| Author | Message | ||
     Debueller |
The left rear wheel bearing (rotor side) self-destructed saturday, 400 miles from home. It's a long story on how I got home, but it also hogged out the hub and chewed on the swing arm. The rear wheel is wasted, there is no surface for the bearing to press into. The swing arm might need to be replaced as well. I wonder if the warranty will cover all the damage? I had almost no warning of the bearing failure. I'm hauling it down to the dealer tommorrow. Any opinions, advise?  (Message edited by debueller on March 20, 2007) | ||
| Adrian_8 |
My rear wheel bearing went out at about 15K... I noticed a clicking noise on take off..The left side bearing ate up the spacer in the wheel..all was covered under warranty..2years unlimited miles. The seal had popped off and the bearings were all rusted and egged out...I replaced the front bearings yesterday...getting ready for a long trip out West...they had 22K+ on them and actually looked real good inside when I popped off the rubber seal..These bearings can actually be repacked if you are careful even tho they are "sealed bearings". | ||
| Krassh |
Hmmm, lets see we had this problem with the 2003 XB models and they had a bearing alert posted to take bikes in with the black rubber seal and have them replaced with the new improved orange ones. Wonder if we have another bad batch of bearings out there? | ||
| Debueller |
The seals on mine are orange. The issues with the '03 bearings was the first thing that came to mind. The bike has a little over 35K miles on it. Maybe just worn out? (Message edited by debueller on March 20, 2007) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I think when these have come up in the past the cause was linked to incorrect torque specs crushing the spacer. The problem is that it's hard to determine which part failed first without the engineering analysis. I think it's weird that the failures are most common on the Ulys. What do we have that others do not? What makes us special? | ||
| Chadhargis |
"What do we have that others do not? What makes us special?" We ride our bikes ALOT. There is something about a comfortable bike that makes you ride it for hours on end without stopping. I bet the average XB-R or XB-S sits in a garage far more than the average Ulysses. Still no excuse. I've never had any bearing issues on any bike I've ever owned. The funny thing about the rear bearings on Buells is that they are very tight. If you stick your finger in the front ones, you can turn them easily. If you do the same to the rear, they don't move easily. When I discovered this, I was alarmed and took my rear wheel to the dealer. He checked it and said it was normal. When I bought my second set of wheels, they are exactly the same ('06 wheels from a Firebolt). Go figure?!?? | ||
| 2_spuds |
I had the same problem,11,000 miles and no warning. I thought I had a flat as it started to swerve around like a rear flat. The wheel WAS torqued to spec at about 10,000 mi. when a new tire was installed and the bearing was checked and was OK. When the dealer removed the wheel for repair it was full of water and the spacer was rust colored, making it look like the seal was first to fail.It was covered under warranty, but mine failed on the AK hyway in the middle of nowhere  . I've upgraded the bearings to some from skf and am waiting for some info on some ceramic replacements. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Ooooh!!! Please give us the scoop on them. I've been wondering if there was some sort of uber trick, high zoot, bearing that would work for our application. I'd be very interested in replacing the stockers if there is a better product out there. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
High pressure car washing might be a problem. | ||
| Debueller |
Most motorcycles I've owned (mostly dirt bikes) have a seperate seal outside both bearings that seats on the axle and helps keep dirt and water out. That seal is in addition to the seal on the actual bearing. I notice on my Buell the bearing is visible from the outside, and there is no additional seal. The bearings are fairly vunerable.(sp?) My bike has seen mud, dust, dirt, water crossings, and many washings. The Ulyssess is basically a street bike with equipment added to make it somewhat dirt worthy, but in the end, it is not a dirt bike. Good point EG, I guess if a person is not carefull with soap and a hose nozzle (I've only used a pressure washer on my bike once) water could easly get in the bearings. Water crossings and dirt/mud/dusty roads could be a problem as well. Add hwy speeds, alot of torque, and heavy loads, and I see the wheel bearings something to keep a close eye on. Another good point Fatty, on the crushed spacer.....I noticed it's made of aluminum and a ham-fisted twist on the axle could definetly crush it a little......and really stress the bearings. Again, most wheels I've worked (dirt bikes) on use a steel spacer. I hope the warranty covers all the carnige! | ||
| 2_spuds |
