| Author | Message | ||
     Dirty_john |
I wonder if it is worthwhile changing my 09 1125R to the new rear wheel assembly. Over here in the UK there is quite a history of wheel bearing failure on the various forums. Must admit I always followed the factory manual procedures and used calibrated torque wrenches and never had any issues with the firebolt and hope not to with the 1125R, but with the 1125R capable of far better performance I wonder if the upgrade would make sense? | ||
| Hughlysses |
DJ- a lot of us Uly riders are thinking about the upgrade. There's a thread in BB&D about the new rear wheel and bearings if you'd like more info: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/481993.html?1249437723 | ||
| Court |
>>>>Over here in the UK there is quite a history of wheel bearing failure on the various forums. John, help me with "quite a history". I confess I only loosely follow the 1125R threads but I was unaware of bearing problems with the 1125R. Have you had any personal problems? Are they failing in the same manner as the Ulysses? Are folks reporting this to their dealers? Thanks, Court | ||
| Crowley |
The wheel bearings on my 1125 failed at just over 4k miles, I have changed several sets of bearings in the same wheels fitted to XB's at similar miles. | ||
| Dirty_john |
Court - there have been a few reports in the UK, from a chap called Adam who I think posts on this site under the name Crowley. In the UK on UKBEG there are quite a number of posts for either thunderstorm engined bikes and at least one 1125R which had an issue. Also Maz, the owner of the Emporium and a moderator on UKBEG will be able to give you details. My concern is why now change the 1125R rear wheel assembly on the production line if there is not an issue given that any change is going to arouse the suspicions that the reason for the change has been premature failure. Never in 35 years of owning all sorts of bikes has there been concern over wheel bearings in general apart from the posts I have come across since owning the excellent XB12R and subsequently the 1125R. I may go for the upgrade since piece of mind at 130+ mph has no price limit. I have owned and use daily a set of torque wrenches which are recalibrated every year and follow the workshop manuals to the letter and have always assumed premature bearing failure was down to hamfisted owners or those who pressure wash their bikes. | ||
| Dirty_john |
Court - I should explain that I personally didnot have wheel bearing failure in the Firebolt and not yet in the 1125R, but advise that I remove the axles quite frequently (at least every three months)and manual rotate the bearing inners in the wheels to check for any roughness and for reapplication of anti-sieze compound , refit the wheels exactly as per the workshop manuals using torque wrenches etc. I will be monitoring the bearings quite carefully. On the principle of "if it aint broke dont fix it" why has the MOCO decided to change the wheel assembly if there is nothing wrong with the original design? | ||
| Froggy |
The change was mainly for the Uly riders, who experience 90% of the failures due to the riding they do, which is high mileage, high loads, 2 up, off roads, river crossing, and everything you do on the 1125R under 140mph  | ||
| Dirty_john |
Froggy - If you think that you are loading your drive train up more than an 1125R on full throttle from a standing start then you are sadly mistaken my friend. | ||
| Crowley |
Froggy, old froot, please tell me the procedure you use when testing your wheel bearings for wear, since a knackered bearing may not be noticable with the wheel fitted to the bike. The wheels need to be removed. Mine felt fine when I tested them before removing the wheel to change a set of tyres (and I do know what I'm looking for, had over 60 bikes in 40 years and have built and raced my own frames - with a little success). If you know of any better method then I'm always willing to learn. | ||
| Froggy |
I never said I was. The main issue based on first hand experience and others on here is water contamination. I don't recall seeing any 1125R's following any Uly's down any streams lately.  Crowley, the first time my bearings gave out, I noticed a nasty side to side wobble when doing wheelies. That is the only way to test that I know of with the wheel on the bike. | ||
| Two_buells |
my rear wheel bearings on my 08 1125r are tight and are going to get replaced at the dealer next week | ||
| Court |
Dirty John: Thank you for the information. I'm not saying, I want you to understand, that there is no problem. What I **am** saying is that there is lots of misinformation. You can appreciate the disparity between "quite a history" and " a few". It's important to properly understand both the incidence of the problem (how many bikes are effected) and the root cause. I'll give you an example. Froggy, who's pretty savvy at this stuff, made the statement "The change was mainly for the Uly riders, who experience 90% of the failures due to the riding they do" That statement is 100% patently false. The problem needs to be solved. But, as I was trained in the Marine Corps, "always know your target, before you pull the trigger". There is a problem for sure, but there is far more speculation and misinformation. One thing I, as a Ulysses owner, am happy about is that the "way over designed and robust beyond imagination" 2010 wheel is a relatively inexpensive upgrade. I'm not sure what will eventually come of all this and have no "inside" information. What I do have is a 2010 wheel that I'll be running while the issue is sorted. By the way . . . . the UKBEG folks (I was signed up when they first started) has a lot of very knowledgeable folks and there is a great deal of information both from the active participants as well as a group of Brits who are regular lurkers. I appreciate you sharing your observations. Court P.S. - for what it's worth and if anyone is interested . . ordering BUELL PART NUMBER G1309.1AKYBQ gets you EVERYTHING you need to upgrade to the 2010 Ulysses rear wheel. | ||
| Dirty_john |
Court - as a mechanical design & commissioning engr I think I have a little practical engineering knowledge and having ridden on most continents in the world including a little trans Africa trip I have a few miles under my belt. Buell parts are anything but cheap here in the UK but regardless of this I will be investigating making the upgrade. There was a recent crash on the UKBEG serve which lost a lot of "history" otherwise there was plenty of factual evidence to back our comments. | ||
| Dirty_john |
On my monoshock bevel gear Ducati I built in the eighties I used double bearing sets in the front and rear Dymag wheels, the hubs would easily take them which the wheels on my firebolt and 1125R would not, it was the first thing I checked after having bought the firebolt and hearing of quite a few bearing failures on UKBEG | ||
| Alchemy |
Court, I know the wheel kit comes with the bearings. Do you know if the 2010 wheel assembly comes the bearings _installed_ in the wheel. I figure I would have to move the rotor and add fresh bolts for the rotor ($15). But I do not have the gear (new svc manual, spec etc) for installing the bearings properly. If the bearings and spacer come factory installed then that is great for $336. If you don't know then that is fine. | ||
| Court |
I do NOT know, but will know. Mine is on the way. It is my **UNDERSTANDING** that it is a complete "everything you need" set up. But . . alas. . . . as a test monkey that's why I want to test the process . . start to finish . . did the order take. . . . how long did shipping take . . . what arrived . .. i-sheets v. real world . . . . install notes . . . service log. You'll know as soon as I do. |
