Bare Minimum dismantling to remove ST1100 swinging arm ? Please .

[Yohan]

Can you detect the pleading tone of the title? As little unscrewing as is humanly possible to get the rusty bugger off .
One ebay UK seller has a repaired arm on sale that looks as if it was welded to Hell and back . Could the bike ever run straight with too much repairing ?

 

[Bush]

The Honda Service Manual is your friend for this job.

 

[jfheath]

From memory - which is not as good as it used to be - and even then ..... (errrrm what was I going to say ?)

You have to take the rear wheel out - which involves the rear brake caliper removal. Take the rear fender off - it makes that job easier, and you won't then be cracking your head on it.
Then the final drive unit has to be unbolted - 4 bolts. And removed from the drive shaft. With your other pair of hands, because the final drive is heavy, you have to catch the drive shaft. There's a rubber boot at the forward end and you need to recover that.

Then the brake hose clamps and the hose - can be lifted away - and the rear ABS sensor wire. The rear suspension lower mounting bolt needs removing - but support the weight of the swinging arm, as is will drop suddenly. With all of that lot off, you can undo the bolts on each side of the arm.

BUT - you need the correct tool to put the arm back in again. The proper torque for the bearing is crucial and it takes into account the 'handle' that is on the tool.



DavidSilverSpares inthe UK has some brand new swing arms in stock - whether they will fit your bike you will have to check. The one I saw was for a 2000AY. Not the police model which I think you said you had in an earlier post. You would need to phone them. £475. You get a lot of piece of mind for that. 'spose you'd need bearings too. Sometimes the only difference may be a clip for the wire or mounting for the brake parts. I'v never had more than one unit in my hand at once to be able to compare.

It's a straight forward job, but its not just a case of undoing two bolts. Lots of opportunities for cursing, swearing, trapped fingers. unless you are careful.

 

[Yohan]

There is one description with photos that comes across rusted in bolts and bolts made of cheese. He was able to do his own welding to release one bolt .
I saw a video about ex police cars that are sold to auctions and a common trick is to massively reduce the mileage electronically to get a better price. They said the police know all about that and don`t bother .I`m wondering if this ex police bike has been clocked as well .
I seems the only way to reduce the pain of this job is to lay a thick carpet around the bike and get a comfy pillow for all the low down squirming around .
ST 1100 s are perfect if you live where nothing goes rusty .

 

[SMSW]

I seems the only way to reduce the pain of this job is to lay a thick carpet around the bike and get a comfy pillow for all the low down squirming around . ST 1100 s are perfect if you live where nothing goes rusty .

I would guess there is no equivalent in the UK to a Harbor Freight - a company that sells cheap (mostly Chinese) tools, many of which are knockoffs (copies) of name brand tools. A few years ago I bought a Harbor Freight motorcycle lift for $300 USD on sale. Now they want double that (when not on sale). To be honest, I prefer the bike on the floor and have no problem squirming around on the floor wearing heavy overalls and using kneeling pads.

While many cities in the USA dump copious amounts of salt, brine, and brine/sugar mix on the roads, few of us ride the roads in deep snow or slush. The corroded swingarm seems to be a uniquely UK problem. Over here we rust out our cars.

 

[PhotoDoctor]

The ST1100 speedometer is not electronic so cannot be easily set to reduce the mileage showing.

 

[dwalby]

The ST1100 speedometer is not electronic so cannot be easily set to reduce the mileage showing.

probably true, but a motivated individual with an electric drill and time to spare can wind it backwards if they really wanted to.

 

[SMSW]

probably true, but a motivated individual with an electric drill and time to spare can wind it backwards if they really wanted to.

Some odos do not line up the numbers properly when run backwards - probably due to slop in the gear train. I'm not sure if the ST's odo will line up properly. Forget the drill, if the odo runs off the wheel, jack the bike up, put an electric motor's shaft against the wheel and let it run all night, and day, and night, and day.....

