| Author | Message | ||
     Vwone |
Hi all, I have a 08 XB12XT with 15,000 miles and it is in need of new tires. I am going to put the new PR3s on but should I go ahead replace the belt and wheel bearings? Thanks! | ||
| Crusty |
Why? are either the belt or the wheel bearings bad? I've got over 30,000 miles on my original belt, and it's still fine. I changed the bearings somewhere around 20K when they went bad. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. | ||
| Ratbuell |
No, Crusty... the proper quote is: If it ain't broke, fix it till it is.  | ||
| Uly_man |
As you are taking off the wheels anyway then I would at those miles. I would also change the bearing spacers. Do not over tighten the new ones as this is what I think causes most of the problems. I think it is a false economy not to and it cheap enough to do. The belt is another matter. I would replace the belt and keep/carry the old one as a spare if you do a lot of miles. Both of these will save you huge amounts of problems and costs in the future. Or it would have me if I had done them. | ||
| Griffmeister |
There are a lot of personal thoughts on this plus your own opinion on being proactive or fix-as-fail. First off, what color are your bearing seals? Black seals are the updated bearings and should be good with regular inspection. Orange seals and you may want to change the bearings. I know that the belts are supposed to be lifetime and as soon as you say that, they break. I think popular opinion here is that if you are taking the wheel off then change the belt now (new ones can be a PIA to install) and save the used one in case you encounter a road hazard. A pre-stretched belt can be a lot easier to get on when you're stranded somewhere. | ||
| Uly_man |
The amount of miles you have on a belt or how good it might look has nothing at all to do with how much longer it will last. I had two belts go, at 6 and 14k and they had no damage and looked like new. They can go at any time for no reason. Also you can feel no play on the wheel bearings, with them on the bike but they may still have wear on them. I had the rears done at 5k and fronts at 13k on my 06 bike and the fronts at 4k on my 2010 bike. So what does that tell you. I also put a belt back on in the same place it came off, clean any nicks from the rear pulley and make sure it does not touch the inner/outer shoulders of the front and rear pulley and then check after a few miles that has not moved at all as this can be a sign of wheel/swing arm bearing wear. I should "track" perfect between each pulley. Just me though. | ||
| Uly_man |
HD were still using the orange seal bearings on the last of there bikes or at least on the front of my 2010 bike. The last belt version G0500.1AKF is a lot stiffer new than the old G0500.1AKE belt. However the 1AKF can still be fitted "in the field" if needed. I have done this myself with a FST on the bike. You just have to know how to do it. It takes me about 25mins now. | ||
| Bosh |
I'd definitely replace the belt. As Uly man already said, they can and tend to break without warning. Keep the old one as an emergency spare. You got your money's worth @ 15K. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
One more data point: My 2008's rear bearings filled up with water after a long ride in the rain and clicked the next day when backing it out of my garage. Miles:15,000 In other words, check them out. They're good right up until the time they go bad If you're going to have the wheel off anyways, I would suggest popping the outer seals off with a dental pick for an inspection. Any sign of rust = replace! | ||
| Nobuell |
I agree with Uly man. Replace the belt and keep the old as a spare. I carry mine all of the time. Just not worth getting stranded due to a belt break. I would replace the bearings while it is apart. Personally, I would replace the wheel with the 2010 version if you can. I lost my bearings at speed on the expressway and toasted the wheel and swing arm. I also would look at the belt tension after replacement. My belt was much to tight when I replaced mine. Search the forum for my directions on belt tension and tension wheel bracket modification. | ||
| Uly_man |
Two things should be noted with belts. One is that the arc of the swing arm is not perfect and a known issue. On a straight run it will not move much and is not a problem. On the other had lots of movement will stress it more and more likley to break. The second is that the "lifetime" thing on a belt is just bogus. You may as well say the Sun will last a Lifetime or how long an elastic band will last. Its subjective PR bullsh+t. EB said he trusted the makers of the belt to do what they said it would but he should have known better with his experience. | ||
| Zac4mac |
One more data point - I have orange-seal bearings in the wheels on my 1125R. They had a couple thou miles on them when I got them. I have put another 25k miles on them and they are fine. Didn't realize you were Army, Joe. That's their motto... I popped my Uly's belt at 20k miles, chasing prairie dogs. Z | ||
| Uly_man |
Wheel bearings are a cheap simple issue to fix and I SO WISH it was the only problem with this bike. Think yourself lucky if it is all you ever need to deal with. | ||
| Ourdee |
Bearing changing is easy. I use a blind bearing puller from HF, a piece of 3/4" all thread for the front install, and 1" all thread for the rears. I use 1/4" thick flat washers that cover inner and outer races at the same time. Put anti-seize on the outside of the bearings prior to install. Save the old belt for a spare. Al at American Sport Bike can set you up. | ||
