I'm getting a weird wobble when i turn I think its my wheel bearings i got 13000 on my 06 does that seem about right to replace the bearings?
As long as you keep water out and grease in, bearings will pretty much last forever. There isn't a mileage interval like oil.
Did you check them? Is there is any play in the wheel. When you spin the wheel is there a gritty noise? Lastly, pull the wheel off and use your finger to turn inside part of the bearings by hand. They should turn easily and without feeling gritty or loose.
I had four Hondas and never replaced a single wheel bearing on them. They were a CB400T 6k miles, CB750K 80k miles, CM400A over 100k miles, and a CB650SC 58k miles.
Next bike was a 97 GS500E I put 80k miles on and son JP has run it up over 100k miles now all on original wheel bearings. He's replaced the engine but not any wheel brgs. :icon_lol:
Then came my present 02 GS500 which has all new wheel bearings. A spacer was left out between the left rear wheel brg and the cush drive bearing causing the right wheel bearing to be overloaded and fail at 46k miles and I put a new pair of rear brgs in. Last winter I found a loose front wheel caused by a badly worn wheel bearing and I put a new pair front brgs in at 67k miles.
A few wheel bearings will fail at low milage and others will go on forever with most lasting a long time so replacing mc wheel bearings is rare I think.
ok i'll piddle with it tomorrow anything i could check that would give me a wobble when turning its in my front end i know that
how does one keep wheel bearings dry? avoid riding in rain?
A high pressure water hose like those at a magic wand type car wash can get water in the bearings if aimed right at them. Even a home garden hose with a nozzle might do it. Avoid aiming water right at bearings or right on the chain. Can get water in past the o-ring seals too. Riding in the rain should not be a problem since wheel bearings are sealed on the outside and some on both sides. All of my bikes have seen much heavy rain.
Quote from: guitarking135 on June 24, 2009, 07:34:59 PM
I'm getting a weird wobble when i turn I think its my wheel bearings i got 13000 on my 06 does that seem about right to replace the bearings?
Prolly not bearings. Those guys start out by shreiking and then they crumble and spill their balls.
Yea water kills em.
I have not however made it past 45K or so on the stock ones. They are not sealed on the inside, so they are not 100 tight from weather. They get muck from axles etc. Greasing the axle as you put it back in - well sends some lube to em, but it keeps the weather sealed out better.
You buy bearings and they will be double sealed.
Cool.
Buddha.
so the bearings you can buy now are double sealed and the ones that come on the bike are not?
sorry i'm a professional thread jacker :) i'm trying to learn as much as i can as quickly as possible
so if its not the bearings what else could it be up there?
I just picked up a handful from a local place with their damn $50 minimum ... I'll happily sell you a couple for 10 and ship. Shhh... I charged Psyber_0ptx $15 to fit them in his new white wheel ... I figured if he's powdercoating a black wheel white, that is the minimum penalty ...
Anyway yes, fully sealed bearings 2 steel or rubber seals in them.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: guitarking135 on June 25, 2009, 11:59:31 AM
so if its not the bearings what else could it be up there?
If you're getting a wierd wobble when you turn, check the following:
1. tire pressures
2. steering head bearings - make sure the fasteners holding the steering stem are torqued properly then check for any free play in the front end. Easiest way is to put the bike on the centerstand and have someone sit on the rear portion of the seat. Grab the forks near the bottom and shake.
3. swingarm bearings - make sure the pivot bolt for the swingarm is torqued properly then check for free play in the swing arm. same as the front end, except leave the rar wheel off the ground, and shake the swingarm.
Quote from: KasbeKZ on June 25, 2009, 11:27:44 AM
so the bearings you can buy now are double sealed and the ones that come on the bike are not?
I ordered Suzuki oem bearings from RonAyers for my rear wheel when I was placing an order for something else. They were single seal bearings as were the ones they replaced.
I bought AllBalls double seal aftermarket bearings from DennisKirk for my front wheel. Chinese bearings most everyone carries now for aftermarket replacements, looked like good quality, time will tell. Half the price of oem brgs.
Doesn't matter whether they are single or double seal, single seal on outside will keep the water out and the grease in.
Quote from: gsJack on June 25, 2009, 01:10:56 PM
Doesn't matter whether they are single or double seal, single seal on outside will keep the water out and the grease in.
I dont totally agree with this. The bearings I pulled from Yev/Psyber_Optix's wheel had rust on the inner race and one had grease that was more brown colored than the other. I would suspect the thing had a vent hole in the center in case moisture got in, making it not 100% sealed fron the weather. Also The spacer and what not isn't tight. That one left a fair bit on room to chicken in place. In fact that is why they put a stopper ring in one side of the wheel to prevent that spacer from dropping down too much and at the same time allowing you to be able to drift puch the inner race. Usually the thing is on 1 side, and you should knock the side it is not on first. Easier to get on the inner race on that side. Anyway, that makes it less weather tight than ideal. Also if you keep it on side stand it take in more water from one side tahn on center stand.
