Nice one, Luigi!

[nickst4]

Slow progress on my Dart: it may be back together by the time the weather improves! At the moment, I'm working on the rear suspension, having had the nasty rusty swing-arm powder-coated and lacquered. I needed to replace the needle-roller bearings and seals in the arm itself and in the smaller wishbone, and learnt something new about bearings. The current accepted term for crowded rollers without separators, as in the wishbone, is 'full-complement'!

Once these were sorted, I felt I had to check the needle rollers in the larger wishbone, but the bolt that secures it appeared to have been put in before the frame was welded together! Those Italians!

However, rotating it with mole-grips and wiping some of the crud off revealed a machined flat on the low-profile head which allows it - just - to come out past the frame. Something of an after-thought I reckon, and maybe to do with the difference between the original 125cc stroker motor that fitted this Cagiva Freccia frame as compared with the torque-monster 350 that now inhabits it? Anyway, those needle rollers were still good at both ends, so back together it all goes, including the shims and the odd spacer. It's very comforting to have a parts manual to check on presence and position of bits! An assembly matter that I do need to check is the clearance of the neat Gazelle stainless exhaust run as it squeezes past the shock. It might need a little ding or two...

The brakes and carbs are now fully serviced, but the rest of the frame (and the motor) is a disgrace in terms of appearance. However, the priority is to reassemble the bike and actually try riding it! If, as I expect, I'm delighted with it, the push to improve the cosmetics of the out-of-sight bits may continue next winter...

Nick

[nickst4]

Relating to the rear suspension, I've just realised that the OEM shock on my Dart is mounted upside-down! I suspect that was necessary to give clearance to get the Gazelle exhaust pipe through the swingarm, being as one end of the shock has a slim neck. Does anyone have experience of this setup, or has anyone taken the shock spring off and can confirm that the damper does work whichever way up it is? Looks like I have another job to do now...

Nick

[morini_tom]

I've seen them mounted both ways up- I suspect more due to not paying attention when reassembling than any other reason although as you suggest, an aftermarket pipe may also dictate this.

I'm not aware of there being any issue with them not working upside down although it would probably be best to fit it correctly if possible.

Out of interest- how did you press out the bearings on your swing arm? I tried when I rebuilt mine but gave up after a lot of pressing as the needles weren't too bad and I didn't want to risk damaging the swing arm. Since I have a new set of bearings on the shelf now, if you have a method that works I might give it another go to make sure theres absolutely no play before I spend time and money setting up the forks and rear shock

[nickst4]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the comment. I stripped the shock yesterday, which was very easy as the spring was free long before the preload thread was exhausted. Hopefully, this doesn't mean the spring is shot! Anyway, its a Marzocchi gas-pressurised shock and, like others of the type, works perfectly upside-down. So that's alright and after a bit of repainting it'll go back the same way.

As to the swingarm bearings; that was no problem. There is little alternative to pulling the pair of bearings on each side out together, unless you could devise some sort of inner claw such as a rawl-bolt that would engage the narrow flange, though I doubt that would work. I simply used a fine-threaded through-stud with suitable-sized sockets, one to fit inside the arm tube and abut the bearing and the other to engage the diameter of the swingarm housing. Then the only thing that will be damaged by extreme pressure is likely to be the thread of the stud! I don't recall even applying heat, as the bearings started to move before my arms gave out. Putting the new bearings in was easy too, though of course one puts them in from either side rather than inline, squeezing them against each other until one is level with the housing. Then, with a wide washer at one side, I used an old bearing with the outside diameter reduced by a few thou (linishing machine) as the pusher for the other, until they were in far enough to fit the seals. Easier than I expected!

Nick