Problem replacing front wheel bearings.

My bike handled fine, but I am getting a pulsing feel through my handlebars.  I decided it was either the chain, front wheel bearings, possibly, but unlikely, the front forks.  Seeing as I am going on a long trip I wanted to make sure things were running right.  Bike has 24k. miles on it.

I removed the front wheel.  I noticed that the spacer was slightly loose inside the hub when the bearings were in.  Left bearing felt fine, but the right had a grating knock feel every so often.  I decided to change them.  To cut a long story short, getting them out was not a problem.  I had a good drift.  Putting the right bearing in was fine, as I had a socket which fit exactly over the bearing.

I put the spacer in and proceeded to put in the left bearing.  It went in fine, or did it?  A member on another thread mentioned that he shaved a mille off the spacer because the fit was too tight with the bearing in and he could barely move them.  I seated the left bearing, and lo and behold neither bearing would move and the spacer was locked solid.  

I checked the inside space that was left in the hub above the bearing with a vernier and it was an even  distance and seated.  At this point I was a bit xxssed.

I decided to loosen off the bearing.  My drift was now somewhat blunt, so I filed it smooth.  I only managed to give a couple of whacks on one side as the drift kept slipping off.  I checked, and both bearings were now spinning smoothly.  I re-measured and the bearing was even all the way round.

So what it means I guess is that you don't have to file down the spacer (did'nt make sense to do so) just loosen the bearing by the slightest degree.

I'm surprised that only one person, other than myself, has had this problem.  Guess next time I won't use a sledgehammer, but a rubber mallet, :laugh:

I haven't test ridden the bike yet, so don't know if the handlebar pulsing has gone.  

On another note I dismantled the forks and put new oil seals in.  I bought new bushings but didn't use them.  The bushings in the forks looked like new, and I really couldn't tell any difference when I compared the old ones to the new ones.  24k. miles, amazing!

Did you try and put the bearing in the freezer for a while and/or heat up the wheel where the bearing seats?

[image: View Post]Duc2V4, on 10 May 2012 - 03:41 PM, said:

Did you try and put the bearing in the freezer for a while and/or heat up the wheel where the bearing seats?

Yes I did.  Getting the bearings in was no problem.  The problem was the second bearing went too far in and touched the spacer.  If I were to do it again I would use a solid rubber mallet, not a hammer.  Using a hammer I feel seated the bearing just a shade too tight.

I had sort of the same problem with a SP1 front whel and a new spacer. I could not get the bearing to fully seat and removed about 0.10mm. It allowed the bearings to fully seat and with the axle bolt properly torqued the bearings rotated freely (without it they were turning not so smooth).

[image: View Post]V4 Rosso, on 10 May 2012 - 05:41 PM, said:

I had sort of the same problem with a SP1 front whel and a ne spacer. I could not get the bearing to fully seat and removed about 0.10mm. It allowed the bearings to fully seat and with the axle bolt properly torqued the bearings rotated freely (without it they were turning not so smooth).

I don't see that Honda would make a spacer too large.  As in your case, and mine, the bearing was barely touching the spacer, but touching enough to prevent from turning.  I suspect that a bearing press tool would not cause the bearing to bind.

I used a SP1 wheel with different sized bearings and spacer to take on a 25mm axle instead of the stock 22mm SP1 axle, and cut the new spacer to the exact same langth as the original SP1 spacer. Either the spacer was the the right size and the bearing seats inside the wheel didn't have enough ofset or it is the other way around. The bearing were not barely touching the spacer, the spacer was solidly pressed between the bearing inner races putting too much side load them for the bearings to rotate freely and it was keeping the outer races from fully seating. Something you will not notice when pressing the bearings in the seats using the inner races.

Took my bike out for a quick spin today.  The pulsing through the bars has gone.  The front end feels very solid, noticeably firmer, but compliant.  Before the front felt vague when cornering, now I can feel what it is doing.  Well it would appear that the most obvious culprit for the pulsing, the chain, was not the problem.

[image: View Post]JIMLARCH, on 10 May 2012 - 05:15 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Duc2V4, on 10 May 2012 - 03:41 PM, said:

Did you try and put the bearing in the freezer for a while and/or heat up the wheel where the bearing seats?

Yes I did.  Getting the bearings in was no problem.  The problem was the second bearing went too far in and touched the spacer.  If I were to do it again I would use a solid rubber mallet, not a hammer.  Using a hammer I feel seated the bearing just a shade too tight.

Jim,
I replaced my front bearings last night.  I thought I might have the same problem as I could feel a tight spot now and again when turning the bearings and spacer by hand.  The tight spot feeling like it had to do with the spacer; the bearings turned freely with no problem.  Then, sometimes it wouldn't do it.  Maybe the spacer was moving around some I don't know.  Now that I've mounted the front wheel, it spins freely with no issues.  So I need to take it out for a spin.  I hope it's okay.  There's no way I'm going to loosen a bearing any without tearing it up.  What I don't understand is why I've got to guess how far to seat the dang thing in there to begin with?  That doesn't sound like great engineering to me.

Chuck