| Author | Message | ||
     Slash6 |
I have an 09X bought in August - 6,000 miles. Pulled the rear wheel last night to take it in for a new tire (replace original). Of course the first thing was to check the wheel bearings - neither one will turn - these are the orange ones. The axle came out normally and I don't see a lot of wear or any damage to the wheel or swingarm. Never noticed any handling problems. Guess I will take it to the dealer and see what they say. | ||
| Buewulf |
At least one person on here got a 2010 rear wheel under warranty. Hopefully you'll be joining that club. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
It is pretty normal for there to be a LOT of resistance to turning. Especially on a low mileage bike. The bearings should turn smoothly though. Mark SE AZ} | ||
| Beatnick_fly |
I have an '06, about 15,000 miles. After reading all the issues with the rear wheel bearings, I decided to pull the rear wheel and check them out. I used a bike lift, hydraulic, designed with two FLAT surfaces, the Uly's muffler/jacking point is oval, so there's the first issue. Cured that with a couple of 2 x 4' and got the rear wheel off the ground (supported also by the front wheel and sidestand. I had to use a 1/2 drive breaker bar to get the pinch bolt loose, then my 20 lb MAC adjustable, with a 3' pipe for leverage to break the axle loose. I've read in previous threads that some of you carry an extra wheel bearing and/or a spare belt to fix ON THE ROAD!!. I would need a trailer just to carry the tools around. I like to work on my own bikes and have done so for a loooong time, (I'm 64). But I think the best thing is to get a road service contract.  | ||
| Scooter808484 |
Beatnick, You can change the belt without taking the wheel off. Just loosen the axle. It is a lot easier if the belt you are putting on is used (read stretched). I bought a new one before the old one failed and use the old one as a spare. I'm with you on the bearings though. Not a side of the road repair. I might carry a set around on a long trip though, so I could limp into town and get them changed without waiting three days (or weeks)for the parts to show up. | ||
| Hacksaw |
Just wondering does anyone check the temperature of the wheel bearings once in a while riding? I would assume if the bearings are getting more than warm it would be a warning sign that they were failing. | ||
| Discochris |
I'm bringing mine in for new tires on Saturday in prep for my ride to Florida in a month. I noticed that I'm starting to see some rust on the outer surface of mine. (2008 with just under 7000 miles). We'll see what the dealer says. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Rust on outer surface of the outer bearing race is expected. If you see rusty goo running out of the seals bearing failure is imminent. | ||
| Paralegalpete |
"At least one person on here got a 2010 rear wheel under warranty" That was me, rear bearing seized on a ride at 6k. They key for the warranty coverage was that my 09 wheel, swing arm, and brake rotor were all damaged. Thus the upgrade to the 2010 wheel. They didn't offer it, I had to fight for it. Worth a try but without wheel damage, I doubt they (HD) will go for a new 10 wheel. | ||
| Motorfish |
A lot of folks are smearing never seize on the seals to keep out water. | ||
| Motorbike |
Pete, what kind of damage was done to the swingarm when your bearing went out? Did the axle spin in the swingarm or did the wheel and rotor or pulley move far enough to contact the swingarm? How bad was the swingarm damage? Also, did you ride the bike for a while before you realized anything was wrong? I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, just curious as to the symptoms we should watch for. Thank you. | ||
| Florida_lime |
The FIRST time my rear wheel bearings went (pulley side), I was in Atlanta I-75 stop and go traffic. It felt like the rear tire was going slightly flat. I kept trying to check it while riding, but could see that the tire was not the issue. I began to suspect bearings, and once I was clear of the traffic, I pulled off the highway to check closer. The bearing was started to extrude itself out the seal. I slowly went just a couple more miles to a busy exit, and by then you could hear and feel the bearings on their last legs. A flat bed wrecker was needed to get to the dealer -- I feared the worst, but only bearings were needed. | ||
| Froggy |
I lost the bearings in my Blast last week. I was drafting behind a van, and I started getting a light oscillation in the bars. I was thinking at first the wind was acting up, but it started getting worse and worse. Eventually I started thinking that I had a flat, but like Lime I was checking while riding and saw everything was good. It was still getting worse, so I pulled over and thats when I noticed the pulley side bearings were gone. I was a only a few miles from my dads shop, so I just continued to ride till I got there. Normally I can check the bearings by doing a wheelie and seeing if bike wobbles on me, but that isn't as easy to do on the Blast. |
