Front Tire movement / camber

Ran the axel through and spun the tire while holding...not smooth, not terrible, but certainly bumpy as it spun. And definitely not tight to the bearings. So ill pull those and order new ones...they are still an active part.

Never taken bearings out before, but doesn't look to difficult.

I'll keep you posted

Thanks again to everyone for your time.

MFolks wrote: www.goallballs.com sells good replacement wheel bearings. If you've never replaced bearings in a motorcycle wheel, it's not a big thing to do.

1.To remove the old bearings, you need to have the front wheel removed from the bike.

2.Get some 2" X 4"'s for the wheel to rest on.

3.See if there's snap ring/circlip holding the bearings in place on both sides; if there is, remove them.

4.Place the new bearings in a freezer for a few hours.

5.Obtain a propane torch & light it off, adjusting for a small flame.

6.Move the flame around the area where the bearings are, not staying in one place very long.

7.Using a hammer and long drift punch, work the other side's bearing out through the axle.

8.Check the place where the bearing came out, for burrs, and gouges, smooth those out before installing the new bearings.

9.heat up the bearing area again & quickly drop in the new bearings, they should go right in with no problems, if they stick. carefully hit the OUTSIDE of the bearing with a large socket, never the inside, making sure the bearing is straight and seated, as this will ruin the bearing race.

Thanks for this mike. I appreciate the help.

MDawnz1 wrote: OK,,,
Nuff said,

Now you know why the bike was parked.

Sounds like bearings are PAST dead.

Still have the wheel off ?

Put the axle through it and have someone give it a slow spin while you hold both ends of the axle with your hands.

Does it feel like its full of rocks or nice and smoooooooooth ,,,,,,,

Let us know.


Mike

Great tip....thanks

When installing the bearings it helps to put a very thin coat of grease or oil on the outer race where it slides into the wheel. Also, as stated before, never tap on the inner race of the new bearing as that will damage it. For installing the new bearings in my bike I found a short piece of PVC pipe the same diameter as the outer race and tapped against that to drive the bearing home. Keep in mind, you should tap GENTLY alternating around the bearing to seat it. If you give it a great whack or tap in the same place repeatedly you can get it cockeyed in the hole. Ed

Hmmmm....maybe this was the problem.....

Hmmmm....maybe this was the problem.....

That is bad. I have some bikes that have the original bearings. Just needed to be cleaned up
and regreased. That bearing leads me to believe the bike has been neglected and/or abused.
You might want to check the other bearings; steering stem, rear wheel, and swing arm.


.

Jedsdead wrote: ... pull those and order new ones...they are still an active part....

If not already done, would also check for availability of wheel bearing at Z1 Enterprises.

Good Fortune!

Nebr_Rex wrote: That is bad. I have some bikes that have the original bearings. Just needed to be cleaned up
and regreased. That bearing leads me to believe the bike has been neglected and/or abused.
You might want to check the other bearings; steering stem, rear wheel, and swing arm.


.

Very good point.
Man that thing looks like it's been underwater.
AT THE BEACH.

New bearings ordered from Z1...I'll post again once put the new bearings in and let you know how it goes.

Thanks once more to everyone with their input. It certainly helps us newbies when dealing with these issues for the first time.

As an aside, when I put the bike together in hopes of the first ride, I also found out the gas tank is seeping. So I took that back off and have it at a welders shop right now. Took my seat into an Upholstry shop to see if they can replace the cover, but that doesn't look promising. But regardless, as soon as that shipment arrives I should have it ready to run.

I only have about a month of decent weather left up here in Canada, so it would be nice to get a bit of time on the bike before I shut it down.