Swing arm spindle / pivot pin adjustment tool

Moto Guzzi V700, V7 Special, Ambassador, 850 GT, 850 GT California, Eldorado, and 850 California Police models

Created: 2011 October 21

Updated: 2023 October 25

I found a great little tool at Harbor freight that is perfect for adjusting the swing arm pivot pins. It is called an adjustable pin wrench (Harbor Freight item number 36554) and fits the holes in the pivot pins very well. If your pivot pins are frozen in place, this tool will prove entirely inadequate. But, once your pivots pins are free and you've applied anti-seize compound, it works great.

If your pins are stuck, there are a few techniques you can use to remove them:

• Soak with penetrating oil.
• Try turning the pins with a couple of punches, a vice grip, and a lever. I've found that ⁵⁄₃₂ inch diameter punches fit nicely in the holes.
• Purchase the pro-style tool from somebody like MG Cycle.
• Spot weld something (like the jam nut) onto the end of the pin and then use a wrench to turn it.

As an alternative, Dave Morgan sent me the information on the tool he made. In Dave's own words and photos:

While the Harbor Freight pin wrench for USD $5.99 works, the handle of the tool doesn't clear the rear footpegs or muffler, so you can't turn it 360 degrees. I dove into to my spare parts collection and came up with one that does. By using an original swingarm pivot, nut and a junk ⁵⁄₃₂ inch drill bit, I was quickly able to fabricate one. No special tools required. If you're like me, you have bins full of spare parts and a drawer full of drill bits that I someday plan to sharpen (but probably never will). Clean the pivot as well as you can (I bead blasted mine and rinsed it with brake cleaner. Then I cut the shaft of the drill bit into two 13 mm pins. Using red thread locker, I secured both the nut and the pins to the pivot. Since the drill bit is made of much better steel than small bolts, it does not bend or break, even under a significant load. You can use a 26 mm socket with an extension to remove or install the pivots. I did not weld the nut as the spare pivot I used was still good, but if it had bad threads, I would have welded it in place. Since I used thread locker, the pivot can be returned to its original use simply by applying heat and removing the nut and pins.

As another alternative, Paul Hanks sent me the information on the tool he made. In Paul's own words and photos:

The tool I made to remove the pins that secure the swing arm. It's a couple of 4 mm socket head cap screws attached to a piece of hardware store flat bar.