brass available?

My bike:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=12132&p=158592#p158592" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Mark

[Smoker68]

Diablo Cycle sells bronze replacement bushings. I purchased a set for a resto I am doing but haven't installed them yet. They appear to be a higher quality product than the OEM bushings. You can buy replacement NOS OEM bushings from Paul Miller on EBay.

[Mgmark]

Thanks for the tip for Diablo, I had never heard of them. I might as well upgrade the bushings while I'm in there.

[sbaugz]

Thanks for the tip for Diablo, I had never heard of them. I might as well upgrade the bushings while I'm in there.

I'm trying to source some bushings too. Parts-n-more have them cheaper but posts I have read here indicate they need to be turned down a little because they don't quite fit. I also found an old post saying that xs650 bushings might work, and they are half the cost. I'm waiting to hear back from a pm that I sent to a member here regarding if they fit or not. Will post here.

[titan performance]

Are you missing the end caps and/or 0 rings Mark?.....I don't recall too much sideways movement, in fact the swing arm is a very snug fit in my experience.

[Mgmark]

Are you missing the end caps and/or 0 rings Mark?.....I don't recall too much sideways movement, in fact the swing arm is a very snug fit in my experience.

No, everything is there and still assembled. I can deflect/angle the swingarm sideways (as opposed to sliding side to side) a bit more than I would want. The bike has only 10K miles so I'm a bit surprised at this much wear, even with plastic bushings.

I ordered some new oem bushings, and I have a new set of RD brass bushings on the shelf for comparison. If the brass bushings spec the same they are going in.

Thanks for the replies.
Mark

[diamondj]

Thanks for the tip for Diablo, I had never heard of them. I might as well upgrade the bushings while I'm in there.

I'm trying to source some bushings too. Parts-n-more have them cheaper but posts I have read here indicate they need to be turned down a little because they don't quite fit. I also found an old post saying that xs650 bushings might work, and they are half the cost. I'm waiting to hear back from a pm that I sent to a member here regarding if they fit or not. Will post here.

Hey - the XS650 bushings are pretty much the same as the T500 from the posted dimensions on Mikes XS and the measurements I got from a set of T500 specific bronze bushings:

XS650 bushings:
Length 40mm
ID 22mm
OD 28mm
Collar thickness 2.6mm
Collar OD 34mm

T500:
length 40mm
ID 22mm
OD 28.62mm
Collar thickness 2.82mm
Collar OD 34mm

The OD on the T500 bushings is ever so slightly bigger so you should check the ID of the bushing lands for your swing-arm before you spend any money at Mikes.

You could also convert to roller bearings:

http://www.oldjapanesebikes.com/1973_GT ... Conversion

[Mgmark]

I just received my new oem Suzuki swingarm bushings today, and compared them to a new set of brass Yamaha RD/XS bushings. The Suzi bushings are .5mm larger in OD, the Yamaha bushing fall into the Suzi swingarm. And the ID on the Yamaha bushings is larger than the Suzi bushings making them useless for the T.

Oh well, now I know. I suspect my swingarm has a bit if side to side play also. The bike has 10K original miles and everyting shows a bit of wear. Not a lot on each individual part but it is cumulative.

Mark

[sbaugz]

I just ordered some brass bushings from parts n more. $80 for a set was a tough pill to swallow but I figured it was worth it considering everything else I have done to bike.