| Author | Message | ||
     Electraglider_1997 |
We bought 2010 rear wheels for both our ULY's. No regrets. Way less worry. Used to fret like crazy when on trips even though I never had a bearing failure. Those two bearing rears really were under-engineered. | ||
| Ftd |
I have an 06 ULY (32000 miles) and have never had a bearing issue. That being said I bought a 2010 wheel for piece of mind. For the same reason I have a FS tensioner, newest belt, FatBastard in-dash voltage monitor, Electradlider oil temp. gauge, etc. I hate being stranded!! | ||
| Hughlysses |
I have the 2010 wheel as well. I don't think the earlier wheels were under-engineered so much as engineered a little too close to their limits. Add a little water contamination, over-torqued axle, or overloaded bike and you were apt to have a problem. My guess is the 2010 wheel is significantly OVER-engineered such that even with all 3 of those factors, it's rarely going to have a problem. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Hugh, I'm betting your right. | ||
| Motorbike |
I have the 2010 wheel after having a bearing fail on the stock 2008 wheel at 7300 miles. Highly recommended to all Uly owners. | ||
| Teeps |
My Uly sports a 2010 wheel too. | ||
| Britchri10 |
My garage is currently sporting a 2010 wheel. The PO of my Uly had a bearing issue @ c9k miles and replaced the original bearings w/black one's. Bike has now done a total of 27k w/no further bearing issues. | ||
| Uly_man |
"I don't think the earlier wheels were under-engineered so much as engineered a little too close to their limits. Add a little water contamination, over-torqued axle, or overloaded bike and you were apt to have a problem. My guess is the 2010 wheel is significantly OVER-engineered such that even with all 3 of those factors, it's rarely going to have a problem." I would say the same. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I went for one too. My original 2008 wheel pooped out its bearings so as soon as I saw them available, I paid up and got a new 2010 wheel. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I thought the price was very reasonable for such a nice cast wheel. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
My '06 used up a set at like 20,000. I replaced them with stock (installed correctly). So far it's working just fine but I also have a 2010 wheel, new tires, new belt and 90 degree valve stems among other things ready to go in as soon as I get a day off. Rear pre load adjuster went wonky so I gotta fix that as well as some crash damage from when I broke my leg here a while back. Now that I type all that, it doesn't sound like much of a day off, does it? I need some rest. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Dan- the rear adjusters can be refilled pretty easily. Back off the adjuster completely, support the rear of the bike, and remove the adjuster from the seat pan. Disconnect the hose at the adjuster, and take something like an o-ring pick or a wooden skewer and poke into the hole on the adjuster. Push the piston all the way down. Fill the adjuster to the top with something like fork oil or hydraulic jack oil. Reconnect the hose loosely, and turn the adjuster in about 1/2 turn to bleed the air out. Tighten the hose and reinstall the adjuster. If the seals haven't completely blown, that will probably fix you up. My adjuster works better than ever since I did this about 6 months ago. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Hughlysses, The adjuster knob feels as though if I back it off, it will simply unscrew and fall off in my hand. Does this sound like what yours was doing? | ||
| Uly_man |
"My '06 used up a set at like 20,000". I would say that is "fair enough" for most big bikes. Some will do more others less but if you check them, as you would any other bike, you should NOT get caught out. If it is a none 10 wheel keep an eye out for grease around the bearings as this could be it running past the seals. Which, of course, would not be good. This can only be coming, on this bike, from the bearing. If you keep and/or carry a set of bearings they can be changed at any bike/car shop. They are even easy to do at home with a good blind bearing puller set. And lets face facts. It is easier to do than trying to track down the electrical issues, the bikes main problem, this bike can have. | ||
| Dtaylor |
I got 24,000km out of the original bearings on my 2008 Uly. Fitted a 2010 wheel this spring. The old wheel received weep holes, new bearings, and TKC80's so I can do a quick swap when feeling adventurous.  | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I sold both our old 2 bearing rear wheels. No sense clogging up space when I know that I would never use them again. | ||
| Ftd |
I still have my '06 wheel if anyone in central wants to buy it...cheap. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Dan- no, my problem was different. The adjuster lost some of it's range of adjustability. I.E.- I'd have to turn the adjuster more times to get a given amount of pre-load. It seems your problem is different, but you can use this technique to refill your adjuster if you take it off and disassemble it for repair. | ||
| Claybobber |
Picked up a nail in my rear Dunlop d616, pulled the wheel and the RH bearing feel out in the process. The bearing was intact but loose in the housing. The bearing housing showed evidence of a previous failure, as well as the spacer. Got the bike at 10k, now 15k on the clock....the bearing was sealed. What i found interesting was the the corrosion between the steel race and the aluminum housing. Its time for a new 2010 wheel, but it seems to me that that two bearing system should be more than capable of supporting the loads...I'm thinking corrosion is the culprit? Grease zerk? OK I'm kidding but bike will not be going with me to steamboat this next week. Hahns peak must wait.  | ||
| Hughlysses |
loads...I'm thinking corrosion is the culprit? Grease zerk? OK I'm kidding but bike will not be going with me to steamboat this next week. Hahns peak must wait. Actually at least one Uly rider has done that- put a zerk fitting in the center portion of the wheel. It does take a LOT of grease to fill the center portion. If you're putting in new bearings, you could pop out the inner seals before installation and then you'd have a really good system. Give it a couple of pumps of grease every so often, and they may last a LONG time. BTW- you may be able to save that wheel by using Locktite "bearing and sleeve retainer"; it's a very high strength Locktite product intended for fixing problems just like this. | ||
| Uly_man |
"the RH bearing feel out in the process. The bearing was intact but loose in the housing." Err, that is a BIG problem. The new bearing will wear the hub more over time, as it moves about in the hub, so it is time for a new wheel anyway. "What i found interesting was the the corrosion between the steel race and the aluminum housing." Yes this is normal/common as they are fitted "dry". It also happens with the axle and alloy spacer. In both cases it is the reason they can be hard to remove/take apart. Use copper slip on the bearing/hub seat and axle/tube on the re-build. | ||
| Claybobber |
Removed the LH bearing, pressed in new sealed bearing. Tight fit! Will try the loctite idea on the other side as recommended by Hughlysses and copper anti-seize as you recommend. Just put a Mich power pure tire on in the interim. (it was cheap, what can i say) Thanks, will keep you posted.. unless the wheel falls off while I'm waiting for the new. | ||
| Uly_man |
"Will try the loctite idea on the other side". It will not work for long. The bearing is an "interference fit" in the hub and once it is damaged the hub is toast. Sorry I have tried this and other forms of repair and it just does not work. | ||
| Jsg4dfan |
I don't have the tools to measure it, but I'd love to find the ID of the hub and the OD of the bearing down to the thousandth. I suspect some of the problems may be due to the interference fit being too tight. When I replaced my bearings recently, both of them felt dramatically more notchy and useless while in the wheel than they did after being removed. I heated the wheel to 200 degrees (heat gun and cheap infrared thermometer), and sandwiched the bearings between slabs of dry ice for approximately 30 minutes. I still had to tap them in! That's got to be too tight. |