Ooooh!!! "Please give us the scoop on them. I've been wondering if there was some sort of uber trick, high zoot, bearing that would work for our application. I'd be very interested in replacing the stockers if there is a better product out there." The bearings I'am using now are from skf and were highly recommended by the local bearing supplier. They are made in Argentina as opposed to Tiwan He says that there aren't any made in the US that are the same size.He is supposed to get back to me with a price for some ceramic ones but warned me to be sitting down when he calls. What ever the price it would probably still be cheaper than breaking down in BFE. I have also tried to contact this place for some info on the ceramics but haven't heard back from them yet http://www.gmnbt.com/fullceramic.htm I'am sure there are other suppliers out there but I've been too busy with other projects to look. If you want to spend some time looking here are the bearing number's and sizes. Rear# 6006,ID=30mm OD=55mm W=13mm Front# 6005, ID=25mm OD=47mm W= 12mm | ||
| Florida_lime |
Long time lurker here, waiting to sell a bike so that I can fit a Uly in the garage. I registered just so I could add a link for those following this thread. No experience with these bearings, but plenty with the company, highly recommended. It is a listing for the ceramic bearings, shown for XB9 and XB12. http://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/Scripts/prodView.asp? idproduct=17242 | ||
| Debueller |
WOW!! $373 I know ceramic bearings are tough, but the root of the problem seems to be the grease being washed out. Would these retain grease better or be able to withstand running dry for an extended amount of time? For now, since the bike is under warranty, I'll let the dealer deal with it. I do know that the high speed spindles at work use ceramic bearings. The machine I run now has a 90hp spindle and turns at 30,000rpm's with a heavy side and axial loads. The vibration and stresses are tremendous, but the bearings hold up for many hours of machining. They certainly are tough. I'd hate to spend that amount of money and still ruin them. | ||
| Chadhargis |
yeah....$373 is a bit steep. I'd like to know why they are so much better. After the warranty runs out, ruining a swingarm, wheel, brake, etc...is going to cost a lot more than $373. Cheap insurance. | ||
| Florida_lime |
Listed benefits of ceramic bearings taken from a bicycle site: Very low friction. The friction in a typical bearing with silicon nitride balls and steel rings is about 10 % less than in an all steel configuration. Increased stiffness. Higher stiffness from the silicon nitride balls will increase stiffness in the bottom bracket and hubs. Extremely wear resistant because of the hardness. The ceramic material is much harder than the hardest of bearing steels. Weight reduction. Silicon nitride is 60% lighter than steel. This gives less material to accelerate when the speed changes and thus results in a quicker response of the bicycle. Safe operation even when using low amounts lubricant. This gives greater possibility to reduce the friction coming from lubricant viscous drag. Tolerant to dirt and dust. Although bearings work best in clean environments the ceramic balls help the bearing to survive also under less pure conditions. Together with special seals and lubrication the friction in ceramic bearings can be some 20-30 times lower than steel bearings with standard friction seals and standard lubrication. Serious racers use them in wheels and engine applications for the reduced friction -- free horsepower. IIRC, somewhere around 2 - 3 %. Not much, but in the racing world, it all adds up. Is it worth $373 ? I'd say not if your warranty is current and you have to work to earn your play $. I'd love to try them, but... | ||
| 2_spuds |
"It is a listing for the ceramic bearings, shown for XB9 and XB12. http://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/Scripts/prodView.asp? idproduct=17242" Thanks for the link Scott, they are exactly what I was looking for. The price is a small fraction of what I spent last year after the bearings failed. I have a friend that runs them in the motor his drag bike and swears by them. | ||
| Florida_lime |
2 spuds: Glad I could be of assistance, be sure to keep us updated if you go ahead with them. | ||
| Husky |
Guys, I live in the off road world and have found that you MUST use an aluminum base wheel bearing grease. If you grease the bearings and the shaft with aluminum based grease it will not allow the steel parts to rust. If you use a power washer on a regular basis you still should still pop the seals every 6 months or so to check if you are power washing the seal area on the Uly because they do not have an additional seal assembly to protect the wheel bearings. Make sure you do the head stock and swing arm bearings also. Regards, Husky | ||
| Lovehamr |
Never used them in a motorized vehicle but we use them in racing bicycles and it does make a measurable difference in friction and I've never seen a set wear out. Steve | ||
| Debueller |
