| Author | Message | ||
     Arcticktm |
Stiff is one thing, and not necessarily a problem. Notchy or gritty is another. I would not take the chance on notchy or gritty. I replaced my rear ones when they felt gritty and a bit notchy, but they had no excessive play. I tore them apart later, and found enough corrosion inside to realize that they were on the way out. I would at least tear it back down after this weekend's trip and do it right. FYI - I bought a $35 tool kit from Harbor Freight (blind bearing puller) that works for removing these bearings. using a drift is too easy to wreck something. The puller I bought works up to 1-1/4" dia, which is just large enough for the 30mm bearings in the rear. The slide hammer did not budge the bearings, though, so we actually drove them out from the other side by putting a large metal rod/bolt/pipe in against the leading edge of the bearing puller claws. I don't have time to get numbers/links or photos today at work for you, but could get all that next week if needed. Most of the info is in my earlier thread about "more wheel bearing failures". | ||
| Hughlysses |
Articktm, I checked the bearings again last night. If I stand and hold the wheel between my legs with a couple of fingers inside each bearing, and slowly spin the wheel, I can feel a bit of a "tick-tick-tick" in my fingers as it spins. Does that sound like enough of a problem to merit immediate bearing changeout (especially with ~1000 miles of riding planned in the next 4 days)? Come to think of it, the bearings felt like this during my flat tire fiasco Thanksgiving weekend. I've put at least 1000 miles on it since then with no change in the way the bearings feel.  As I said earlier, when I pulled the seals there was no moisture, no signs of corrosion, and a small amount of clean blue grease. Of course, I added a small amount of Mobil 1 red synthetic grease so I may have a grease compatibility problem now. I found the puller on-line at Harbor Freight's site and we have a local store so I can probably get one if need be. From what you say, these bearings must fit awfully tight. Sounds like road-side replacement will be out of the question. (Message edited by hughlysses on March 27, 2008) | ||
| Chadhargis |
I've got my friend sourcing some bearings. He has a family member who can get them cheap, but you have to buy in large quantities. I'll report back with what I find. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Picked up my new Koyos at lunch. Feel smooth as glass compared to old bearings. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Got new bearings today, installed tonight. Interesting- OEM NTN's felt rough as hell while they were in the wheel. After taking them out, they feel almost completely smooth (but not quite). New Koyos felt smooth before and after installation. There was noticeable liquid water behind the bearings in the recesses in the wheel and still some water in the wheel hub. I dried everything out. I wonder if the manufacturer isn't just leaving the wheels sitting out in the rain prior to assembly and then the water gets trapped inside prior to installation on the bike? At least I don't feel like the effort was wasted. (Message edited by hughlysses on March 27, 2008) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
LESS THAN 30 MILES FROM HOME.... BEARINGS BLOW AT 80 MPH!!! What a BUMMER!! I felt a odd shake on the rear end and it just kept getting worse. Pulled to the side of the road and turned the flash light on the rear wheel just to see the bearing puke all over the place. Lucky for me it happened less than a 1/4 mile from a exit with a Flying J. Called the wife to come and get me. Went home got the trailer, headed back, loaded up. 4 hrs later here I sit on BADWEB! Big Thanks to Mike for hang'n and hav'n some coffee with me. Sorry my bike dropped a big turd on us! HOW MANY DAYS UNTIL THE WEST VIRGINIA SC(RAIN FREE) RALLY? This happened on my return from MBV. SOOOOO let me get this right. I need 6006 bearings made by SKF or KOYO. Where would I start the search for bearings. I don't know of a "Bearing Are Us" in Columbus so any help would be nice. OR... my bike was bought new and this should be covered under warranty (FREE is for me) | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Applied Ind. LINK: http://www.applied.com/apps/commerce/catalog/catal og.do?e=10&s=4021061 Columbus, Ohio Location # 0106 3855 Business Park Dr Columbus, OH 43204-5007 PH: (614) 272-8700 FAX: (614) 272-8846 Email: sc0106@applied.com . Even if its under warranty, personally, i would buy the brand of bearings i wanted installed, then let them install those - why replace the bearings with the OEM brand that failed in the first place.... just a thought. . (Message edited by johnboy777 on March 30, 2008) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Thanks for the info, Got some head scratch'n to do. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
