nklr: gp racers humpbacks

[monahanwb@yahoo.com]

While repairing a flat out in the woods yesterday (long ways from anywhere) I didn't think too highly of the rear wheel bearing's condtion, plus I think I got a little dirt in it while removing the tire on the side of the gravel road. Someone on the list knows the make and item number of the replacement bearings which are superior to the Kaw product, cheaper too? I was very fortunate to have packed a new tube with me yesterday, I was 165 miles from home and 40 miles up a dirt road in the Sierra when the flat occurred. I propped the bike up on an old axe handle I got from a passing logger. Then a young feller on a KLR 250 came by and I used his sidestand to break the tire free. The rest was pretty easy, I even had some soap with me, as I had been camping. A bicycle pump won't give enough air to seat the tire, of course, so I had to gently ride 40 miles to a gas station with air. Anyway, anyone know about the rear wheel bearing replacement items? Thanks.

[Robert J. Kaub]

Bill: There are three bearings on the rear wheel/sprocket hub. The sprocket hub uses a #6204 bearing. The sprocket side of the rear wheel uses a #6003 The disk side of the rear wheel uses a #6004. I highly recommended that you get bearings that have SEALS, not shields, on both sides. These bearings don't need periodic maintenance and are self-protected from dust and water. I also highly recommend that you avoid bearings made in China. My experience with them is that they are cheap to buy but are poor quality and just don't hold up very long. Different manufacturers use different part numbers but the numbers above are the industry standard for metric bearings. Just match them up and you're all set. Quality bearings aren't cheap and run around 12 US$ each. Thanks.

[Wishart, John]

I am replacing my wheel bearings with a new set of double sealed ones I got from CBR Bearing (www.cbrbearing.com). I have the front wheel off, but so far have been unable to get the bearings out. I removed the retaining ring on one side of the hub, but they don't want to budge. The technique I tried is placing a socket on the inner race and hitting the socket with a hammer. There is a spacer between the two inner races. What is the best way to get the old ones out? Do I need to get a bearing puller? It doesn't seem like you would be able to get the puller hooks on the inner race with the spacer in there. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks, John Wishart 2000 KLR650

[Zachariah Mully]

On Wed, 2003-06-11 at 15:48, Wishart, John wrote:

> I am replacing my wheel bearings with a new set of double sealed ones I > got from CBR Bearing (www.cbrbearing.com). I have the front wheel off, > but so far have been unable to get the bearings out. I removed the > retaining ring on one side of the hub, but they don't want to budge. The > technique I tried is placing a socket on the inner race and hitting the > socket with a hammer. There is a spacer between the two inner races. > > What is the best way to get the old ones out? Do I need to get a bearing > puller? It doesn't seem like you would be able to get the puller hooks > on the inner race with the spacer in there. Any suggestions would be > welcome. > > Thanks, > John Wishart

The reason why your technique doesn't work is that the one of the bearings sits on a flange in the hub. The spacer then butts up against the otherside of the flange. I can't remember which side has the flange, but I am sure that somebody on the list knows. Z DC A5X A12X

[Wishart, John]

Thanks a lot, Kelley. I'll try that this weekend. (I'd do it tonight except my wife is leaving for AZ tomorrow and I need to change the oil in the minivan tonight.) I did notice that the spacer is movable. That should do the trick. Regards, John -----Original Message----- From: Kelley Kinser [mailto:kelley_kinser@...] Sent: 11 June, 2003 1:55 PM To: Wishart, John Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] Wheel Bearing Replacement The spacer in the center of the wheel just floats so you can move it. I propped the wheel up so that there wasn't anything under the hub and just used a large srewdriver (I did mine in a parking lot while away from home) and hammer to tap them out from the opposite side. Since you are replacing the old bearings you don't need to worry about damaging them. I then used the old bearings and a hammer to tap the new ones into place. Kelley............... __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com

[Devon Jarvis]

