Hey Team Recently bought a motorcycle stand (my god what a help these are) in order to do some general checks and maintenance on the sprockets, tighten chain etc etc. When my wheel is free rolling on the stand there are 2 things I am concerned about: 1) I kid you not....there seems to be something inside my rear tyre! its almost several pieces swirling around inside when I turn the tyre by hand and you can hear them rolling back and forth and then stabilizing once the wheel stops. I have read via google that these are believed to be about a dozen small rubber balls that may come off the tyre as the rim slides around and shaves miniscule pieces which then begin a snowballing effect and turn into little balls. (sounded crazy at first but what else could be swirling around in my tyre?) 2) I believe my bearing is f****d. There is some serious friction sounding noise coming from the rear wheel when I turn it by hand and also it seems to be catching ever so slightly on something (not sure if it is a metal on metal noise? maybe grinding on the brake pads which Im not sure is normal or not?) on some part of the wheels rotation. I know I should be reading the manual on changing wheel bearings and I am, but was hoping for some tips and hints on this from you guys as all the advice you have given me has been 100% correct so far so I wouldn't really do much if I don't know without asking here first. CHEERS!!!!
Bike stands are great, they simplify and stabilise the bike which allows you perform tasks easily, the only thing better is to have centre stand fitted as standard on your bike. What is inside your wheel???? I have never experienced this prior so can't really help. If it bothers you why not take it to a bike shop, have the tire removed and check what is causing the noise.....simple fix really. As for your rear wheel noise, with your stand in place I would remove the brake calliper and see if the noise persist.....it's an easy remedy. Brake pads can and do grab at times creating a metallic sound. If the sound is still present you may have wheel bearing issue, one way to check is to grab the rear wheel and try moving it from side to side....if it has movement chances are your bearings need attention. Keep us posted on your progress mate.
Cheers @Phil will take a look when I replace tyres prior to warrant of fitness (not sure if this means anything in australia haha so maybe vehicle inspection is the correct term) Good idea I'm guessing brake calliper shouldn't be too hard to take off. But there is definitely no side to side movement in the wheel, it looks like there might be a bit of grime and rust or oil residue where the bearing would be just by visual inspection with the wheel on so maybe this might mean it needs replacing. It is so difficult with a bike whose service history is unknown, and to be honest if I'm "umming and ahhhhhing" about something probably better to replace the part anyway. now....any tips on bearings. Anything I should avoid doing or buying? any special requirements are they all fairly standard etc. Cheers
Are u going to do the bearings yourself? ..... Its not a difficult job but can be a bit tricky if the old bearings are "stuck" in there Also the new ones have to be knocked in so they are square and sitting flush without damaging them. The bearings will be numbered and any bearing shop will have them plus the seals. If theres rust and crap in that area I would pull off the rear wheel and see whats in there. You can then turn the inner race of the bearings with your finger and feel if they are smooth or crunchy. If u dont want to do the bearings yourself ask the bike shop how much to do it and to refit the tyre if you bring the wheel off the bike ...... having the new bearings and seals ready would be cheaper also.
Will tackle the rear wheel tonight, I am planning on doing it myself. Have watched a couple of videos and seems ok provided I dont rush it and have the right "bearing extracting tool". I dont think mechanic should be too expensive either so depends on my mood, will definitely have bearings and seals ready and wheel off before I go in there.
I use a spare tyre to put the bike wheel on to protect the discs while banging bearings in and out Put the bearings in the refrigerator a day before and the wheel in the sun and spray a bit of silicone or similar to help them go in And dont forget the spacer before the second new bearing!
If your old bearings are a bit hard to get out, try heating the hub with a hot air gun to expand the alloy a bit. Also helps when fitting new ones too.
When replacing my rusted out bearings on the dirtbike my 'bearing removal tool' was a large screwdriver with a slightly bent end and a large hammer... The previous owner did zero maintenance and where the wheel bearings usually have grease this one had dried dirt and caked up rusted chunks.......
