Removing Swingarm on Moto Guzzi V7 Stone 2015

[jackpayback]

So I was wondering if anyone knows if removing the swingarm from the rear drive will cause the rear drive oil to leak out.  Is that part sealed?  And if I detach the rear drive from swingarm, will I have to put in a new gasket or anything?

My issue is that I had to partially pull out the swingarm from the main part of the bike to replace the clutch rod.  Getting the u-joint and coupling back on has been a real bear.  I can get the u-joint to fit back on the splines, but I am still about a half-inch from mating up the bolts and rubber hose clamp.  The only thing I can think that would be stopping me from pushing the swingarm all the way back on is the other end of the coupling having slipped out of the splines at the rear drive end.  So I was planning on detaching the swingarm, mating up the u-joint to splines, then mating up the rear drive splines after.

Would I run into any issues doing it this way?  Or does anyone know what else could be stopping me from getting the swingarm all the way back on?

[ramarren]

I haven't done this job on the V7 yet, but I did it on the big block Tonti frame bikes that way all the time. The problem with leaving the rear drive in place is that the swingarm is just to cumbersome to move around precisely ... take the drive off of it and it becomes a lot easier to get the U-joint coupling, boot, and swingarm pivots all set up properly.

I'm not familiar enough with the V7 swingarm yet to know all the details about the oil seals on the coupling, but I'd always take the opportunity to drain and refill the rear drive with fresh oil and lube all the driveshaft splines when I had it apart. It just makes sense to do so.

[Chuck in Indiana]

My experience is on the older small blocks, but I imagine they are still the same. It's a Guzzi after all..
No, the rear drive won't leak if you take it off the swing arm.. as long as you don't point the splines down hill. Sounds like there is a good chance that the coupler came off.

[pyoungbl]

My V7 should be identical to yours (mine is a 2013).  When I pulled the swingarm to grease the bearings I also detached the rear drive.  The final drive will not leak unless you turn it upside down and have a loose fill bolt.  There is no gasket between the drive and swingarm.  You will find that the driveshaft has a conventional U-joint near the tranny output shaft and a spline on the other end of the shaft.  I call it a spline but it's a pretty short unit that moves inside a collar.  There is also a small spring in the end of the shaft.  Don't lose the spring.

Sorry about the crappy focus but you can see the spring and the spline.  I think it is easier to service the swingarm this way because it's easier to get the drive shaft back on the output along with aligning the swingarm...without the extra weight of that final drive.  It might also make it easier to install the rear wheel if you put the wheel in place and then bolt on the final drive.  Just a thought.

Peter Y.

[jackpayback]

Awesome, thanks so much for the help guys.  I will probably end up putting new oil in rear drive anyway, but it's good peace of mind to know it's not all gonna spill out as soon as I separate rear drive.  And thank you so much for picture, Peter.  I could totally feel the spring when I had the rear drive lined up.  It's just lining up the rear drive and u-joint at the same time is really friggin hard.

[Chuck in Indiana]

One other thing. Just tighten the rear drive/swing arm acorn nuts finger tight until the axle is torqued, then torque the swing arm nuts. That will align everything.

[jackpayback]

Got it pretty much back together.  Everyone's advice to separate rear drive from swingarm was so helpful.  About a thousand times easier to get the coupling back on that way.  I had one more question though.

The swingarm pivot bolts should just touch the swingarm pivots, right?  And I read that you line up the swingarm by counting the number of threads on each side.

I think I did it the right way, and have about 7 or 8 threads on each side.  Does that sound like too much or too little?  It's easy to feel the swingarm pivot on the left side of bike, but it's really hard to feel it on the right side.  Might be because there's more space on that side due to spacer.

Anyone got any guidance?

[pyoungbl]

Your V7 is not as picky about the stub axles as older Guzzi models must have been.  When I raised the same question I was assured that you do not  have to count the threads or measure the axles.  The stub axles are going into sealed bearings and all you need to do is run the stubs in until you have them lightly bottomed out...in fact, you can then back them off a tiny amount just to make sure.

Peter Y.

[jackpayback]

Peter, do those stub axles need to be greased?  I got the bike back together, but I could probably pull them one at a time and grease.

And thank you for the advice.  It's just hard to feel it bottoming out on right side.  Left side is easy.

[pyoungbl]

Grease is always good to prevent rust.  Otherwise, the sealed bearings are where the movement happens and they are already lubricated.  I'd wait until the next time you install a new rear tire.

Peter Y

[SmithSwede]

Just curious.  Why did you need to replace the clutch rod?

[jackpayback]

I had an issue where my clutch engagement point would change depending on how hot the engine got.  I initially thought it was a bad cable and replaced it.  The problem would come and go.  After  a long trip, it got so bad I couldn't get it into first gear.

After tons of research, I finally stumbled across an AF1Racing thread where they described my exact problem and showed how to replace it.

When I pulled the old clutch rod, it was about 1 to 2 mm shorter than the new one.  The thrust bearing was compressed and completely fused to one of the washers.  In total, the older parts were about 3mm shorter than the new parts.  It was caused by an improperly adjusted clutch from the dealership at the clutch actuator arm.

I've seen people describing the same problem I had and people advising them they just needed a new clutch cable or to adjust it at transmission end.  But it turned out to be a worn out, burned clutch rod and bearing.

[TimmyTheHog]

not to hijack the thread...well, I am...

how do you hold the pin while torquing the nut?...

my torque wrench doesn't have a hole that allows me to put my Allen key thru...

[Chuck in Indiana]

not to hijack the thread...well, I am...

how do you hold the pin while torquing the nut?...

my torque wrench doesn't have a hole that allows me to put my Allen key thru...

It's just a jam nut, and doesn't need torqued. All it is doing is keeping the pin from moving.

[TimmyTheHog]

It's just a jam nut, and doesn't need torqued. All it is doing is keeping the pin from moving.

oh I mean the actual nut. Not the threaded acorn nut.







according to the manual you supposed to "hold the pin"...

[Chuck in Indiana]

Uhh, the pin has a hex in it, right? The big nut is a jam nut. Hold the pin with an allen wrench and snug up the big jam nut. No big deal.
I *assume* there is a washer between the swing arm and transmission case on the D side? That's what locates the swing arm left and right. The pins are run in until they stop, but are not tight, then the big jam nuts hold them in position.

[ramarren]

Yes, you don't have to be too precise about it. 36 lb-ft torque on that large a jam nut is just a solid tug with a large crescent wrench.

[TimmyTheHog]

Thanks Chuck and Ram!

Understood:D

[Roebling3]

Shade to the above.
I need to pull the rear wheel on my 2017 V7 III Racer. The pin (#3) socket head dowel through swing arm into brake caliper holder is apparently thread locked. Tried adding leverage 3' with no luck. Rattle gun, 120# air, no go.
Afraid to use a torch for obvious reasons. Doubt a soldering iron will work due to mass and length.
What am I missing; other than chain drive? :)   TIA for help offered.   R3~ 

[malik]

That's a bit of a worry. It often takes me a fair bit of force to crack that bolt (I usually use the 8mm hex bit in a 1ft handle), but nothing like the force you seem be using. The only thing I can suggest is to try it the other way first (ie tightening it). That may work. Ensure you have loosened off the axle first, just in case pressure at the other end of the caliper is binding.

If you think someone has put thread lock on it, and it may need heat, you might have to sacrifice an 8mm Allen key - cut it down so you have, say 4-6 inches of hex shaft and heat that in place in the socket head. As you say, there's a fair amount of mass in the pin & it's likely to take a fair while to heat up.

Let us know how you go. Good luck.

Mal