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first time i changed my rear tire i reinstalled the axle from the other side so i wouldnt have to remove the exhaust to do it again.
now i am changing my belt and sprocket, same thing with the swing arm pivot bolt, any reason not to reinstall it from the other side so it can be removed again WITHOUT removing the muffler?
i cant think of a reason not to (or why it was done like that in the first place) but i thought i would check here just in case :-)
I don't think there is an orientation issue. You may want to go ahead and R&R the swingarm bushings and bearings while you're in there. And post your results and any tips you come up with to make this easier. This may be a winter project for me as well.
i will say do not remove rear tire until after you have removed the 2 big nuts inside the primary and removed the exhaust.
i knew the nuts inside the primary were/can be tough to remove so i didnt take the tire off (manual says to remove tire before) and i figured the extra stability of having the tire on would be a good thing. i removed the tire before i got to the swing arm and realized that my muffler would have to come off to get the pivot bolt out....having my tire on would have made removing the muffler a lot easier (and i think safer)
Keep the bushings, spacer collars and washers in the same orientation. The manuals make note of this for reassembly. But the washers shouldn't care if its a bolt or a nut touching them so you should be ok.
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