| Author | Message | ||
     Mortbike |
I took my 2009 1125CR in for new Pilot Road 3 tires Saturday and had the mechanic check the bearings while the wheels were off. All good except for the drive side rear bearing. Shockingly, with only 3,200 total miles on the bike, we could barely turn the drive side rear bearing by hand. It was completely dry and very rough when turned. Stock bearings are "Made in Korea". Ultimately, I want to upgrade to the 3 bearing rear wheel but for now, we put new All Balls bearings in and things are fine. That bearing was so dry, rough, and resistant to turning that it could have seized and possibly caused an accident. For safety's sake, check your rear bearings folks, low mileage does not matter. Mort | ||
| Two_seasons |
Thanks Mort for this post. Always a good idea to check your bike over, top to bottom, routinely. You are correct. The best fix is the 3-bearing rear wheel. | ||
| Dries |
hi there just to add on the rear wheel bearings we went to african bike week a week ago traveling there on my 1125R i nearly had a lock up on the back wheel drive side bearing went,had a close shave bike has only 10 000 km on the clock so yes make sure that was the first time ever i loose a wheel bearing on a bike 32yrs in bikeing | ||
| Dries |
me again please tell me on my 1125R the drive belt is running of the sprocket with about 5mm on the rear side that is to the outside ,so if you stand behind the bike looking at it its to the left is that normal? on my xb it is not like that | ||
| Deanh8 |
Mine has a run out and is SUPER tight. Is this normal | ||
| Mortbike |
It would be interesting for forum members with the 2008-2009 two bearing rear wheel set up to post how many miles they have been able to get before a failure. I would also like to know the experiences of anyone who has switched to the All Balls rear bearings as well, and if that has improved or shortened the longevity of the double bearing rear wheel? thanks Mort | ||
| Nobuell |
What is a " all balls" set up? | ||
| Froggy |
Mort, wheel bearing life is all over the charts, there are too many factors involved that affect the life of them. The biggest issue is that the bearings are undersized for the job, which is why the 2010 wheel has bigger bearings in addition to a second set on the drive side. Switching to an alternative brand like All Balls won't fix the issue, but it may last a little longer than the factory bearings. The only real fix is the 2010 wheel, otherwise check your bearings every time you change the tire and hope you catch it before it fails. | ||
| Jdugger |
> What is a " all balls" set up? More throttle, less brake  All kidding aside, the belt drive is tough on bearings, and that's pretty well known. It's a good idea to check them every time you do a tire change. The hybrid bearings will hold up a little better in my experience. | ||
| Mortbike |
NoBuell and Jdugger- All Balls is a bearing manufacturer. They make all kinds of bearings for most brands of motorcycles including Buells. I have used their bearings in steering heads and wheels with excellent results for many years on various motorcycles. Thanks for your advice as well- Mort | ||
| Mortbike |
Question for any of you who have switched to the new 2010 wheel- How bad does the mis-match to the 2009 front wheel look? I understand one has a metallic black and the other is satin black. How noticeable is the difference? Trying to decide if I am going to have to buy both wheels to get the three bearing rear wheel upgrade done. thanks, Mort | ||
| Froggy |
I'll get you a picture of the two blacks side by side tomorrow. The other black is smooth and glossy, not textured like the frame and your current wheels. | ||
| X1brett |
Anyone know where to find a Hero Blue 3 bearing wheel? | ||
| Nobuell |
I purchased a black 3 bearing wheel for my 08 1125R. I have not installed it as of yet, but I decided not to worry about the color difference. Maybe next winter I will have one wheel painted to match the other. I suspect that the black wheel will be hard to notice unless in very bright light. | ||
| 1125rcya |
motorbike Was that 3200 miles on the stock orange shell bearings or the revised black shell bearings? } (Message edited by 1125rcya on May 01, 2013) | ||
| Mortbike |
1125rcya 3,200 miles on the black shell bearings. Mort | ||
| Sportster_mann |
X1brett wrote
Not available, unless you do it yourself, IIRC the 3 bearing rear wheel only came in black. | ||
| 1313 |
IIRC the 3 bearing rear wheel only came in black. My '08 XB12XT has a 3 bearing rear wheel in Cherry Bomb Red. After failing the rear wheel bearings 3 times the MoCo decided that the 3 bearing rear wheel should be installed. FYI - I switched the wheels on the XT the day I bought it to Cherry Bomb Red. There might have been some other colors the 3 bearing rear wheel was available in, but they were very limited... 1313 | ||
| Froggy |
Yep it was made in Hero Blue, I've seen it with my own eyes. | ||
| Syonyk |
I got about 32k miles on the stock rear bearings, mostly riding in New Mexico (so dry as a bone most of the year) with no trouble. I had to replace them when I moved to Seattle within 4 months as they were rusting out from the water in the hub as a result of everything being wet here. | ||
| Blk09r |
Took a quick look at mine last night and it's shooting grease out of the seal. I'll take it apart this weekend to make sure it is still rotating smoothly. The bearing only has about 2000 miles on it. | ||
| Ljm |
Hey, Mort and all, Looked at the All Balls online this morning. I have two tire changes coming soon and figure I might as well have a couple on hand. Do you all have a sense the these are an improvement over OEM? They have them in stock and the dealer usually takes a lifetime to get me anything. | ||
| Mortbike |
Hello Lfm- I spoke with the tech support guy at All Balls Bearings and he stated that their bearing specs are equal to or better than OEM. I have only had mine on for 100 miles so I have no personal experience with their bearings on the Buell but they have been good on my other bikes. You can order OEM's for fast shipment from American Sportbike. Mort | ||
| Dennis_c |
To many power washes at the 25 cent wash. I torque my wheels at about 1/2 what they should be seems to help some. I know you can put the bearings in to far I put my in so the bearings turns smooth with the inner race just touching the spacer. Go a little to far and the are notchie and turn hard. Thats why I do not put full torque on the axle nut. It cant come loose with the pinch bolts. | ||
| Mortbike |
I did a simple old fashioned and non-scientific test with my new rear wheel bearings. My set up is the 2 bearing 2009 wheel, a recently installed new set of All Balls beaings, rear axle torqued to Buell specs. Went on an aggressive 50 mile ride with a number of hard accelerations and high speed riding. Got off the bike and immediately touched both rear bearings with my bare hand. Both were just room temperature. Barely even warm. That is a good sign and gives me some confidence they may last a while. I will check the bearings after rides from time to time. Mort |
