Changing front wheel bearings, with pics!

When I was asking questions about changing my front bearings someone asked for pics so here they are...

Firstly loosen off the axle nut & remove the brake callipers.

Next lift the front end up, there's a couple of threads on ways to do it. I went for the rather worrying & panic inducing method of putting in gear, tilting it up on the side stand & sliding some wood underneath the engine. It worked but I was incredibly paranoid - headstock stand for next time I think.

Now take the wheel off, this is were If you forgot to take the brakes off a little bit of wee might come out as you try to undo the threadlocked bolts on a precariously balanced bike.

Rest the rims of the wheel on something so it's off the floor & you're not resting on the brake discs like so



Its been made very clear to me since this pic was taken that Harry Potter books although ideal should not be used for maintenance tasks

After much faffing I found the best way to get the bearings out is the forceful application of a hammer to the inner race which gives some clearance between the bearings & spacer inside. If you stick a screwdriver down the hole you should be able to move the spacer slightly to the side. Rest the screwdriver against the bearing below & use that hammer to nudge it out working your way round so it comes out straight.

This is what came out



It appears that someone had a dump in one of them.

Bearings measure:

Outer:40mm
Inner:17mm
Width:12mm

After cleaning it up a bit the speedo drive side must go in first... This side



So grease it up & 'pop' it in . It's a nice tight fit & you can put them in the freezer for a while before to try to shrink them down a little or use something to heat the rim up, mine went in the freezer for a bit.

To knock it into place a 30mm socket was the perfect size to rest against the outer race without getting stuck in the hole



As you knock it in you'll notice the sound change when it finally seats itself fully in. It should be pretty much flush in its hole when it's there.

Now flip the tyre over & put the spacer in



Hopefully you can see the spacer comes out further than the lip so if you try to knock it all the way in it will jam against the inner races & c*ck the installation up. This is also what it's important to do the speedo side first. (I may have discovered this the hard way)

Grease your bearing up & knock it in, I kept feeling for the gap between the spacer & bearing while knocking it in to make sure I didn't go too far. It should end up around here...



And that's about it, get someone to help put the wheel back on, it's a pain on your own supporting the wheel, putting the speedo back on, spacers etc.

No more play in the wheel thanks to all for the advice (especially to Flymo who noticed it needed doing!)

Hol!

Brilliant 'How to'!

I recently did my front brearings but the opposite way round (speedo side last), and about about 1000k i now need to change them again, as the bearings pinched the centre spacer.

Thanks for the write up!

Andy

[Sid Squid]

Just to clarify:

The SV front wheel has only one bearing recess with a shoulder against which the bearing rests, and that must be fitted first. The other bearing sits in a plain tube and its position is dictated by the length of the spacer between the bearings, this bearing must be fitted such that its inner race just contacts the spacer. This must be done very carefully as the bearing must be drifted in with force applied to its outer race. Preferably this is done with a tool that has a flat face and presses on both inner and outer race, a tool such as a socket, as used above is perfectly acceptable as long as the bearing is carefully fitted a fraction at a time until the bearing is in place.

[yorkie_chris]

Also a good idea to put the spindle through the spacer and bearings, prevents getting spacer jammed in at a silly angle or something

easier way

jump on bike
turn on engine
engage first gear
aim at suitable vehicle ahead
release clutch while throttleing on
dismount bike
pick up bike from under vehicle
front wheel should be fully removed if done correctly

hth
dave

[muzikill]

Im about to attempt this today, in between sticking a few bets on the races at ascot well done on getting the pics up.

Just remember, don't use Harry Potter books!!

Using a socket as a drift? You'd fit in well at my work! I couldn't use a socket extension the other day due to someone mushrooming the ends. Ah well.

[Nobbylad]

I use my Halfords pro range for the very same task....lifetime guarantee