74 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2017
Replace Honda CB450 swingarm bushings
MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS
HOW-TO
H
onda CB450 swingarm bushings have a reputation for wear-
ing out prematurely. Early CB450s like our subject 1970
CB450K4 used metallic bushings, while later ones appar-
ently switched to plastic, a material more than a few manufactur-
ers embraced for ease of installation.
Whether early or late, CB450 swingarm bushings don’t appear
to last more than 10,000 miles or so. Our subject bike doesn’t
appear to have led a particularly difficult life, yet with a mere
13,000 miles showing on the clock the swingarm bushings were
shot, exhibiting an easy 1/8 inch or more of slop on the swingarm
pivot pin. Although a small amount of play won’t show adverse
effects, too much results in a wan-
dering rear end, the back wheel
moving left and right, generating
an uncontrollable steering input.
Typically, once the wear becomes
great enough to notice, it acceler-
ates rapidly.
As originally fitted, the swing-
arm on the CB450 (and many
other Hondas, including the
CB500T, CB500 and CB550 Four
and all pre-1979 CB750s) had a
single bushing on either side of
the swingarm followed by a felt
sealing washer, a thrust bush-
ing and an outer metal dust cap.
Original replacement bushings are still available, but experi-
ence shows that if you’re actually riding your bike you’re wise
to consider fitting aftermarket bronze bushings like the ones
we sourced from Honda specialists Charlie’s Place (charlies-
place.com).
The bronze bushings from Charlie’s
Place do away with the felt sealing
washers and the thrust bushings, and
at $70 a set they are only marginally
more expensive than stock (typically
around $55-$65 for bushings, thrustbushings and felts), and thanks to their superior material it’s
unlikely you’ll ever replace them again.
Better yet, the bronze bushings are very easy to install. The
factory bushings have no shoulder, requiring the installer to
ensure they’re properly inserted to the correct depth inside the
swingarm. The bronze replacement bushings are shouldered,
making insertion installation much easier: Just press them in
until they seat.
While installation is easy, the old bushings can be difficult to
remove, particularly the early metallic style, which can become
seemingly welded to the swingarm. The solution is often to cut
them out or press them out with
a hydraulic press, if available.
Thankfully, ours removed quite
easily using nothing more than
a hammer and a blunt punch.
As we show, installation is a
snap, but you might have to give
the bushings a quick pass with
a small brake cylinder hone to
get a proper fit for the swingarm
pivot. The bushings are a light
interference fit with the swing-
arm, so they tend to compress
slightly. If you have to hone
them, do so in short passes,
checking the fit of the swingarm
pivot pin frequently. You don’t want to remove any more mate-
rial than necessary for the pin to slide into place.
This is a fairly straightforward job, easily within reach of
the average weekend mechanic. The only special tools you
might need are a small 3/4-inch to
2-inch brake cylinder hone and a torque
wrench for final tightening. Budget a
morning to get the job done, and as
always, we recommend having a good
shop manual on hand for parts identifi-
cation and proper torque specs.SPONSORED BY
The new bronze swingarm bushings with the originals
and associated parts. Only the dust caps are used over.