Bent A-Arm Yamaha 450 Grizz

[Mingy]

After riding this weekend at MudMuckers I noticed that the plastic skid for the left front a-arm was gone - no biggie - but that the a-arm was bent and the supporting strut was bent as well.  Grizz rides fine, never noticed it except that the steering was slightly left of true.

How big a job is this?  I have never done this but it looks do-able with a pickle fork and some sockets, and of course a new a-arm.  Or can it be straightened?

[trailrider77]

it was easy to take off of my big bear then i hammerd it back strait no problems afterwards

[gmiller0737]

I replaced a Front A Arm on My 07 Grizzly 450 was not hard at all & arm didn't cost that much I ordered it online from MR Cycles.

[Mingy]

I plan to loosen the lug nuts, winch mine up, pull the wheel and then remove the A-arm by working on the ball joint with a pickle fork.  Now putting the a-arm back on is where I am in the dark.  Is the threading long enough to catch with the castle nut and just tighten into place?    And I might be able to beat mine into a spare but I will have to cut the strut first, it's bent too.  Will finish up with aluminum a-arm guards.

[Mingy]

OK, is there a puller that someone knows will work to separate the lower a-arm on a 450 grizz from the ball joint bolt without screwing up the ball joint or the seal?  A pickle fork is out of the question as it will doink the seal, and I do not want to beat on the a-arm.  Will a H-Freight generic puller do?

[Ole Nasty]

Just whack the side of the a-arm a couple of times with a 4lb sledge, should just pop out.  If that doesn't work thread the nut back on the ball joint to the point where no threads are exposed and whack the nut.

[Mingy]

I scared up a puller today at Goodwill, if you can believe it.  I think it will work.  If not, I will get medieval.

[Mingy]

Ok, got it done.  I jacked it up, removed the tire and backed off the castle nut 2 turns, then put the pickle fork on top of the lower a-arm pointing down, and whacked it until it hit the castle nut.  Then repeated 3x.  No doinked threads or seals.  The 4" puller was great for popping out the rubber bushings from the old a-arm and seating them in the new a-arm.  All bolts torqued properly and new cotter pin, took 40 min, then I had a coke and a smile.

So simple an idiot like me can do it.  Heh.

[Ole Nasty]

How do you think you bent it?

[Mingy]

It wasn't at Mud Muckers.  I think it happened the last time I went to Ocala National Forest a few months back, 23rd Feb. I was riding the Centennial Trail and going over 20 MPH, and hit a small stump at a fork in the trail that was covered with sand.  Almost threw me off.   

At Mud Muckers I first noticed a slight pull to the left - barely - and when I washed the mud off after I got home, I noticed the A-Arm guard was missing - I lost that at Mud Muckers - and the A-Arm was bent and the strut was bent all to hell.  I can straighten it but I will have to first cut the strut off, then have it re-welded, but I can salvage it for a spare.  Other than ripping out a screw at 5-A that held the green plastic to the black plastic fender, there is no damage to the Grizz in a year and a half - so I haven't been riding it hard enough.