Just dropped the bike off at the dealer. They acted like it was no big deal to fix all the damage.  I checked the prices with a guy I know in the parts dept, and was surprised on how little they cost: R wheel assy, including bearings and spacer: $385 Swingarm assy, including bearings: $325 I don't think it's going to be a problem getting the dealer to cover all the costs under warranty. Kudos to Buell with their warranty and reasonable priced parts!! When they are finished, I'll bump this thread and plug their name and location here. So far they've treated me very well. Might take a couple of weeks to get the parts and complete the work. | ||
| Windrider |
Debueller, The bearing failure could be some residual damage from your mud run to the Bar 10 ? How will get your 2 wheel fix while the Uly is in the sick bay? | ||
| Debueller |
Neil, OK, OK, your on to me. This photo was taken about 10 miles before the bearing failure:  Coquille river in SW oregon last weekend. (Message edited by debueller on March 23, 2007) | ||
| Debueller |
But you know that the pain is a little easier to take when a person has a new bike:  My SV 650 will make the pain of not having my Uly a little easier to take!! Hopefully the dealer will have my Uly back to me ASAP. (I will still miss my Buell, though) (Message edited by debueller on March 23, 2007) | ||
| Windrider |
Hey Debueller, Good that you have a backup bike! Those SVs are nice little scoots. Sadly, since my last message my Uly is down and I am a one bike rider. I went to Salt Lake City the beginning of this week for work and took the Uly. The bike was great and I rolled 2 400+ mile days in comfort... excepting the cold. On the way back I noticed some oil around the front of the bike... and then a LOT of oil. The left fork seal failed. When I got back to Boise I called the local dealer and tried to get it in for warranty replacement of the seal but they can't get it in for over a week and wouldn't even verify parts availability until they see the bike and "verify the warranty"???!!!! What a load of crap! I pulled the fork legs myself and took them down to a local suspension shop where they know what they are doing. It is a shame to have to do this myself and pay the bill when the bike IS in warranty but I would rather have the bike up and running and I don't have much faith in my local "chrome consultants" having the ability to service the forks on the Uly. I have 7600 miles on the beast now so I am having the suspension shop service the forks while they are out of the bike. My engine cooling fan also started to fail. It runs erratically and sometimes stops. I will take it down to the local dealer in early April so that they can "verify the warranty" on that item. Hopefully they have a fan in stock. Sounds like your dealer is better than mine. BTW, the first time that I pulled the wheels on the Uly I kept wondering why there aren't any dust seals over the bearings?? Happy Trails. | ||
| Debueller |
That's funny WR. (not really!) Last summer I did a 2000 mile trip to Montana. 150 miles into the trip my left fork seal started leaking. By the end of the trip, the front brake, wheel and the TIRE was coated in fork oil. I think the entire load of fork oil was all over the bike when I got home. Took the bike in and they fixed it. That was 15,000 miles ago. The seals are still holdin' up. It's too bad about the problems you have with your stealer. If I remember right, you've had more than one negetive experence with yours. I'm fortunate to have a pretty good dealer here. They have fixed all the issues I've had with my bike, no questions asked. I've also had the fan replaced also. All I did was complained about it being noisy (it was) and they took care of it. I'm really enjoying the SV. I'm looking forward to lot of fun commutes and a few trips on it. Best of luck to ya' Neil. | ||
| Chinook |
getting ready to change my rear tire. has anyone got the rear torque spec and comments regarding the validity of that spec with the potential to crush the washer, allowing rear bearing failure? thanks! | ||
| Chadhargis |
It's a two stage spec. First stage is 25ft/lbs, then back off one full turn, and torque to 50ft/lbs. That's not a lot of torque for a wheel, but that's all it needs. Don't forget to torque down the pinch bolt. It's 40 some odd ft/lbs...don't remember off the top of my head. | ||
| Debueller |
BUMP!! I promised a report on how my experence with my dealer, Downtown H-D/Buell http://downtownhd.com/Default.asp reguarding the warranty claim on the rear wheel bearing failure on my Ulysses. (see previous posts on this thread) They have replaced all the damaged parts and then some, all on warranty: Rear wheel assy swingarm assy drive belt front and rear sprokets belt tensoiner oil change with filter In addition, they did a TPS zero, and only charged me for a half hour labor. I am very satisified with the dealer and Buell's warranty. They didn't have to replace the drive belt, sprokets, and tensioner, but they were looking worn so they did it anyway. The oil change was included because the swingarm was drained. The filter was changed as it is the right thing to do. The entire bill on all the work was $52, which was for the TPS work. Thanks again to Sean (service writer) and Kevin (tech) at Downtown H-D/Buell for going beyond what I would have expected for warranty work on a bike that is getting ridden often and hard. I'm very pleased. |
