Paralever bronze bushing article

wswartzwel · 10-10-2007, 06:05 PM

There is a decent article with lots of pics and how to do its..... in the October issue of BMW Owners news... I would have thought JonyyRR would have done a nice pictorial on installation, (Maybe he did and I missed it) of the kit made by JL Enterprizes.
Personally I still prefer the OEM bearings and just replace them as needed, but for those who like the idea of a better mousetrap the article is pretty good.

AndrewA · 10-10-2007, 06:23 PM

Ben B did a nice write-up on his S installation:

http://www.bmwforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3888.0

Mr. Deltoid · 10-10-2007, 07:16 PM

The OEM bearings are fine for the street, but if most of my riding was off-road, I would choose the bronze.I would wager that they would take significant abuse before failure.Most street riders would not gain a advantage, considering the added cost.

Sideshow_S · 10-10-2007, 07:43 PM

Those who ride more than 30K a year would likely benefit. One swap on the bronze bushings pays for three swaps down the road. And the slow decay of riding quality is lost. Something to consider, but I'm sticking to stock too, only because I just ordered the sets. I'm guessing that article will lead to a couple dozen sets sold.

jduke · 10-11-2007, 05:12 AM

Thanks to the article, I have this on my list of things to do during my winter breakdown. Thanks for the link to Ben B's writeup. With something like this the more you read, the better if it's the first time.

Rapid Dog · 10-11-2007, 07:33 AM

...yes, just read that this morning. Wished I'd known back when I did mine.
Seems like a really good upgrade.

levert · 10-11-2007, 09:21 AM

Wasn't Ben the guy who tied a stove element around his throttle grip and called it cruise control?

jduke · 10-11-2007, 09:41 AM

One little mistake and BAM! your reputation is toast.....
:-}

levert · 10-11-2007, 09:46 AM

Quote:

One little mistake and BAM! your reputation is toast

LOL, I'm waiting with baited breath for the home dentistry video, All you need is a power drill, readymix concrete and tequila.

Never did run into him up here, probably a good thing

Guest24 · 10-11-2007, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jduke

Thanks to the article, I have this on my list of things to do during my winter breakdown. Thanks for the link to Ben B's writeup. With something like this the more you read, the better if it's the first time.

You don't have no stinkin' winter in Savannah!

jduke · 10-11-2007, 12:12 PM

Shows how much you know. I can remember one day in January, maybe February, 1993, might have been 1994 it snowed 1". I missed three days of work. Stores ran out of beer. Bad times, tough times.
Then one day last year, might have been the year before, I saw snow, might have been frost on the roof of a house behind me. I went back to bed and waited for it to melt.

Guest24 · 10-11-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jduke

Shows how much you know. I can remember one day in January, maybe February, 1993, might have been 1994 it snowed 1". I missed three days of work. Stores ran out of beer. Bad times, tough times.
Then one day last year, might have been the year before, I saw snow, might have been frost on the roof of a house behind me. I went back to bed and waited for it to melt.

Come on I was born and raised on James Island 90 miles north of Savannah. You're not going to rest your case on a once in a long while cold snap are you. I think you're just trying to scare off the yankees that keep driving up the price of land.

JonyRR · 10-11-2007, 03:43 PM

I've done mine a bit ago and am much satisfied, and MORE satisfied that I won't have to do this again for a good long while. It's a weak spot in the R259 design. I didn't do a how-to as I've been way too busy this summer to do anything but try to cram in a bit of riding and work.
I wouldn't read that 'other' how-to on a bet. It MIGHT be accurate, but considering the source......well, those who know, know the deal, and those that don't should be grateful they don't.

DO use the bushings. they're worth it, in my humble opinion.

hawkeyejohn14 · hawkeyejohn14's Garage

I'm grateful.... If or should i say when I need to replace mine this seems to be the way to go.

foobeemer · 10-11-2007, 05:15 PM

Def good tips in that write up in ON. I want to replace mine, too after reading about the condition of his needle bearings. Wonder what I'll find when I pull mine apart this winter. Seems pretty straight forward if one is careful on the install.

On another topic--I ordered one of Sarah Lyon's chick mechanic calendars mas soon as I read her My Turn article... Can't wait to see that puppy.

on2wheels52 · on2wheels52's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideshow_S

Those who ride more than 30K a year would likely benefit. .

Would that I had time for anywhere near that, too many bikes in the stable. Hat's off to those putting 10k on any one bike.
Jim

Moybin · 10-13-2007, 01:10 PM

The riding season is nearing its end here in Iowa and I will be removing the paralever soon. Already have the Nylatrol (nylon 6 + molydisulphide) waiting. Going to get new Timken cups and lathe cut my own bushings, probably both ends of the paralever.

Needle bearings! What a stupid place to use needle bearings!

Guest24 · 10-13-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moybin

The riding season is nearing its end here in Iowa and I will be removing the paralever soon. Already have the Nylatrol (nylon 6 + molydisulphide) waiting. Going to get new Timken cups and lathe cut my own bushings, probably both ends of the paralever.

Needle bearings! What a stupid place to use needle bearings!

The misuse of needle bearings must be a BMWism. The used needle bearing to support the pilot shaft where it fit into the flywheel (standard tranny) on my 1977 530i. It ate them like they were made of plastic. The next year they went to a large rooler bearing. I should have had a machine shop make a brass bushing to replace it.

Boybiker3 · 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moybin

Already have the Nylatrol (nylon 6 + molydisulphide) waiting. Going to get new Timken cups and lathe cut my own bushings, probably both ends of the paralever.

A great concept and a worthy project. But the design of the Paraveler means the same problem for the Nylatrol bearings as for the bronze: how to keep the moving surface between the two races and not between the Nylatrol and the round pin.

If the pin becomes the bearing surface, that is a pretty small surface and so the specific loading on the nylon gets pretty high. If the nylon can take it, then you may not need the outer steel race (just use a bigger piece of Nylatrol pressed into the FD casting). But then the adjustable pin has to tighten the assembly together in a way to keep the sideways movement acceptably close to zero the way the tapers handle it.

For the bronze (and roughly similar for the stock bearing), you have loktite/tight fit on the fixed pin and an interference/tight fit on the adjustable side; also the bronze is lapped to the steel race while the pins (titanium?) are a kind of rough grippy finish by comparison. You can try for a pressed fit on the pins and maybe loktite or other anaerobic adhesive would work too but not as natural a way to design as for the steel-bronze joint.

Moybin · 10-13-2007, 04:00 PM

BikerBoy3:

Thanks for the concern. I've got a good machine shop available at work. I'm seriously thinking of putting striations on the adjustable pin, or milling a pair of flats on the original pin, or pressing a sleeve with flats onto the original pin, or just making a new pin.

Lots of options available considering how little thinking the engineers put into the original design.

ps: nylatrol/nylatron (I've seen both names) feels really tough in my hand. I think modern polymers can easily match older technologies like oilite bronze. The idea of metal-to-metal wearing surfaces just doesn't sit well with me.