Front wheel bearings:

[hgravelpha@aol.com]

I need some info on how to remove the front bearings. The rear were quite easy after instructions from you folks. I heard that the front was a bit more difficult. Any hints will be appreciated.

 

 

Thanks.

[Paul Minnaert]

Front is easy too, one side of the wheel, a bush is comming out of the bearing, just hit that one untill the bearing on the other side pops out. then you have one left, that one is easy.

[Mike Stewart]

It is best to use a block of wood between the axle and hammer. Sometimes they are in pretty tight and you could damage the axle if just using a ball peen hammer.

 

Mike

[callison]

Even easier (maybe). Yank the disk rotors. The cast wheel has three slots on each side beneath the disk carriers. With these exposed, you can take a long thin flat blade screwdriver and just tap out the bearing from the opposite side of the wheel. Putting new ones back in isn't too big a deal either. Buy some threaded rod at the hardware store (3/8" is what I used), two nuts and find two sockets in your tool chest that will span (to) the outer portion of the race. Put the bearings into the wheel on both sides as far as they will go hand tight (not far, never fear) and put the rod, sockets and nuts through the bearings and start tightening the nuts. Make sure the bearings stay flat as they start.

[Tim]

Just done this job on my 00 V11. Did the usual trick ofputting the bearings in freezer and warming the wheel with a hot air gun (not too near though) until the hub is nice and warm. As one of the bearings had collapsed (see earlier thread) the centre of one of the bearings just fell out and a couple of whacks with a hammer on a suitable drift took them out no problem. Whilst still warm I drifted them back in with a giant socket that is the same OD as the bearing outer ring. - however if you're unsure about this I'd use the Carl Allinson method. I used a small socket behind the centre ring of the larger ID bearing to allow the spacer tube to be driffted in (I used a piece of wood to avoid any damage to the tube). Finally put on the smaller ID bearing and hey presto.

 

good luck!

 

Tim

[Guest rotorhead]

Just a quick question regarding the bearing change I seem to read so much about....I have a 00 V11 with almost 8k on the clock and am wondering how many miles you guys have before you chnage the bearings? Are you noticing a change in ride charactaristics or the like to make you want to change them or is this just a precautuionary thing?

[Tim]

my experience was, after 16000 miles or so, a sudden collapse which could have been quite catastrophic. I've only had the bike a couple of months but I think it was on its original bearings. I'm tempted to go with the advice that you should change the whel bearings when you change tyres...they're not that expensive.

[Keith Foster]

Maybe someone can shed some light-but why are these MG bearings wearing out prematurely - to me. Are they a poor grade? A lot of road junk or brake dust getting in them? I hold up two examples of wheel bearing life - a 1980 Honda CBX, sold with 63K mi on the ODO, didn't need it's wheel bearing changed. My current 1992 BMW K75RT with 93K mi on it, not changed a wheel bearing in it, don't need to, I check 'em. Sold another BMW with 52 K on it, same story. Somebody mentions the spacer being the wrong length, OK that would do it. Sad that a wheel can't be assembled correctly.

[Admin Jaap]

The bearings are A+ quality: SKF from Sweden.

It's probably due to the incorrect spacer length. (They are probably made by Luigi himself)

[Paul Minnaert]

maybe the spacers are all the same, but the machining of the wheels isn't all the same. I measured 2 mm difference between 2 v11 front wheels, when measuring disk to disk.