Rear wheel bearing collapse.

[Tiger-G]

Hi,

Anyone ever had a wheel bearing collapse ?? Mine has on the rear wheel. I put new ones in a couple of years ago, and they've only done 5,000 miles.

But...........I was out the other day, on a very minor single track road approaching a ford. A lorry was coming the other way, so I politely pulled off the road so he could go through the ford first without slowing down or having to pull in. I know, knight of the road and a true gentleman  . 

After he'd gone through I pulled back onto the road and hit the ford at a very slight angle and............with fords being slicker than snot on a chickens lip (as Hugh would say on "Ice Road Truckers")............the back end slid away from me. I put full opposite lock on and the bike came back upright, but the back end went the opposite way, dug in and threw me off. The first time I've been off a bike in 30 years 

After much fun and games waiting for someone to come and help me lift Tiger back up...........oh, forgot to mention...........the lad in the truck went round a bend and climbed a hill, he looked back at me on the floor and just kept on going. So much for being a knight of the feckin' road !!  ............I drove about 7 miles further to our lass's house with a scratched pannier, snapped footrest and thankful I'd put crashbars on. As I was riding I could feel the back didn't quite feel right, and the bike was slipping about a bit at the back. Thought it might just be oil or fuel on the tyre so took it easy.

I checked the bike over as best I could at her house, and it looked ok. Then a few days later I headed home. The bike didn't feel right from the start. The back end was drifting about a bit, there were a few odd noises (this was at 60mph  ). I stopped and checked the back end. The rear shock looked ok and the swing arm felt solid so carried on at a slower pace. The bike got worse and worse and the back end was all over the place. I stopped again and had a really good look at the rear wheel, and I could see that the wheel bearing dust cover was slightly skew-whiff on the brake disc side. I rode it a bit further but it got so bad I just gave up and got the bike recovered.

So I think when the back end went in the ford, dug in and threw me off, it must have done something to the wheel bearing ??

Took the wheel off tonight, and as you will see from the pics, the bearing is knackered:









Problem is, I can't get the outer bearing casing out ?? Any ideas ??

Cheers,
Graeme.

[John Stenhouse]

Amazing you held onto that, another thing to check lads and lasses

[SteveFord]

Not on a Triumph but it's a common failure on the Buell Ulysses due to the bearings being undersized for two up, fully loaded touring. 

[Sin_Tiger]

I suspect your bearing was getting worn and probably running on the warm side to start with. When you hit the cold water and stayed there for a while, the cooling bearing will have sucked in water and leaving it for a few days it'll have started to rust. Then the inevitable has happened as the wear has accelerated. I think the problem in the ford was just contact with the slippery uneven surface under water rather than the wheel moving but it may have been contributory.

To get the outer race out, cut a piece of steel (flat bar is best) that'll sit inside the angled surface of the race at least half way down. Protect all alloy parts, aluminium flashing tape works well and copper grease on fiddly bits that you don't want damaged by weld spatter. Grind the areas on the race to remove any rust and remaining hard surfaces where the steel bar contracts the race. Weld the bar to the race, apply child water carefully just to the welds and bar, now you should be able to knock out the race from the opposite side.

When buying new bearings, get 2RS C3 replacements from your nearest bearing specialist, they'll be able to help based on the number on the old bearing races. C3 is the higher grade for tolerance and continous load rating.

[Tiger-G]

Thanks for the info SinT, I've racked my brain for a solution today, and that's the best one I can come up with too 

Makes me wonder if the way I've put the new bearings in was wrong ?? I've looked back through my "How to" sticky and all looks ok ?? 

http://www.tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,14520.msg109580/boardseen.html#new

Oh.........and by the way...........how many of the wheel bearings would you replace ?? I was thinking the two in the wheel itself, but not the one in the cush drive ??

[Sin_Tiger]

You'd probably be OK at that but they're not pricey even from BSL have a quick Google on the bearing numbers, you might be surprised. I'd go for NTN unless you find SKF that are guaranteed EU made.

[Tiger-G]

Well, I got my new wheel bearings in the post, put them on the wheel using my very own "how to" guide and gave Tiger a quick test ride. All looks well, and it looks like I've got away without causing too much damage  :icon_wink: