rear wheel bearing installation??

[Anonymous]

1981 gs850g

ok i bought the bearings and now am about to switch out the old ones (rear wheel). before i do that i thought i might find out what this will entail. i am a first time owner and am learning as i go.
do i need anything else besides the bearings such as oil or some kind of lube? should i watch out for anything when i'm removing the old ones and installing the new ones? any suggestions is greatly appreciated. thx

[Billy Ricks]

You can just use a long punch of some sort down through the center of the hub. Catch the edge of the inner race on the bearing a punch it out. Go around the inner race striking it with the punch to get it to come out reasonably even. When you install the new bearing clean the hub where the bearing fits and use a little grease on the outer race of the new bearing and a thin film in the hub. Use the old bearing against the new bearing to tap the bearing into the hub.

[daveo]

Before you install the new bearing, clean out the grease that the bearing was packed with, as it's just packing grease, repack with a high-pressure wheel bearing grease suitable for disc brake service

[argonsagas]

Before you install the new bearing, clean out the grease that the bearing was packed with, as it's just packing grease, repack with a high-pressure wheel bearing grease suitable for disc brake service

Yes and No, Dave. Depends on the manufacturer.

If you are doing this, make VERY sure you properly pack the new bearing. Spreading grease on top will NOT do the job properly.

Make sure ALL traces of solvent are gone.


Heat the bearing just to the point that it is hot to touch.....then put a large dab of grease in your hand and work it in well. The heat will soften the grease enough to give if more penetratiion, and thus better coverage.

Do NOT use a torch to heat it....that would damage any seal that it have.

The easiest way to heat it safely is to put the bearing in a clean plastic bag and put that into a cup of hot water.


There is a nice little toy available for packing bearings. It is simple, effective, and inexpensive. It looks like a pair of saucers with a bolt through the middle, and a grease nipple on top.

The saucers face each other and you screw them together, with the bearing in the middle. The cupped shape centres the bearing, and allows for a small space at the inner edge. Grease pushes through that space, and fills the bearing under pressure.


Another advantage is that as the new grease is forced in from the top saucer, it displaces the old stuff, pushing it into the lower saucer.

It is still best if the grease is room temperature or a bit warmer, but all you do is fit your grease gun to the nipple, and fill it up.