Trullion
Registered user
On its last MOT test a few hundred miles ago the tester mentioned that my 850GS has slight play in the rear wheel. The bike has done about 22,500 miles from new (all in my ownership) and the FD oil has been changed annually, using the right spec oil. I have since checked the play for myself. There is indeed a small amount of play when the rear wheel is grasped at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position, but nothing in the 12 and 6 o'clock position. Rotating the wheel doesn't affect this, but applying the rear brake really hard eliminates the play. There is no roughness or rumbling of the FD and today I changed the oil, finding nothing on the drain plug and that the oil was perfectly clean. Handling doesn't seem to be affected and there are no strange rumbling noises.
My questions are:
1. Am I correct in believing that the big bearing in the FD is likely to be worn, rather than the pivot bearings?
2. Given the very small amount of play (discernible only by feel rather than movement at the tyre edge) and the clean oil, is it ok to continue to use the bike?
3. If it is the big bearing, why doesn't the play also manifest itself in the 12 and 6 o'clock position?
I should perhaps add that the pivot bearings have never been touched.
All help much appreciated.
My questions are:
1. Am I correct in believing that the big bearing in the FD is likely to be worn, rather than the pivot bearings?
2. Given the very small amount of play (discernible only by feel rather than movement at the tyre edge) and the clean oil, is it ok to continue to use the bike?
3. If it is the big bearing, why doesn't the play also manifest itself in the 12 and 6 o'clock position?
I should perhaps add that the pivot bearings have never been touched.
All help much appreciated.
With the wheel removed, it's also easy to give things a good wiggle from side to side to try to isolate the play.
)
Once again, thanks for all the help.
