Woodcraft Swingarm Spools Installation

Since this was my first attempt at doing anything to the 650R, I decided to start with the easier of the two installations - the Woodcraft swingarm spools. These go on the bottom of the swingarm on each side where there are threaded holes specifically for this application. If you look at the picture below, you can see the mounting hole just to the right of the brake rotor.



Tools Used:
- Ratchet
- 8mm hex key driver
- Torque Wrench set to 10 ft-lbs
- Loctite 242 Blue threadlocker
- 409 cleaner
- Q-tips

The first thing I did was clean the threads on the swingarm, since they've been exposed to the elements as I've been riding around. I just used some 409 and Q-tips and swabbed out the threads. Then I took a dry Q-tip to remove any excess 409 that remained in the threads.

The kit comes with the spools, aluminum sleeve, mounting bolt with hex socket head, washer and aluminum spacer. An email consult with Gary revealed that the aluminum spacer is only necessary if the spool does not clear the swingarm. Here's a picture of the correct order of assembly.



As you can see here in this test fit, the spool just barely clears the edge of the swingarm. It may not be obvious, but the spool actually is not touching the swingarm.



After screwing in the mounting bolt just a few threads in by hand, I applied a drop of the Loctite 242 Blue to the threads. I am a proponent of always using threadlocker in metal-to-metal connections that are subject to vibrations, and I think this situation meets that criteria. A little dab will do you for sure. Do NOT touch the tip of the Loctite bottle to the metal as that will cause chemical reactions that will ruin the remainder of the bottle. I put some paper towels on the floor beneath the bolts to catch any errant fluid.

As you screw in the bolt, the threadlocker naturally distributes itself along the threads as the bolt winds its way into the swingarm. When I couldn't make any progress using my fingers, I used the ratchet with an 8mm hex key driver to get it snug. Then I switched to the torque wrench, which was set at 10 ft-lbs per Gary's recommendation, and finished it up. When using a torque wrench, use a slow and steady amount of pressure on the handle only. When you feel the first "click" give way, then you are done. Do not keep going or you may over torque the bolt even though the clutch is still "clicking".



And here is the finished product, attached and torqued properly.



The left side is exactly the same as the right, including not needing the optional spacer.

DISCLAIMER: This blog is purely for information sharing purposes. Anything you do to your bike is at your sole discretion, and I cannot be held responsible for any badness that may occur while attempting any of these activities.