swingarm bolt hole?

[knobbyboy]

I took the swingarm off my 250X yesterday to inspect it and lube it up. There is a bolt that goes all the way through the bike and through a tube in the swingarm. The bolt has a head on one end and a nut on the other. The tube that it goes through is pinched between the frame when you tighten the bolt. The swingarm needle bearings are pressed into the swingarm, and the OD of the tube rides on the ID of these bearings. So, you slide the tube through the swingarm, place the swingarm in the frame, line up the holes, slide the bolt through and tighten it. The funny thing is that the bolt has a hole all the way through it and there's 3 tiny holes drilled perpendicular to it, one in the middle and one close to each end. I plugged one end of the bolt with my finger and blew through from the other end and air escaped from every one of those 6 tiny holes. The purpose of this whole set-up seems to be to grease it. But #1. there is no grease fitting, nor is either end of the bolt threaded for a grease fitting and #2. even if there was a fitting and I greased it, the grease wouldn't get to the bearings because the bolt is inside the tube and it's the tube that pivots on the bearings, not the bolt. If it were actually possible to grease it, the grease would get between the OD of the bolt and the ID of the tube, which would do nothing except maybe keep the bolt/tube interface from rusting. So just what the heck are the holes for? I'm also thinking that if I don't plug those holes at the ends of the bolt with something, water could get in there and corrode the bolt to the inside of the tube. In fact, initially the hole in the bolt was clogged with dirt (but I found no evidence of corrosion between the bolt and tube). What do you think?

[05LSR250R]

You should post in the 250X forum! But since your here.Take a length of drill rod that'll fit thru that hole running the length of the bolt. The tighter fit the better!
Cut it the same length of the bolt.
Slide it in and weld both ends up.
End of story

[knobbyboy]

posting here because the 250R bolt has the same hole, right?

(I know it does cause I got a %&# screw driver stuck in it once on my 250R!)

and you guy are smarting than the 250X guys, right? - LOL

[05LSR250R]

Your right! Thats why I answered your post.
You could also fill it with RTV....but the welded in rod will work better and will also stiffen up that bolt......which tends to bend when ridden hard on the 250R.

[knobbyboy]

but what was Honda's plan for this hole?

I am guessing it is to allow water to escape the area?

[05LSR250R]

I couldn't tell ya!
I think its a piss poor design!
Maybe you can plug weld one end and then tap and install a grease zerk on the other?

[bluetrx]

my pivot bolt is hollow but not cross drilled. i have seen some with grease fittings and thought it would be a good idea to make mine that way to keep the bolt to race surface lubed. ive heard some horror stories of bolt seizure. i like 05LSR250R's idea.

[matt250r21]

Someone drilled your bolt. Stock Honda pivot bolts do not come cross drilled.

[leager-n-ky]

We use to do this to all of our 250r bolts, You thread one end of it for a 1/4 20 socket head screw( to plug the end) and thread the other end with a grease zerk I beleive these were 1/8 pipe thread. It will not grease the bearings, but it will keep that swingarm bolt from seizing up in the swingarm, if you have ever experienced that, you will apreciate the grease zerk in your bolt.

[05LSR250R]

Originally posted by leager-n-ky
We use to do this to all of our 250r bolts, You thread one end of it for a 1/4 20 socket head screw( to plug the end) and thread the other end with a grease zerk I beleive these were 1/8 pipe thread. It will not grease the bearings, but it will keep that swingarm bolt from seizing up in the swingarm, if you have ever experienced that, you will apreciate the grease zerk in your bolt.

You still have to make sure its cross drilled or the grease goes nowhere.

[leager-n-ky]

I'm not sure as to what you mean by "Cross drilled". But when I did mine, I drilled three holes. One at each end of the bolt, on the same side of the bolt, and one in the middle, on the opposite side of the other two. I did not drill these holes all the way through, just half way. I hope you can understand what I am trying to explain, there were only three holes for the grease to come out of.

[05LSR250R]

I gotcha! Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that. Thanx for the clarification.

[86 Quad R]

i've done that mod for years. my personal bike has the holes drilled in the pivot(bearing) pins aswell. :cool: