Swingers up in Arms!

[mdw471]

All right, I could use a bit of help....please

I have a rear wheel, brake disc, brake caliper / carrier, and swingarm from a 1999 KX500.

I also have a wonderfully extended swingarm from a 1994 KX500.

Well, they aren't the same.

The 'track' on the inside of the swingarm is different and space for the wheel/brake assembly is nearly 1/4" narrower on the 1994.

The Kawi parts list identifies the same axle, and brake discs for both bikes and the hubs sure look the same? Anybody offer an easy fix? Maybe just a new bracket for the caliper?

I am not surprised by the different tracks, but differences in swingarm widths makes me wonder. Anybody seen this before between the different years?

Thanks for the Help

Mark

[KXcam22]

I know that the 99 rear hub uses 3 bearings where the older ones use 2 but I also understood that the overall width was the same. Interresting find.  Sorry I can't help more. cam.

[don46]

I've been dealing with these wheels quite a bit lately, all the way form the 86-87 to the 04 stuff. The wheels from 88-on are dimensionally the same, even though the later units have 3 bearings and the older stuff only 2.  The actual track that the brake caliper slides wouldn't suprise me that its different, no big deal get the right year caliper. The swing arm width I would question, kawi used 2 different wheel spacers a 20mm and a 22 mm, the 22 mm was used on the older stuff before they started adding the small plate to the inside of the swingarm.

I think I would look at your wonderfully extended swinarm, ensure that the legs are straight and pulled in, if they are welded there is a tendency to pull and that could be your issue, or maybe the sticks themselves are not on the same plane as a stocker. Please post a picture to better help understand what your looking at.

I've done several and they remain constant throughout the length using stock spacers for the newer style wheels. now when using the older stuff, they require custom spacers. The older hubs are a bit beefier in sprocket mounting area, but only have 1 bearing so they require some machining to be able to add bearings, may not need to do that for a 500 but I've been bending axles and breaking hubs so I'm going a different route, it's amazing what 170 hp and bolts will do.

[HodaddyB]

I don't mean to jack the thread, but I think you're the guys who may be able to answer a question I have concerning the early hubs.

I have an '87, and when I checked for play in the wheel bearings, I found that the bearings themselves are loose in the hub. In other words, I'm able to slide the entire bearing in and out of the hub. I've done some research on these and found that the hub uses the same part number, and pretty much the same fiche picture, as the rear hub for the late KLX300s.

Here's the question: I see a circlip in the hub that appears to locate one of the bearings in its side of the hub. I usually only see a circlip used when there is relative movement expected. Every other ball-bearing hub I can remember working on uses a press-fit for those bearings. Has Kaw done something kooky like using a slip-fit for its wheel bearing bores? I would tend to call the bores bad, but I'd like to make sure I'm not outsmarting myself before I buy another hub.

Thanks in advance