Missing wedding band spacer

durneyj

durneyj

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Drogheda, Ireland
I had a bit of a moment on the bike last week. Felt like the bearings on the front wheel were tightening up while making progress on the M1.

Got it home and pulled it apart. Turned out that the wedding band spacer was missing.

The bearings were in bits when I got the bike and to be honest, I replaced like for like and didn’t realise that there should have been an additional spacer to make up the preload. I realised that I had fooled up when I saw the state of the axel. I’ll stick a picture up if anyone’s interested.

I have wedding band spacers coming next week and will follow Brook Reams’ method to set up the preload, however, I don’t have access to a lathe or workshop to make the spacer needed to set it all up with the wheel off the bike.

Would anyone have a spare large spacer for the 17mm axel on the R80ST that they would be willing to part with (for cash, obvs. Not looking for a freebie) that I could use to set up the preload properly?

Cheers,

Diarmuid
 
Had that front bearing issue some years back - on a 1200GS, bought new by me - started to feel a strange vibration through bars on 3 year old bike.
Limped home seriously nervous of bearing lock up. Ordered bearings - took out old pitted bearings - no spacer! Never fitted on assembly?
Ordered spacer & rode bike for many more years,
Spacer omitted spacer @ factory?
 
Thanks Gerry

The front wheel was changed from 19 to 21 at some point in the bikes life and the bearings were in bits when I got it about 4 yrs ago.. I imagine the lack of spacer is what caused it to eat the bearings that time. I just replaced like with like cos I didn’t know any better (I do now!).

I’d say I put somewhere around 15k on the bearings before I got the same exciting feeling through the bars as you got…. To be honest, I might have needed brown trousers and bicycle clips as I was in lane 2 and shifting on (for an 80s airhead)

Got the spacers last week so am going to set it all up at the weekend and get out for a spin!
 
Well, I did manage to get the wheel back together and took her out for a wee shake down run along the coast road.

Two things became apparent… the misplaced hope that the damaged bearing seat was not going to cause me problems… well I was disabused to that particular notion… then to add a turd shape sprinkle, I got a complete loss of oil pressure..

Long story short, the quality oil pressure warning switch was not so quality.

I just missed out on the g/s wheel and forks in Longford. Gutted. (The PO put a 21 inch G/S wheel on the ST)

Anyone have a line on an 19 in ST or 21 in G/S wheel, in not shit condition, on the island?

Trying to avoid stripping the wheel and finding a machine shop to set it up for oversized bearing seats. Bayer in Germany carry oversized bearings in case anyone is interested.

Cheers,

D
 
If you could source a wheel in the UK you are welcome to have it sent here, near Jonesborough, where you could collect at your convenience. Not a bother. :thumb2
 
durneyj said:
Well, I did manage to get the wheel back together and took her out for a wee shake down run along the coast road.

Trying to avoid stripping the wheel and finding a machine shop to set it up for oversized bearing seats. Bayer in Germany carry oversized bearings in case anyone is interested.
Click to expand...
What was the outcome of that ??? You haven't said

The only purpose of the spacer is to distance the two centres so the are not pulling the races against the inner seats

Does the bearing move in the pocket?? If so by how Much ?? a slight wiggle ?? Moves freely up and down within the pocket ??

You could have it tigged and recut on a Mill rather than stripping for a lathe?
 
DrFarkoff said:
What was the outcome of that ??? You haven't said

The only purpose of the spacer is to distance the two centres so the are not pulling the races against the inner seats

Does the bearing move in the pocket?? If so by how Much ?? a slight wiggle ?? Moves freely up and down within the pocket ??

You could have it tigged and recut on a Mill rather than stripping for a lathe?
Click to expand...
So what happened was that inner parts of the races spun on the axle whilst i was making progress on the m1.. The whole assembly was not held rigidly enough. The shaft has significant wear marks where the inner part of both races spun on the shaft instead of being held solidly. It was a pretty uncomfortable feeling. I'll throw a picture up.

The axle that was in the bike when i got the bike 4 years ago, was aftermarket so maybe it was a bit slack on the tolerance. It was definitely not OEM. The front end was in utter shite. Loose bearings in the wheel. The 36mm nuts at the top of the forks were finger tight. Essentially everything on the bike was loose.

For the front wheel, the outer part of the race basically could be pushed into the seat in the hub with finger pressure.. The local bike shop 'knurled' the bearing seat of the hub then used copious quantities of red loctite to hold it in. A bodge for sure, but it worked until this summer.

I thought I'd get away with the same trick now that the axle was properly assembled but its fair to say I'm a little more paranoid about it now and it just does not feel all that good. In fairness, I was lucky to get the warning I did and retarded to think I'd be able to get away with it twice.

If you have a recommendation for a competant person that could build up the bearing seat and machine it back into spec, that would be fantastic help.

Thanks,

D
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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