drive shaft carrier bearing removal?

[Testarossa]

Planning ahead here. This is an 850T with the smaller drum-brake cardan and carrier bearing combination. Both of them look good but to be on the safe side I'll send the cardan joint out to John Chicoine for rebuild and will replace the carrier bearing. 

There's lots of discussion here about installing the new carrier bearing and u-joint, but not much about removing the old bearing from the swing arm. Dave Richardson says you can drive out the newer big bearing with a socket on a long extension, but doesn't say how to drive out the older smaller version. Rather than risk driving out the inner race and getting left with the outer race permanently stuck in the swing arm, I'd like to know who has a foolproof plan for easing it out. This is the same bearing used in the loop-frame swing arms so someone must have a method. Is it as simple as torching the swing arm until the bearing just drops out?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I put the largest collet from my blind hole bearing puller set into the bearing, stick a length of rod down through the swingarm against it and then press it out.

[dxhall]

If you are coming back to the front range in the near future, we could remove in my shop.  I have a blind bearing puller set and a press.

[Don G]

Sometimes those bearings a a real pain to remove due to the interference fit into the housing, I have on occasion arc welded a 7/8" 1/2'" drive socket into the center race of the bearing and installed a 12" long extension into the socket to whack on, sometimes that is the only way.    DonG

[Tom H]

I use a steel bar about 1" dia. and about 4' long. With the swing arm out, pull the clip, put the u joint end on some wood with the rear drive end facing the roof. Insert bar and drop it on the bearing. Normally one or two drops, maybe with a little push as well. This can also be done with the swing arm still installed.

Tom