 

[Upt' North]

I think John's covered the dismantling but I wouldn't buy someones else welded up mess. I'd get yours done if it's good enough, if not then it's either new if you can get one or one that's not rotted out from somewhere.
Good luck.
Upt.

 

[rwthomas1]

One of my techs just widened a Harley swingarm 2" in the shop. It was easy. If you can cut a swingarm into three pieces and get it all to line up again perfectly then grinding out rotted gussets and adding new is straightforward. As long as its jigged to keep it all square, not an issue.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

The ST1100 speedometer is not electronic so cannot be easily set to reduce the mileage showing.

You would be surprised at how easy that is. It is easier than with electronic odometers because no special equipment is required.

 

[ST1100Y]

There is one description with photos that comes across rusted in bolts and bolts made of cheese...

Must have been a UK registration, well marinated in winter-brine and never washed...

Replacing the swing-arm is like a 4~5 hours job... given that you've a proper work-field and some decent tools around...

Dunno about welded pieces... temp flexing causes the arms to twist all over the place...
And the internal integrity is most likely compromised anyway...
Did an autopsy once:










no use just tacking some new metal over that...

I'd check eBay for a decent looking one...

 

[Hound]

Unfortunately the only decent ones on eBay are in the US and the shipping/duties on them are horrific.

 

[ST1100Y]

Unfortunately the only decent ones on eBay are in the US and the shipping/duties on them are horrific.

The one I got back then (I refurbed the '94 who's PO obviously also used it in winter...) came from a low mileage ST parted by a dutch breaker... and they're quite busy on eBay... but it's early in the season, not enough cadavers out there yet to scavenge... (found one for a 1300 though...)

 

[Hound]

There are plenty for the ST1300 and because they're aluminium (or aloom-i-num), they don't disintegrate in the British winter. It's a shame no genius has found a way to make the ST1300 swing arm fit the ST1100.

 

[ST1100Y]

... they don't disintegrate in the British winter...

Ha! Such an alloy hasn't been invented yet... if it even exists within the sol-system...

 

[ST1100Y]

... on eBay ...

Dang! Now you did it, went on a "could use zis or zat later"-binge... PayPal server is ticking off the heat...

 

[ReSTored]

If you're looking for process and pictures of similar work on the swingarm + driveshaft removal and reassembly join St-Riders.net.

This site has a wealth of ST1100 info.

 

[Yohan]

So relief on the clocking front .

 

[Yohan]

A major distraction for me was a very sudden loss of hearing ---like total --and I could not even hear my own voice. That was the day my son took the ST 1100 for it`s MOT. A few days later and I can hear some things a little and I decided to have a close inspection of this rusted swing arm. A nice size mirror on the floor and a bright lamp showed an almost perfect swing arm .The underside is the part that would rust first I think . The silencer section crossing the centre looks a bit speckly with rust . The garage must be looking for an easy Pretend Repair . I put the plastic covers on before the MOT which hides the top surface .There were two white cable ties on the back of the covers and they were undisturbed . On one bracing bracket there was a tiny pinhole that might be rust . Seeing there is so little rust anywhere I think the dismantle check will be better now with less chance of any seized up bolts . But what can you say about the Seriously Dangerous Rust entry in the MOT. Is it Illegal to tell lies on an MOT ? So I am annoyed and relieved in equal parts now .
The rusting internally cannot be sensibly avoided with anything inflamable in case you need to do some welding later on . An Alloy arm would create a problem with alloy corrosion which can be a bigger nuisance that steel rust . How about internal and extenal galvanising . Maybe drilling into the hollow and running galvanised paint inside .Zinc is your best friend . Or bolt on some zinc to act as an anode or cathode (which is which ?) I have to look up the metal league table to see which it is . I just remebered I have some zinc paint spray . I repaired the old window lintel support bricks on our house . The bricks were cracking where they were overstressed. I inserted some thick steel plates and new bricks .The plates were sprayed with zinc for that job. Good idea for English bikes .