trialsrfun Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Having a tidy up/check over on my Model 124 and currently have the swing arm removed ready to grease and reassemble as there is no grease nipple, but looking at the Haynes Bultaco manual a grease nipple is clearly shown this appears to screw into the swing arm cross tube but from the exploded diagram it is not possible to see where it is located. Should the 124 have a grease point? I could drill, tap M6 and fit a grease nipple so does anyone know where they were fitted as there is not a lot of available space around the pivot point. If you have a bike with the124/125 type frame please have a look where the nipple is fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhbul Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Ask my son to look at two Bulls in his shop; M 49 bottom center; M 92 top center grease nipples, my 199 has two on top, thru the bearings, which to my thinking, if I had the swingarm in my hand I would most certainly drill & tap thru the swingarm & bearing to ensure grease gets where it needs to be, only a suggestion. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Better to just take the swingarm out, remove inner bushes and regrease bushes and spindle? On the 124 or any bike with one piece tube for the spindle, if the nipple is in the centre I can never imagine getting enough power through the gun to force grease right up inside the bushes inbetween the bushes and spindle as well as between the inner and outer bushes - both sides If the nipple is in a part of the swingarm that houses the outer bush then the grease is going nowhere as it's blocked by the outer bush, unless the outer bush is also drilled through to the inner. Even then, can you really force grease where it needs to go. I just take it apart and regrease the parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhbul Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) Yes you can, it will certainly go thru to the bearings, surely we are smart enough to drill thru bushings. I guess to each his own, may not be the perfect answer but it suits me. With the limited movement a little goes a long way. Larry Edited February 27, 2015 by lbhbul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsrfun Posted February 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Thank you for your replies. The Haynes book suggests greasing everything then assembling followed by applying the grease gun until grease is seen around the pivot on each side but as Woody says if everything is a tight fit then it may not pump through however a good grease gun pushes grease around kingpins and spring shackles so it should be possible/ I will take another look at it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Never had much success with the grease gun, it just seemed to ooze out of the nipple joint itself so didn't give me much confidence that it's spreading through. Could well be a user issue though... Mentioned about the outer bush not being drilled as in every bike I've removed bushes from, I've yet to see a drilled outer bush, so no idea where the grease is supposed to go from the nipple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherpa325 Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 I am pretty sure the first swing arms with grease nipples are the 159 [1975] onwards, and there is a recess machined into the bush, to give the grease somewhere to go presumably , that lines up with the grease nipple [pretty much in the middle of the bush] I don't think the aftermarket bushes have this recess machined in them. Cheers Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsrfun Posted February 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Maybe a bit of artistic licence in the Bultaco manual. Usually where greasing is required on commercial applications there are small spiral grooves around the bush which is to be greased allowing the lubricant to spread into the areas where it is most needed. If a grease nipple is situated on the end of a shaft then a hollow centre is required with small cross drillings to get the grease to the area where the friction would occur so I will probably stick with the pull it apart option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhbul Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 It is very simple to grease swing arm bushings, if in fact if they are thru the center (worst loc) or drilled thru each bushing. If one has a proper grease nipple & good condition grease gun (will lock on nipple) you will by moving swing arm (no shocks) most certainly get as much grease as you ever could by any other means.(didn't pull apart) By the way swing arms are not up tight as they would then bind. Should one run across an undrilled bushing, pretty easy to fix. Keep it simple Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsrfun Posted March 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) I am not one to alter or make changes to a bike without good reason always preferring to keep things standard where possible, had a close look at the swing arm followed by a dry build to see if a grease nipple could be fitted and if so exactly where because there is so little space to access with a grease gun. With the bushes in situ it was not possible to measure the thickness of the swing arm cross tube but it seemed quite thick metal so decided to go ahead. The chosen spot being central on the underside of the tube slightly pointing toward the tyre so as to allow the swing arm to pivot fully down without the grease nipple making contact with the frame tube where the rear engine mounts are if no wheel or shocks were fitted and the bike on a stand. Drilled 5mm to tap M6, metal even thicker than I thought so all good screw in the nipple build up and grease. Did it work...yes perfectly so future maintenance will be much easier. Thank you all for your input. Edited March 2, 2015 by trialsrfun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbhbul Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Trialsrfun, You will certainly enjoy much simpler future maint on this difficult job, ride it, work on it less. Larry 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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