| Turf_moor |
Maybe a Free Spirits tensioner would extend belt life and possibly rear wheel bearing life. It would certainly be good for the gearbox output shaft. | ||
| Xbimmer |
I use a blind bearing puller from HF, a piece of 3/4" all thread for the front install, and 1" all thread for the rears. I use 1/4" thick flat washers that cover inner and outer races at the same time. Put anti-seize on the outside of the bearings prior to install. Exactly my procedure, and don't forget to freeze the new bearings and this is what I use on the wheels:  My original orange sealed NTN's went 50k before I changed them out for black KBC's, but then I had been regreasing them at tire changes. Changing them out at every tire change is excessive. | ||
| Ourdee |
I was putting a second set of wheels together for my XT and thought the magnesium tone to be good looking. The rear is from an 06 X, Bearings felt odd and I had a spare set of orange seal front and rears. I don't freeze the bearings but do bring the aluminum up in temp with a heat gun. I don't heat it past touchable with bare skin. +1 on greasing at tire changes. I do about 7500 mi. intervals on tires. Buying a fourth pair now. I put in new spacers front and rear. I miked the old and new spacers. The old rear was .0005" (5/10,000 of an inch) longer than the new one. Now I have 2 spare spacers to put in the spares cabinet. The extra large all thread works well at keeping the bearings parallel. | ||
| Vwone |
Thanks to everyone that replied! So today I ordered the PR3s, EBC pads front and rear, belt, rear wheel bearings and bearing spacer. I am also ordering the 1” thread all, nuts and washers once I get the bearings in. So the only issue I have not addressed is the front end shaking when I am on the front brakes. I am going to buy the 6mm rotor from EBR but they are sold out of the hardware kit. So I sent them an email to find out about delivery time. FYI, I love this bike! I use this bike to take trips and it is always over loaded. I have about dragged the pegs off of it, hauled tons of camping gear and even hit a deer a couple of months ago. It just takes the abuse and asks for more. Every time I get off this bike I am speechless of how much fun it is and how it performs. My only complaint is the tires, I can’t get a rear tire to last more than 3500 miles. I hope these PR3s can last longer. | ||
| Turf_moor |
3,500 miles. Jesus, you must hammer it!! | ||
| Uly_man |
"I use this bike to take trips and it is always over loaded. I have about dragged the pegs off of it, hauled tons of camping gear. 3,500 miles on a rear." I got less than 5k on Corsa 3s with normal running. I do not know what you have been using but given the way you ride (a bit like me) I think you will like the PR3s. I have only had the PR2s. But remember this. The higher the load, faster you go and a high ambient will always wear a tyre faster. You pays your money, Dude. Also make sure the tyre pressures are right. | ||
| Ourdee |
I bump up the tire pressure a couple of pounds for heavy loading. | ||
| Vwone |
I do ride that bike as if I just stole it. However I live near the mountains of NC and I like twisty roads, so I attack those roads on weekend trips. So far I have used four rear tires and three front tires. The bike came with Pirelli Diablo Strata’s and I went through two sets of those. Then I switched over to Continental Conti Road Attacks and I have used two rears and the one front that is on the bike now. I have no complaints with either set of tires as they felt the same to me. The only difference I noticed was the fact I locked up the rear tire twice with the Road Attacks entering turns. FYI, that is not a lot of fun. Here are some pics of me on a typical weekend, ( my pics are on the top of the page, red xb12xt) http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17 506877#post17506877 | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Vwone, Better paint that muffler. | ||
| Uly_man |
"The only difference I noticed was the fact I locked up the rear tire twice with the Road Attacks entering turns." Vwone. Locking up the rear. Do not use the rear to much on entering a bend. Use the front and down change to the right gear before entering the corner. If you find your going to fast in a bend and you get caught out use the rear and engine to scrub off speed and avoid heavy use of the front as it can upset the balance of the bike and be VERY scary. You may also want to look at your rear pads if they do not have much feel to them. They need to be something like EBC or SBS sintered type. The OEM ones are crap for your riding style. They are like grinding iron. I can see how you like to ride and its just like me. I found adding 5ml of heavy oil to each fork made the world of difference on both of my 2006 and 2010 bikes. Less dive, better feed back from the front end and costs next to nothing to do. You will need to re-adjust the front suspension afterwards. Balance the suspension for your ride style and start with 50% rear preload and work down. I found this key to setup on this bike as anything more is very harsh and upsets the rest of the bikes setup. Change out the front wheel bearings as well. There is a good chance they have wear on them and just a tiny ammount will show up with the way we ride. Trust me. All of this and a set of PR3s will make you think you have been riding around on a water bed. And yes it can be that good. I have done it and more than once. (Message edited by uly_man on February 23, 2012) (Message edited by uly_man on February 23, 2012) |