isn't right accrossed the highway from where you work???? Wow, | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Well I'll be damned! It is! I know where I will be for lunch tomorrow. | ||
| Teeps |
Just a thought, has anyone measured the distance spacer that separates the rear wheel bearings? I wonder if that spacer is short on the bikes that have the problem. I also wonder if a bearing that can take a thrust load without self-destructing exists in the size we need? | ||
| Hughlysses |
Man, I'm glad I changed my bearings before that trip! Made it home about 1.5 hours ago. Teeps, at least one guy made a stainless steel spacer (posted either here or on advrider) on the chance that the stock aluminum spacer is compressing too much causing the problem you suggest. | ||
| Rnr |
Just out of curiousity... Got a new 08 Uly. Are the stock bearings the steel shields, and not the rubber shields? Also, eons ago when I was in the electric motor repair biz, Fafnirs were the best bearings, bar none. still true? Anyone source fafnirs? seems like an adventure bike shouldn't have this problem, since my RT still has the factory bearings in at 102,000. (Yes, I will replace them this summer.)  | ||
| Jlnance |
Rnr - I think the 08 has the same bearings as the 06 and 07 bikes. I've heard of one 08 bearing failure, so the problem persists, whatever it is. | ||
| Jwnsc |
Maybe I missed this from an earlier post, but has anyone spoken with a Buell corporate rep about this and gotten a response? Also, have any of the bearing upgrades from OEM failed? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Just called to see if the local place has them and they want over 31 bucks each WTF. The guy told me I should just order them on line! Will do.... | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Hey Wolf, I paid $31 each for the SKF and $16 each for Koyo. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
By the time you add the Freight charges to the order its a 18 dollar difference. Can't wait... I will just pick them up. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I'm a dumb A$$... If you check the WILL CALL/Local pick up box you get them for the on-line price. $36.12 Out the door. "Should" have the bike up and running tonight. | ||
| Jlnance |
Maybe I missed this from an earlier post, but has anyone spoken with a Buell corporate rep about this and gotten a response? Also, have any of the bearing upgrades from OEM failed? Buell has not said anything, they unfortunately tend to be tight lipped about this sort of thing. A guy in the bearing business posted on ADV and said Buell is investigating the issue. I've been following the bearing threads for a while. To summarize what is known: 1 - It is not clear what causes the problem. Incorrect torquing, riding in the rain, riding 2 up, and pressure washing have been suggested. There have been failures that fit into none of those categories. 2 - Some fail ridiculously early, with the original factory tire still on the bike. Others go tens of thousands of miles with no problem. I replaced mine at 30k miles and they were fine. 3 - These are the same bearings that are used on the other XB models, and those bikes do not have bearing problems. 4 - The failure mechanism seems to be a loss of lubrication causing the bearing to overheat. There is often water present inside the wheel, which may be either a cause or an effect of the loss of grease. 5 - Current wisdom is to pop the seals and add new grease when changing the rear tire. Don't fill it all the way up with grease though, that's too much. | ||
| Jwnsc |
Thanks Jim for the summary. I have been following this since last year but couldn't remember that one detail. Buell's willingness to tweak the Ulysses after problems surfaced, was one of the reasons I bought one. Having notice of a problem is an important factor in any subsequent remedial action and that's why I asked if anyone had a name at Buell Corporate. But it also helps the defense after someone gets hurt and sues to be able to have plausible deniability of any problems. I guess the actual number of failures relative to total number of units sold would be something you'd expect the company to keep, which is another reason for letting them know directly. Speaking as a relative newcomer, it does seem to me the numbers are a little out of line for a part as commonplace as a wheel bearing. What makes it so unsettling is that if the bike is used as advertised on an "Adventure," this problem could be a real show stopper in a very inconvenient location. | ||
| Iugradmark |
Jim, Thanks for the recap. In a lot of ways, we are lucky with our Uly's as the number of roadside stranding issues is fairly low compared to other makes and models. I think those of us following the various bearing threads are looking for a clear recommendation on what we might do to prevent a ruined vacation or trip. As you stated, these bearings are failing at different miles, some who have been off road and some who haven't, some who have pressure washed and some who haven't, etc. Are we at a point of just saying at the first tire change, switch to a different manufacturer of bearings and put the worry behind? If yes, which one? mark | ||
