Topic: '75 550 Sloppy Swingarm: bolt, collar or bushing? Or all three!?

[chadbenson]

So I have a '75 550 frame that I'm prepping to do a complete rebuild on. I've read up on the swingarm bushings getting sloppy over time and can verify that mine has the problem. But, in the frame and even when removed, the side to side play feels as if the bolt is worn and not the collar or bushings. I took a quick video:https://youtu.be/CqNDciLdTMM

I want to fix this properly but, also don't want to buy anything I don't have to replace, for example the collar. Anyone else experienced this? The collar slips in and out of the bushes easily, so I don't think the O.D. is worn, but maybe the inside has against the bolt? Are the bushings themselves actually causing the flex and I can't tell? Thanks in advance!

[Trad]

Your collar is likely fine. How did it look? still decent or all nasty and pitted? If it isn't bad, get proper sized bronze bushings, press them in, lube it all up with a good bearing grease and be done with it for a while.

[chadbenson]

It actually looks pretty decent. I'll take a picture and post it to see what the general consensus is. To me though, it seems that the swing arm bolt has play on the collar, not the collar on the bushings. Am I just perceiving it this way, or is it possible that the bolt has slope on the collar? I have a second bolt from another 550 and it seems to have the same amount of play as the other bolt. I guess to me it just doesn't seem like it's the bushing that has the play in it.

[Henning]

??

When you tighten the swingarm bolt, the collar is pressed against the frame and essentially becomes part of the frame. There is no movement bolt to collar or collar to frame, so bolt to collar clearance is irrelevant. You need to get your head around how it works. You need the dust caps at the end of the collar for this to work, I assume you have them.

The collar is hardened or hard, the bushings softer so as the bushings (deliberately) wear more than the collar. So if your collar is good you can get away with replacing the bushings.

[chadbenson]

Ahhh, see I knew that's how it worked but, for some reason I wasn't wrapping my head around it. Thanks for your patients! Moving forward I can tell the collar is in great shape, so I just ordered some new bronze bushings and then I'll be done with it. But, gotta get it powder coated first, so gotta strip out the old ones before sending it off.