Hi,

I'm going to have 30,000 miles on my bike soon and am having my tires and wheel bearings changed this next week. When I called the service dept, and asked for an appointment, he seemed to give me the impression that the wheel bearings are/can be a really pain to change. I have had a lot of work done at this shop, with different scooters, and they have always been great.

My question: Is it really that hard to remove and re-install new wheel bearings on both tires? I always change both tires at the same time and thought this would be the time to change the bearings. But he said it would be best to just drop it off and they can work on it during the week. I asked if I could pick a Saturday to drop it off, and be first in line like I always do, and he said he couldn't promise getting the tires and bearings done on the same day. I just can't believe that changing out the bearings is that big of a deal.

I was also going to have them replace my rear left panel since it has cracked, but will do that myself. He kept saying days of work and didn't seem to know much. Like I said, this shop has been great and I always recommend them but this guy has me concerned about charging me a lot of money. I have a call into the service manager to call me but haven't received a call yet. Can anyone chime in about the bearings? It doesn't matter if you did the work or if the shop did the work. Were they that hard to change? Thanks for any help/advice.

I am not sure Jeff, but I think the bearings are press fit. I think they have to apply heat and press them off the rim, not for sure tho. If you have a good relationship with your dealer and service dept, I would probably agree with them. I dont have that relationship with mine, they are just too dam high, lol

Jim,

I just called again for an appointment and the person I talked to today was really good. I told him what the last guy said and he just kind of laughed it off, saying he must have been busy. I kind of thought that the guy just didn't know how to make the customers feel at ease. Thanks.

The bearings look just like the ones used in the GL1100,1200 and 1500 Goldwings. Those are all pressed in. I've replaced several sets when I had my shop. The only trick on the GWs was to get the old ones out because there is a spacer between the bearings inside the wheel which made it hard to get hold of the bearing from the inside. It wasn't hard to make a tool that worked like Honda's to drive the bearings out. I used to put the new bearings in the freezer and then just tap them in using a large socket that would bear on the bearing's outer race. My GW has 130,000+ miles on it and the bearings are still holding up like new. I keep a spare set on hand in case I need them but so far so good.

[quote="paul_scooter"]

jimjotel wrote:

You are correct, i changed my bearings. I used a hair dryer to heat up the hub of the rim until it was almost too hot to touch. The bearing just pressed out. I then put the new bearing in. It was an easy job.

This was useful information.

Freezing a press fit bearing is very common in the aviation maintenance industry. Dry ice is another way to get something cold, although care must be taken to not cool too quickly and WEAR GLOVES!

Question: were the wheel bearings bad? or you just a worryer as I am?

Tom,

I just figured with 30,000 miles it is about time. And I usually do my maintenance earlier than usual and also, I'm not sure if there is a certain amount of miles the bearings need changing.

I started hearing this sound as if something was caught between my tire and fender but there was nothing there. I would only hear it at very low speeds, and it didn't matter if I was throttling up or coasting downhill. The last time I heard such a sound was when I was riding on the back of my friend's trike, and it turned out to be the wheel bearings. We found that out since the front bearing completely went bust and we lost front brakes as well.

Needless to say, I've ordered both front and rear (might as well switch both out since I'm over 34k now). For those of you who have done the installation yourselves, can you walk me through it? I have a cheap hairdryer. Will that work or will I have to get something else? Also... how exactly did you press out the bearing?

I suggest you get a work shop manual, It will help alot.
Kurt