New wheel bearings | GTAMotorcycle.com

New wheel bearings

bigpoppa

bigpoppa

Well-known member
How do ya'll put new wheel bearings in?
Should I bother with the any kind of 'bearing tool' or just use the old bearing and a hammer to push the new one in place?
(Front wheel bearing)
 
I use the old one. Make your you are tapping/pushing on the outer race. If you are tapping on the inner race of the old bearing, you are tapping on the inner race of the new bearing and through the balls to the outer race. Just bad all around.
 
bitzz said:
A wise man once told me " Never touch a bearing that you want to keep with a hammer"
You hammer bearing out and press bearings in.
Click to expand...
Good advice. A press is clearly the preferred option. Personally, I have done the hammer before when a press wasn't an option but you need to be really gentle and make sure you are not putting force through the rolling elements. A piece of all-thread, a couple squares of thick plywood and nuts and washers makes a simple wheel bearing press.
 
bigpoppa said:
How do ya'll put new wheel bearings in?
Should I bother with the any kind of 'bearing tool' or just use the old bearing and a hammer to push the new one in place?
(Front wheel bearing)
Click to expand...
As straight as possible, it's only difficult if they start going crooked.
 
Put the new bearing in the freezer for an hour or two and leave the wheel out in the sun for an hour or two before you attempt to install the bearing, then be quick with the installation. If it needs persuasion, it will require much less force by doing it this way. A big socket, with an OD slightly smaller than the OD of the bearing, is useful in this situation. Tap only on the outer race.

Do not forget to install the spacer that fits between the inner races of the bearings inside the wheel. Do not ask me why I am reminding you to do that. LOL
 
bigpoppa said:
How do ya'll put new wheel bearings in?
Should I bother with the any kind of 'bearing tool' or just use the old bearing and a hammer to push the new one in place?
(Front wheel bearing)
Click to expand...
I heat up my rim with a heat gun while my bearings cool in the freezer and then use a drift to shift my spacer to the side and evenly hit them out with a drift and a hammer, don’t try to bang out wheel bearings in the dead of winter. Tried that with the r3 ended up having to keep them in the house for a couple days. Then just a socket. Don’t put them in too far. The spacer should not be pressed against the inner race
 
hm...so just installed the new wheel bearings, is it normal for there to be resistance in the movement of the bearings/inner race as they are sitting flush against the spacer?

or should they not be flush against the spacer as someone pointed out?
 
bigpoppa said:
hm...so just installed the new wheel bearings, is it normal for there to be resistance in the movement of the bearings/inner race as they are sitting flush against the spacer?

or should they not be flush against the spacer as someone pointed out?
Click to expand...
Pic or vid? Preferably including arrows pointing to your concern.
 
I got the bearings to back off a bit and now they rotate smooth as butter, I suppose this means the spacer is meant to move around and not be held tight against the wheel bearings? as @mistersouthpaw suggested?
 
bitzz said:
They HAVE to installed with NO gap.
When you put the wheel back on with all the spacers properly installed the axle has to preload those bearings.
Click to expand...

so...once everything is put back together and the axle is on the bearings, they will move smooth even though they are pressed against the spacer??
 
TK4 said:
They must - if they don't then something is wrong.
Click to expand...

got it, so everything must be tight

guess I did it right the first time
 
IDK, something seems weird about this. What bike is it?
 
Nevermind, found the answer in the haynes manual:
the bearings gotta be flush all the way against the seat

https://imgur.com/n2xc6Ih
 
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