swing arm bearing maintenance

Hi All,
I'm new to the site and I don't even have a profile up yet. I'm overdue on some maintenance for my 09 GRiSO (basically done nothing much but ride it since I got it a couple years ago) and need to get caught up. Since my rear tire is trashed I want to do the rear end chores while the wheel's off, although I'm still waiting for a backordered GRiSO lifter. Anyway, I can see it's critical to check and repack the swing arm bearings. I've downloaded the service manual but I'm not sure whether I need to remove the swing arm to inspect and grease the bearings.
I've read here that Pete Roper's written up a "how to" on this but I can't find it with the search feature. It'd be a great help if somebody could point me to it. It seems there's some othe bearings in the drive unit that need to be checked as well, so I'll likely have a few more questions  after I get going on this.
 By the way, I love the bike, although I've had to sharpen up my riding skills to keep up with it.  I'd never been into Guzzis before until I saw a picture of a GRiSO and I was just seduced on the spot. It's been mostly  trouble free and I'd like to keep it that way, so you'll be hearing more from me.
Doug

Doug, the stand won't help you as it hooks onto bobbins on the base of the side plates which have to come off to get the swingarm out.. Best idea is to tie the front end down and use a lift under the sump to get the weight off the rear wheel. Get the wheel and brake caliper off, separate and remove the bevelbox, then take off the side plates, you'll need to unhook the gear lever linkage from the gearbox, then you have access to the swingarm spindle on the left.

Undo the shock linkage bolts so its disconnected, good idea to grease these bearings too.

Undo pinch bolts, undo castellated sleeve and then snip the two cable ties that hold the boot between the gearbox and swingarm. Remove the spindle, (14mm key.) and pull the swingarm back off the driveshaft. You can then pluck out the bearings and marvel at their lack of grease!

Pete

Thanks Pete,
That's just what I needed to know to get moving. I'll dieise some lifiting scheme this evening and let you know what I find. I don't really know the history of this bike except I bought it used from the dealer in Wooster, Ohio. I'm hoping they did soome pre-emptive service before they put it up for sale.
Doug

Hi guys,
Just regreasing the swing arm bearings on my 2014 GRiSO and have a question. Bought the bike new this spring. The swing arm bearings had adequate grease but needles in the bones were dry in addition to the DS splines
The bolt that attaches the U bracket (other end holds the dog bones) to the frame has come stripped from the factory. The nylock nut just turns on the bolt. My question, is there needle bearings in this housing? From what I can see it looks more like a Teflon bushing of some sort.

No, they're needles.

Pete

Thanks again Pete. Was afraid of that.
Randy

Hi Doug,
            I knocked up a shop stand from lumber, it will lift and support the bike while you do the rear end, cost you about $10 to make.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I'm not trying to sell it, you have to make your own.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Dimensions - I suggest you follow the these fairly closely, it took 3 revisions to get this far.
The plates are 6 x 2", I tried 3/4" ply but it's not as rigid, you can drill the holes with a 3/4" speed bit, just wobble it around a bit to get the pipe to fit.
I use mine just to hold the bike upright when I'm working on it.
You just bolt it to the bike on the prop stand then stand it up on the RH side while adding the 3" block under the left, this brings it up level with the RH side. It's an easy one man operation, no tools required.
Note: If you are to remove the swing arm the Left Side foot-peg plate would be removed ahead of time (no need to remove the right) and you would see the pivot bolt where the round cover is now.
Roy

Doug, I have a Becker-technik GRiSO lifter for sale on this forum, and also on eBay. I'm asking 175$ Canadian dollars. It's my last one. New from Germany. Slick setup. Not sure if it'll work for the swingarm lubrication, because I haven't done mine yet. You can see the photos of it being used on my bike, in the area of this forum were you sell stuff. Good luck, and welcome to the forum.
Cheers, Norm..