| Author | Message | ||
     Svh |
Getting new tires front and rear this week so I removed my wheels last night to drop off today at moto shop. I am gone for a couple of days so no rush. Front bearings= smooth as silk. Rear bearings= not so much. Pulley side feels like it is full of gravel and brake side won't even turn. DRAT! Ordered a set and spacer from Al today. Anybody have an estimate on what HD dealers charge to do the surgery when brought in in wheel form? I know the hourly rate is different everywhere but looking for the "book" hours. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Instead of paying a dealer to install two new bearings that will fail again, Pay Al to install three bearings in a new 2010 wheel before he wraps it up and ships it to you! | ||
| Andymnelson |
I dunno the direct answer to your question, but I bet you can purchse a puller and press and do it yourself for about the same amount of $$. Did mine at a fellow BadWebbers garage a few weeks ago and it's surprisingly easy.... I'll not ever pay someone to do that again! | ||
| Cpeg |
I decided that no matter how much I paid somebody to put in new bearings, it was just going to be a waste of money and time, cause they would just go bad too. Paid Al to install 3 bearings on a 2010 wheel. Relieving that nagging doubt on when the bearing is going to go south is worth the price. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
My right rear wheel bearing went out today. I called a brother with a truck and looked around at my surroundings as I had at least an hour to kill. I found myself right in front of a nice winery with another one right next door! Now I aint sayin this is as good as breakin down in the driveway but I suffered through it.  | ||
| Whisperstealth |
My guess is around 100 +/- extra. You will most likely get charged a hour labor at 85 per. That said, I have no experience with the dealer you are working with. However, Please, and I say Please, make sure the tech doing the work has experience working on Buells, and has done bearings on them. There is a definite right and wrong way to do them. Do not be afraid to question your tech. If you are polite and respectful there is nothing wrong in doing so. If he/she throws a big attitude, say thanks for your time, and take the wheels else where! Time doing them yourself and or with a friend is more than twice as valuable than paying someone to do them, without learning anything. IMO  | ||
| Miibradley |
OK, noob question, AI is who/what?? | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Al is a Buell guru from one of Badweb's sponsors, American Sportbike. IMHO, the best place to order Buell parts. A pleasure to do business with and he knows his stuff. | ||
| Svh |
I have just about used up my "moto budget" for the year and can't afford a $400 + wheel right now. I would want it powdered black to match the front. Next year I won't be purchasing an Erik Buell Racing ecm so my budget may allow for it then. I may have to look into doing it myself or finding a local Bueller that has done it and is willing to teach. | ||
| Yooper71 |
Order up the bearings, I live in Darboy and can give you a hand. | ||
| Uly_man |
In a workshop, for two loose wheels, no more than 30 min, 60 max and if done right can be done by anyone who knows what to do. The new spacer will need the two stage torque up as well. If you have the stands maybe next time DIY if you are able. It is just my opinion but I feel there is no "black magic" to Buell wheel bearings. There are however a number of issues, that effect the bearings, which are specific to the Buell design. The main one is the alloy spacer because if it is over crushed it will push the race inner ring out of position and case premature wear. Pure engineering logic/fact. I would suggest a "wheels off" bearing check at every 5k. This is because 1) the front handling will go "off" long before they fail and 2) rear pulley side bearing wear can damage the belt as it becomes off set. | ||
| Mnviking |
Wow, you guys are starting to make me nervous about my rear bearings. Is this issue really that common? | ||
| Buelet |
What I would do is just pick the seals out of both sides & use some carb cleaner to break up the crude / grease & get them nice & clean. I suspect that if you can grip the inside of the bearing that won't turn, that you'll be able to get it going again. Then just pack new grease in both bearings, while you turn them & keep packing. Then just pop the seals back in & I'll bet you'll be good to go. I've had "notchy" bearings full of what looked like cakey mud before & this fixed them right up. Rode them another 15k miles or so before I ended up replacing them since the bike was in for other warranty work anyway. | ||
| Svh |
Yooper I may take you up on that offer as I have no tools for this job. Very handy with tools though. I will PM you when they come in and I am home or more than a day | ||
| Uly_man |
Mnviking. It is a long standing issue on the net sites of the world. I think there is no problem with the design in itself. The wheels are made in China and it is well known that engineering tolerances are not always up to specification. Given the way the system works I would say it needs to be perfect. The bearings are std stuff so should be fine. The question is how do you know if all is right with new bearings. The answer is that you would not. So what do do? Well just check them out every 5k or so. Which is, more or less, good maintenance on a bike. A bearing is a moving part like a chain and as with a chain some can get more miles out of one that others for many reasons. | ||
| Mnviking |
To check them out does one have to remove the bearings from the wheel? Or can you just remove the wheel from the axle to check them out? (I know I could just check my repair manual, but that's in the garage and I'm not.) | ||
| Uly_man |
Get the wheels off the ground. A quick check would be a lift via the side stand or better is with a bike stand. This will show if they are breaking down and dangerous. To find out there true condition, more so with the fronts, you will need to take the wheels off the bike. The manual is a waste of time. | ||
| Svh |
Mine looked perfect and the wheel rotated fine. Turns out the anti-seize was what was allowing the wheel to turn. Taking the wheel off is the best way. You do not need to take the bearings out of the wheel. |