Anyway, they should last a long time - if used regularly and not pressure washed. But double seal is better.
Cool.
Buddha.
Both the front and rear wheels have a solid line of spacers and bearing inner races on the axles that are clamped tight together when the axle nuts are tightened. Unless the parts are not machined square to their bores there is no path for water to get in or grease to get out other than thru the outer bearing seals.
The spacer beween the bearing inner races is a bit shorter than the distance between the counterbores in the wheel hub that carry the outer races so when the axle nut is clamped down tight the bearings have the proper preload and their inner races are tight against the spacer between them.
When the spacer between the left rear wheel bearing and the cush drive bearing was lost when they pulled my sprocket out to mount and balance a new tire it caused failure of my right rear wheel bearing. Without the spacer the axle tightening load was carried thru the balls to the outer races and thru the hub overloading the cush bearing and right wheel bearing and not providing any preload to the left wheel bearing. The sprocket carrier was bottomed tight in the hub and I had to drive it out. There must be a solid line of steel to steel all the way across to carry the axle nut tightening load.
Quote from: KasbeKZ on June 25, 2009, 03:34:24 AM
how does one keep wheel bearings dry? avoid riding in rain?
ride in rain, snow, or sleet if you like. the bearings are sealed (or were, at some time if yours aren't now) and will resist water thanks to the seals and grease (grease HATES water, repels it even) action.
centrifugal force spins water from the slowest part of the wheels to the outer most parts, so it 'runs' away from the bearings every chance it gets.
i would bet you have a) bad tire b) poor inflation c) wheel alignment (i just love this one really), or d) all of the above
check your axle for straightness. just roll it on a counter and eyeball it, or let a masochist... er, machinist check it for you between v blocks. no biggy.
I don't know. I always use the rest of the bike along with the wheel bearings. :icon_lol:
Never changed a wheel bearing on any of the 5 bikes I've owned. As far as I know they last forever!
Quote from: bill14224 on June 25, 2009, 07:29:11 PM
I don't know. I always use the rest of the bike along with the wheel bearings. :icon_lol:
Never changed a wheel bearing on any of the 5 bikes I've owned. As far as I know they last forever!
I have had to change on 2 bikes, one in 99/00 on a 14yr old bike that had 5K miles. When I tried to punch it out, that bearing shattered and the inner race flew across the road bouncing like a ping pong ball. Had tons of rust, the bugger was nearly dry.
The second was on my 45K mile 89 in 2004. That one came out clean. There have been plenty with iffy looking bearings that I have pulled due to various reasons.
The thing is nearly weather tight, IMHO.
Cool.
Buddha.
Its possible to calculate the lifespan of a ball bearing in revolutions (expressed as L10) or in hours (Ln). Its far from easy though, it depends on numerous factors and the best prediction you can hope for under ideal conditions is 90% accurate to the nearest 1,000,000 revs or 1000 hours.
In the case of a bike wheel bearing the fact its speed and dynamic loading is constantly changing along with the ambient temperature and moisture content of the surrounding air mean average values have to be used which complicate the calculation 10 fold and further reduce accuracy. Conditions rather than use are the main factor, a fraction a of a drop of water in a bearing or a few mG of dust will condemn it to a lingering death.
Wheel bearings are cheap, and its as easy to replace them. I have never seen the point in regreasing, fresh grease does not compensate for mechanical wear, missing metal and increased clearances. I replace all 5 wheel bearings every other service, with the wheel off it takes minutes and the cost is less than a drum of good quality oil and a filter.
BTW if anyone fancies a go at working out L10/Ln....here is a good place to start.
http://machinedesign.com/article/the-meaning-of-bearing-life-0412
I am just trying to say, double seals take the conditions out of the pic.
That should be the 1 line answer - I just went on and on ... sorry. Sometimes I get that way when I am sober.
Cool.
Buddha.
Geez Buddha.......for a second then I thought you had done the sums and worked it all out :icon_eek:
Yeah agreed double seals are best for this application, dunno why they never fitted them at the factory, the bearings themselves will have the suffix 2RS to identify the fact.
Yea ... yea ... I did.
They last in the range of 5000 - 45000 miles.
Cool.
Buddha.
See here for the calculations.
L10/Ln = 5000.
L10/Ln = 45000.
QED.
So there.
Cool.
Buddha.