Swingarm Refurb

First topic message reminder :

Hi guys just after a little advice.
The swing arm on my 96 cat is in a sorry state to say the least. I rang up my local powder coating place and they quoted me 25 quid to have it blasted and re coated which sounds like a bargain to me.

So I'm planning to completely strip and Refurb the lower back end of the bike and I'm wondering if there's anything I need to be careful of or any known pitfalls? Also if there's anything that's worth replacing while I've got it stripped ie bearings, seals etc
Seems simple enough but I've never done one before so just thought I'd ask first.
Thanks in advance

dudeofrude wrote:...brake lines off a 99 r6 would fit on a thundercat? They're going cheap...

How cheap, and are they braided lines?

Upgrading to stainless steel braided lines would be best. You can get a set of Venhill lines (front) for £49.50 on eBay.

Other brands are available... Goodridge, Hel, Wezmoto.

Yeah the full braided set (front and back) used for under 20. That's why I wanted to know if they'd fit. If not then I can get them for 60 new anyway

Just had a look at some microfiche and the rear caliper is different. The R6 has a banjo fitting on the caliper but the 'cat has a threaded union.

R6 [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

YZF600R [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

You can do further investigation here...

Thanks tee-forty, some great info there and a really useful sight for the future ☺ I've ordered them anyway as I managed to get them for a tenner and at that price I don't care if they don't work its worth a shot haha

I don't blame you!... If it doesn't work out you should have no trouble doubling your money if you decide to sell them on eBay.

I can tell you that R6 fronts don't fit our bikes unfortunately.

Regards

Mike

Well good news and bad...... The front hoses fit fine (I've not tried the back yet) got a nice new slimmed down fluid reservoir too. Bad news is I can't get them to bleed :( I tried for a good hour and nothing. Not even getting much fluid out of the nipples? I've got one of them eazi bleed kits from Halford (that I've used many times before) but can't even get enough fluid to fill the little pipe. Needless to say it's annoying so I've left it for today and try again in the morning.

dudeofrude wrote:...The front hoses fit fine (I've not tried the back yet)...

Well, result!

Glad it worked out for you, if only partially. I've not bled my brakes yet, but I have read that they can be a bit of a swine to bleed.

On some bikes it's better to bleed the master cylinder by itself first.

1: Place some absorbent rags / kitchen towels etc, under the banjo bolt on the master cylinder.
2: Undo bolt about a quarter of a turn.
3: Pull brake lever and hold (things are about to get messy!)
4: Tighten bolt.
5: Release lever and start the whole process again.

It's no different to bleeding the calipers. Hopefully you will see brake fluid seeping out from between the double banjos. When that happens (fingers crossed) tighten the banjo bolt, top-up the reservoir and then start on the caliper.

Here is a slightly different method that should work as well.

...and a video showing the reverse filling method.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

...and finally. Yamaha's way of doing things.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Well thanks for the Stella advice tee-forty, worked a treat only took 2-3 squeezes and it was done. Rock hard now! Can't wait to try them out once it's all re assembled. Cheers

The Thundercat had been the most awkward bike I have ever bled the brakes on, for no other reason than it's just a #CENSORED#, my Blackbird has a linked brake system and has at least two bleed nipples per caliper and three different master cylinders driving the whole brake system and that is easier than the cat.

The cat would either just work straight away, or it'd be a complete knob and make you work for hours, or to the brink of insanity so that you have a break for an hour or two or over night, then it'll just work the next time you try it in exactly the same way you were trying for hours earlier.

I have a one way valve for bleeding brakes which is fantastic, I also had a MityVac system, that was amazing if you had a dry system (replaced lines or rebuilt the calipers) for just drawing the fluid down intially but once there was some fluid coming through I'd then switch to the old fashioned way of doing it and that all worked everytime for any bike (apart from the bloody cat)

Haha I was dreading it when I was looking through the forums last night, plenty of unhappy people that couldn't get their cats bled but thankfully mine was sorted fairly simply. My next job is the back but that should be far simpler (i hope) with it only being one hose.

Stripped down my swingarm today using the "upside down rear footpeg method".
Was originally planning on getting it powder coated but since all the bearings are in good nick, some still actually had grease in them (must praise previous owners) I'm going to leave it.
So last two days bike has had a right going over, roll on dry weather. (Not even going to say sun!!!! )
Is it worthwhile getting it treated with ACF50 or should I leave it till next winter - thoughts!!!
Spit and polish tomorrow - grease work done

Catnapper wrote:
Is it worthwhile getting it treated with ACF50 or should I leave it till next winter - thoughts!!!

The treatment is meant to be for all year round, not just winter. It'll be worth doing it now.
I have found the treatment in a can and the liquid you pour into a hand pump plastic bottle to be quite ineffective. The way the pros do it is to use a spray gun which seems to work better - at least it has been for me.

I was thinking of getting it done by a Pro (All year biker) after a bit of research