| Author | Message | ||
     Webethumpin |
Alright it has finally happened to me.25k miles i had the rocker box gaskets replaced under warranty.Before I took it in I changed the rear tire.I checked bearings carefully,and they were fine.My drive belt according to service manual needed to be replaced,so I ordered one and my service dealer replaced it for me while they were doing the rocker box gaskets.(old belt AKD To the AKE New upgrade belt) I picked up the bike and from day one I had a lot of belt roar and noise that it never had before.Dealer told me that it would take 1K miles for the (very tight) belt to reach optimum length noise will stop.Well 1400miles later the bearing puked out the grease it had and I replaced the bearings today and the belt is just as tight as it was when it was first put on. I have worked in the Industrial repair business for over 15 years and I know that the tension that is on the belt now is gonna cause the new bearings to go out soon again. Since there is no adjustment on the belt the machinist in me is telling me to make an adjustment for the belt which is no problem at all for me,but hey it is still under warranty i just hope the dealer or Buell will take care of the problem. I guess the just of this post is to see if anyone else has put on a new belt(AKE)on and shortly there after had a bearings fail. If the belt ain't broke don't fix it. that is my new motto. Later, Webe | ||
| Nutsosane |
Mayonnaise something wrong here. Webe did I ever tell ya about that guy's hermafroditic dog?  NUTS | ||
| Cycletlh |
Not sure that your bearing failure is belt related. I changed tires yesterday morning at 14K, original belt that I can slide off by loosening the axle bolt. Inspected bearings and they were ok. Not new but ok. Torqued per the manual. Rotor side failed 100 miles later. There have been a number of failures shortly after tire removal. I am suspecting the inner spacer/axle. The taper on the axle on the belt side starts right after the bearing. Also, the inner spacer is oversize from the axle/bearing. If the inner spacer happens to get out of align with the axle it could possibly put a twist in the inner race which would take out the bearing. My guess is that is why the manual says to torque to approx 25, loosen 2 turns, and torque to 50 to help align the inner spacer. Webe, what does the machinist in you think about this possibility? | ||
| Etennuly |
Webe, My new belt has about 1500 and all is well at 32000 miles. Original bearings still going. I repack them with every new tire. | ||
| Webethumpin |
Tom, I still think the belt is too tight in the unladen state(no rider).The pully side is what failed on mine and I still have a lot of transmission type noise that is generated by the belt.I'm gonna wait to see what Buell and my dealer do about this problem of mine.But as soon as It goes out of warranty I plan to fix the problem of the tight belt.If it comes to that I will post progress and go back to belt basics 101. I don't think the new AKE belt is stretching as much as the engineers think or the belt is just too tight (short).It is so tight that I could play with a banjo in a Blue Grass band, little to no deflection, there is not a bearing made that will stand up to the tension that I have. I have also thought that maybe the bore in the wheel is a few thousands too small which puts more pressure on the bearings.As a rule I never put over a .0001 to .00015 press fit on a bearing.I did not get the chance to measure the bore in my wheels,I was kinda away from home. Since I work at a machine shop I ordered SKF bearings with a 3000ib shock load,high speed lubed bearing.I have used these a lot and watched them run in harsh environments. Vern, as for re-packing a sealed bearing it seams to me that it would upset the seal on the bearing and it would not keep out the moister and grit as well as before.But if it works for you then hey you might be on to something. 1st sign of a bad sealed bearing presence of grease,this means that it has over heated and weakened the seal which pushes out the grease,(belt too tight).2nd roughness in the bearing or just hard to turn.My first visual sign was the belt riding off the rear pulley about 1/16" Hey thanks to all,and keep the post coming we need to find a cure. Later all Webe | ||
| Bobmcc |
I'm puzzled. Shouldn't the belt tension be regulated by the idler pulley, or whatever it's called? Or is that pulley non-adjustable?  Never mind. I saw Jlnance's patent abstract posting from back in June. Just that it seems like a strange system that doesn't compensate for variability in belt length over time. (Message edited by bobmcc on August 25, 2008) | ||
| Red_chili |
Sounds like Webe is about to MAKE it adjustable. Hey Webe, interested in those bearings. Got a part number? FWIW, Woody of Woody's Wheel Works here in Denver metro said if I ever get tired of that aluminum spacer to give him a holler and he will make a steel one for me. Interesting thought. | ||
| Adrian_8 |
I have had both sides fail on the rear. Brake side at about 23K , sprocket side at about 40K. A month ago I replaced the sprocket side right after I had taken the wheel off for a tire change..it was actually torqued a few lbs. less than the SM amount..with the proper proceedure.I had greased them and they felt fine...then a few weeks later I heard the clicking and snapping ..I expected the brake side ..but it was the sprocket side..The pulley is not spring loaded like you would think..and the belt is run tight...Buell has a long explanation of this...but it still seems weird to me.. I am far from an engineer, so I carry an extra belt and I try to watch the rear bearings. When you see some grease slung on the wheel..start looking closely as the seal is failing due to the ball bearings crashing together. There have been very few front bearing failures that I remember..mostly rears..I guess I will just change them about every 20K and ride it to its death. | ||
| Jlnance |
1st sign of a bad sealed bearing presence of grease Hmm. I put new SKF bearings in and they first thing they did was puke grease out. That was 5k miles ago though, so I guess they are allright. I hope. | ||
| Thunderbox |
There is an article on here somewhere that explains why the tensioner does not require a spring loaded adjuster and why it shouldn't be installed. The belt only has to accomadate a very minor and I mean minor length difference no matter where the suspension is placed. I always wondered about this also but after reading the article I don't even worry anymore. | ||
| Webethumpin |
Well,my thing is my belt is so tight after apx.1500 miles,even with the new bearings they are not going to last long with this type of no deflection in the belt at all.And it has caused a great deal of noise that has never been heard. No I promise not to put a spring in the tensioner,but yes it will be adjustable if the dealer can't solve the problem.It will be a bolt to stock part.  Later,Webe | ||
| Adrian_8 |
There is a spring loaded tensioner made for the Buells..a little pricey..but I think it would be a good thing... to take a little pressure off the belt and bearings..?Maybe? the reliability and the liability issues is the real reason it is not on the bikes from BMC..and I can understand that. | ||
| Jlnance |
I put new SKF bearings in and they first thing they did was puke grease out. I was wrong. It was antisieze from the axle. But I did learn how to grease bearings as I was figuring this out. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Grease bearings. Reinstall the seal. Coat seal with layer of anti-sieze to prevent water and dirt from entering. Never power wash near the bearings. Bearings will run smoothly and smile  I imagine that gas mileage will be better than if the bearings are stiff and on the dry side. I rarely wash my ULY (Lazy) and hear about it from people that do more shining of their bikes than riding. I'm more interested in keeping the inside of the engine clean with syn oil than worrying about cosmetic appearance of my bike. Now, I've only got about 16,000 on my 06' but it runs like a top and I never worry about water being blown into electronics or bearings because for the most part, only rain gets my bike wet. | ||
| Arcticktm |
Webe, Sorry to hear you joined our failed bearing club, but glad it didn't happen on our WVa ride! Curious about this statement: My drive belt according to service manual needed to be replaced I thought Buell claimed we had "lifetime" belts, and thought that is what my '06 SM and owners manual said? I replaced my rear brngs with SKF's 4000 miles ago, when my rear's showed signs of serious water intrusion, and felt stiff/notchy. Still have the stock belt on, but bought a spare I was thinking about installing. I bought the spare belt in the spring, so it is not the "new" belt you guys are talking about. As for your preference for a very light press fit: Doesn't that depend on what tolerance class of bearing you use? I can understand a very light press for normal tolerance bearings, but the spec for our type of application is typically a C3 class, which has a slightly looser tolerance. This sounds "sloppy" at first, but is really to allow for the press fit without making the ball/race clearances too tight after the bearing is installed. I used SKF's on my rear with a C3 fit and a high-temp grease (I forget the exact specs, but posted it in the spring)}. | ||
| Arcticktm |
Red_Chili Can't speak for Webe, but here are the parts I used: for The SKF's are marked on the box with some older nomenclature: 6006 2RSJEM (for rear) $23.84 ea 6005 2RSJEM (for front) $20.94 ea but the bearing inside is scribed as: 6006-2RS1/C3 GJN 6005-2RSH/C3 GJN The "1" & "H" denote the specific type of seal geometry used. The C3 is the clearance class, which is slightly more clearance than default. My research shows that is appropriate for this application, but what the hell do I know? The GJN denotes the grease, and this is a high temperature (-30 to 150 degC) polyurea soap thickener used in a mineral oil base. All of the above is explained pretty well on the http://www.skfusa.com }website. | ||
| Webethumpin |
Jim, They are the same part numbers I have for the SKF bearings. I'm sticking with NUTS I think I found the hermafrodtic dog. Oh yea,to add insult to injury Friday afternoon the ULY starts to run bad and poor idle.Thought it was just hot or bad gas.It ran like a Blast Saturday coming home from a friends house.I think there is a plug wire loose. this morning was the first time I pulled it out since Sat. thought I would ride it instead of trailer,wouldn't stay running and didn't have time to screw with it before work.So I trailered it to the dealer after work. They did the last major work 1500 miles ago so I just let them figure it out wile it is still under warranty. Later all and thanks for the moral support and suggestion. Webe  | ||
| Red_chili |
Suspect intake seals. Hey, thanks for the bearing part numbers! |