| Jwnsc |
>>Are we at a point of just saying at the first tire change, switch to a different manufacturer of bearings and put the worry >>behind? If yes, which one? That gets into my second question in the post above. Have any failures occurred after replacing the OEM bearings? For me, even though the bike is still under warranty, the answer is yes, unless Buell comes up with a recall and a fix before my tires wear out. I'll probably go with Koyo. | ||
| Arcticktm |
I don't think anyone can conclusively say yet if another brand of bearing makes a difference. We have to wait to see what our experience is with the new bearings. I put some SKF's in the rear, but only have the trip to MB5 and back so far (about 500 miles). I kept the stockers in the front, but popped off the seals and put a little more grease in. The fronts looked and felt fine. No evidence of the water intrusion and corrosion that the rears had. Note my rear bearings did not show any sign of a heat issue. Just plain old corrosion/water. No, I do not pressure wash, nor ride off road. I have been in OEM engineering for 17 years, and have seen a lot of problems with folks jumping the gun on a "fix". Sometimes, you are just exchanging one set of problems for another. I switched to the SKF's because my stock NTN's looked bad, and I did not see the point in replacing them with the same item. Also, I have no nearby dealer, so I decided to skip the warranty process. I also have some experience working with SKF USA folks at Arctic Cat, and was satisfied with their technical help. I found it far better than that provided by our other bearing supplier at that time (Timken/Fafnir). | ||
| Jb2607 |
Johnboy... That link you posted (?) is that the actual KOYO replacement bearings for the 08 Uly rear? I am planning on a LONG distance ride and want to carry spares just in case of failure. All the bad luck stories on badweb is telling me to plan ahead. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I re-read several of the bearing threads last week while pondering whether to change mine before the trip to MBV. One thing that seems to be agreed upon is the manufacturer is not as important as where the bearings are made. IIRC, some NTN bearings are made in Japan and others are made in Taiwan. My OEM bearings were NTN's from Taiwan. It's been stated that SKF sources bearings from several countries, including at least a couple in the 3rd world. The bearings made in Europe appear to be more reliable than the SKF's supplied from elsewhere, but you never know what you're getting until you open the box and see what it says on the side of the bearing. Koyo is an original equipment supplier to Toyota, all their bearings are made in Japan, and they were the cheapest (~$16 each) that anyone found, so I went with them. Jwnsc, one thing you can do is called Buell Customer Service (the number's in the back of your owner's manual or you can find it here) and express your concern. They may claim to not know anything, but it can't hurt. | ||
| Jwnsc |
Thanks Hugh, I'm just hoping all the guys who are finding suspect OEM bearings or changing them on their own are doing the same to preclude the "we didn't know" defense. Buell is under no legal obligation to monitor the Badweb or Advrider forums. Another avenue may be Harley-Davidson. Don't they own 51% of Buell? As for me, I think it's time to upgrade my Carolina AAA membership to the RV/motorcycle tow package. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Jim, can you read the info on the seals of your 08 bearings? It'd be interesting to know if they're still using the same ones. AFAIK, nobody's reported a problem with rear bearings on an 08 yet. Even if the 08's still have Taiwanese NTN's, Buell may have corrected the problem. NTN could have fixed an internal QC problem, the wheel manufacturer could have been handling or installing the bearings improperly, or Buell could have been doing something incorrect with the wheel prior to or during assembly. Maybe the problem's been fixed and we don't even know it. I guess I should have asked Jon Flickinger during the Q&A session at TWO on Saturday. I guess I was a little too awe-struck to think to ask it. | ||
| Jlnance |
Another avenue may be Harley-Davidson. Don't they own 51% of Buell? 100% | ||
| Jlnance |
That link you posted (?) is that the actual KOYO replacement bearings for the 08 Uly rear? Those are the Koyo bearings that I have in the rear of my Uly, so they will fit if that's what you're asking. Bearings come in standard sizes. Any 6006 bearing will fit in that hole and accept the axle. The differences between the different 6006 bearings have to do with manufacturer, grease type, seal type, load capacity, and things like that. The full part number for the Koyo is 6006 2RSC3, which means: 6006 - Size 2RS - Double sealed C3 - Greater than normal clearance. |
