I recently checked rear wheel play by grabbing top and bottom of wheel
and pushing/pulling to see if I had any slop. Turns out I did. Had the service mgr.
at local Honda shop verify and we discussed bearing replacement. I plan on having the shop do the work, for several reasons, primarily that I live in an apartment and lack secure space, tools and know-how.
I would appreciate any advice regarding parts (am I missing anything?) and what to look for during disassembly/assembly from those who have done this work.
My current plan is to do the following, based on Honda shop manual:
Lastly, where is a good parts house from which to source all the items needed?
Not sure if local Honda shop will discount parts, so will be looking for alternative.
I�m guessing all the stuff I�ve listed for replacement will be very expensive, running to
several hundred dollars. Then there�s all the labor costs.
Am I looking at doing too much on such a high mileage bike, even though I do plan on keeping it? Once things are disassembled/inspected, I might as well do it right, right?
Bike runs very strong (HS will verify), with no other major issues currently, apart from needing
brake pads and all fluids changed (except for oil/filter, which I just did).
Thanks in advance for any and all comments and suggestions.
If you looking to replace all of the parts, call Keith at Mason City Honda. Their prices for Honda parts are extremely tough to beat and they can help you with any questions. Here is the thread with his contact information.
I recently checked rear wheel play by grabbing top and bottom of wheel
and pushing/pulling to see if I had any slop. Turns out I did. Had the service mgr.
at local Honda shop verify and we discussed bearing replacement. I plan on having the shop do the work, for several reasons, primarily that I live in an apartment and lack secure space, tools and know-how.
Did you notice any funny feelings or noises when riding the bike or did you just decide to grab the wheel and push/pull to see if you could feel anything?? Just curious what made you decide to check it........makes me want to check mine now. :dry:
talldrinkofwater, on 06 October 2010 - 02:11 PM, said:
If you looking to replace all of the parts, call Keith at Mason City Honda. Their prices for Honda parts are extremely tough to beat and they can help you with any questions. Here is the thread with his contact information.
I recently checked rear wheel play by grabbing top and bottom of wheel
and pushing/pulling to see if I had any slop. Turns out I did. Had the service mgr.
at local Honda shop verify and we discussed bearing replacement. I plan on having the shop do the work, for several reasons, primarily that I live in an apartment and lack secure space, tools and know-how.
Did you notice any funny feelings or noises when riding the bike or did you just decide to grab the wheel and push/pull to see if you could feel anything?? Just curious what made you decide to check it........makes me want to check mine now. :dry:
As I'm riding a high mileage bike, checking stuff like the rear wheel play is something I do periodically, and I'd just put about a 1000 hard miles on it. Hadn't noticed any problems during previous checks.
Most VFR bearings are not unique to Honda, which means you can buy them anywhere that sells bearings and seals, usually for a lot less than Honda sells them for. Helpfully, bearings and seals usually have their dimensions marked on their sides, too. Haven't done a 5th-gen, but I have replaced the bearings and seals on a 3rd-gen VFR. One idea is to price the hub assembly--if you can get a good discount, it might be cheaper than buying all of the bearings separately from Honda...
Most VFR bearings are not unique to Honda, which means you can buy them anywhere that sells bearings and seals, usually for a lot less than Honda sells them for. Helpfully, bearings and seals usually have their dimensions marked on their sides, too. Haven't done a 5th-gen, but I have replaced the bearings and seals on a 3rd-gen VFR. One idea is to price the hub assembly--if you can get a good discount, it might be cheaper than buying all of the bearings separately from Honda...
Ciao,
Since the Honda shop will be doing disassembly, taking bearings & seals, etc... and buying elsewhere probably wouldn't go down well at the shop. Might end up costing more in the long run. Were I doing it myself, then you're absolutely right. But I've also heard tales of poor quality with some aftermarket seals, especially fork seals, so I would tend to stay with OEM.
Thanks for the idea of looking into a complete assembly, be it the bearing holder or driven flange. Will investigate.
I suppose I could also look for a complete used swingarm and have it rebuilt as necessary, then just swap it out.
[image: View Post]maddog, on 06 October 2010 - 07:13 PM, said:
Since the Honda shop will be doing disassembly, taking bearings & seals, etc... and buying elsewhere probably wouldn't go down well at the shop. Might end up costing more in the long run. Were I doing it myself, then you're absolutely right. But I've also heard tales of poor quality with some aftermarket seals, especially fork seals, so I would tend to stay with OEM.
Thanks for the idea of looking into a complete assembly, be it the bearing holder or driven flange. Will investigate.
I suppose I could also look for a complete used swingarm and have it rebuilt as necessary, then just swap it out.
Well, don't go overboard! I have heard of people buying the hub assembly rather than dealing with r&r of the bearings, but buying the swing arm falls into the "buying a new bike" category! (Of course, I did once buy an NC30 just to get its rare OEM fairing plastic... :mellow: )
I should point out that the bearings and seals you buy from a proper automotive bearing supplier (I only know the ones in the UK, but in the 'States maybe like CBR Bearing) are not the same as the ones you buy from a motorcycle aftermarket place. The latter can be utter crap, but the former cannot be, because the vast majority of their customers are engineers and manufacturing companies who would not accept that level of quality. You can benefit from this because of the standardised nature of bearings and seals--all you need is to find someone willing to sell you (what are to them) piddling quantities...
Shops generally dont like it if you bring your own parts, might check if thats okay, as thats alot of parts they wont be making any money on. The shops are not going to beat mail order prices or even come close..
Sounds like you have it pretty much covered though, it only suks cause I'm at 80,000 and dont really feel like messing with that.
Where is your play coming from the rear wheel or the swingarm? If the swing arm has no movement, then you could just clean and regrease.
[image: View Post]spud786, on 09 October 2010 - 06:46 AM, said:
Shops generally dont like it if you bring your own parts, might check if thats okay, as thats alot of parts they wont be making any money on. The shops are not going to beat mail order prices or even come close..
Sounds like you have it pretty much covered though, it only suks cause I'm at 80,000 and dont really feel like messing with that.
Where is your play coming from the rear wheel or the swingarm? If the swing arm has no movement, then you could just clean and regrease.
Play is at rear wheel, which leads me to believe the axle bearings are shot/need replacing.
Not sure how to properly check swingarm play, though shop mgr tried and he said he noticed slight play there.
[image: View Post]maddog, on 09 October 2010 - 10:50 AM, said:
Play is at rear wheel, which leads me to believe the axle bearings are shot/need replacing.
Not sure how to properly check swingarm play, though shop mgr tried and he said he noticed slight play there.
You could try checking all your torque values on the major fasteners first. See if that takes away any of the slop. If it doesn't, then you'll have tools in hand to take them off.
[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on 09 October 2010 - 11:14 AM, said:
[image: View Post]maddog, on 09 October 2010 - 10:50 AM, said:
Play is at rear wheel, which leads me to believe the axle bearings are shot/need replacing.
Not sure how to properly check swingarm play, though shop mgr tried and he said he noticed slight play there.
You could try checking all your torque values on the major fasteners first. See if that takes away any of the slop. If it doesn't, then you'll have tools in hand to take them off.
That's a good idea I hadn't thought of.
Since disassemble will be done at shop, I'll have them check torque on fasteners before work begins, which I plan to witness.
End of thread · 12 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 18 Oct 2010