Take something like a piece of solid steel rod, or a socket extension, put it through one bearing so it presses against the inside of the internal spacer. Push hard to one side, the spacer will move over 1mm or so. Use a hammer to hit the edge of the inner race of the bearing on the other side of the wheel, THROUGH THE HUB. You will be able to move it a little bit, then use the rod to push the spacer to the other side, and repeat until you "walk" out the bearing. The bearing and spacer will fall out, then just hammer out the bearing on the side you were working from. It helps to heat up the hub around the bearing you're hammering with a propane torch. This method destroys the bearings, obviously. Not a concern if the whole point is to replace the bearings. Devon "Wishart, John" wrote:

> > I am replacing my wheel bearings with a new set of double sealed ones I > got from CBR Bearing (www.cbrbearing.com). I have the front wheel off, > but so far have been unable to get the bearings out. I removed the > retaining ring on one side of the hub, but they don't want to budge. The > technique I tried is placing a socket on the inner race and hitting the > socket with a hammer. There is a spacer between the two inner races. > > What is the best way to get the old ones out? Do I need to get a bearing > puller? It doesn't seem like you would be able to get the puller hooks > on the inner race with the spacer in there. Any suggestions would be > welcome. > > Thanks, > John Wishart > 2000 KLR650 >

-- "It's a troublesome world, all the people who are in it, are troubled with troubles almost every minute" Dr. Seuss

[Devon Jarvis]

Devon Jarvis wrote:

>

The

> bearing and spacer will fall out, then just hammer out the > bearing on the side you were working from.

Of course you have to flip the wheel over once the first bearing comes out. Both bearings have an inside shoulder on their seats, and can't be hammered into the hub.

> > It helps to heat up the hub around the bearing you're > hammering with a propane torch. >

Devon

[Wishart, John]

Well, I got the two front bearings out OK. Then I got the larger of the two front bearings in OK by tapping it in with the old bearing. I then placed the spacer in between and started to work on the smaller bearing. I tapped it in place using the old bearing. I wasn't quite sure how far to tap it in and I didn't want to get the old bearing stuck in the bore so I was using a socket to tap it in as it got in past the end of the hub. I then ran into two problems: 1. I got the socket a little tipped in to the center and dented the bearing seal, and 2. I think I got it too far down into the bore, because the inner races and spacer are reluctant to turn freely. I fear I may have brinelled the outer races also (maybe the tapping got a little too hard and turned into whacking:>)) So what I'm going to do at lunch is go down to the local bearing supply house and pick up a couple of new front bearings. I'll take out the possibly screwed-up ones and replace them. The larger bearing had a shoulder in the bore to stop on. I didn't notice a shoulder at the other end, but I didn't look for one either. Is there a shoulder there also for the outer race to stop against? I recall that the spacer was not tight between the two inner races before I took the old bearings out. What's the proper technique to get the smaller bearing spaced in the bore properly? I'm going to put together a procedure for this when/if I can get this done successfully and post it in the files. Does anyone have the wheel bearing replacement procedure (if there is one) out of the shop manual readily available? Thanks, John Wishart 2000 KLR650

[Zachariah Mully]

On Thu, 2003-06-12 at 11:33, Wishart, John wrote:

> Well, I got the two front bearings out OK. Then I got the larger of the > two front bearings in OK by tapping it in with the old bearing. I then > placed the spacer in between and started to work on the smaller bearing.

To make it easier next time, cut a V-shaped slot in the spacer. Then you'll be able to get a punch up against the inner race without having to dick around with pushing the spacer back and forth.

> I tapped it in place using the old bearing. I wasn't quite sure how far > to tap it in and I didn't want to get the old bearing stuck in the bore > so I was using a socket to tap it in as it got in past the end of the > hub. I then ran into two problems: 1. I got the socket a little tipped > in to the center and dented the bearing seal, and 2. I think I got it > too far down into the bore, because the inner races and spacer are > reluctant to turn freely. I fear I may have brinelled the outer races > also (maybe the tapping got a little too hard and turned into > whacking:>))

IIRC, you should be able to use the old bearing trick on the other side as well. If you don't have a set of bearing drivers, then it's really the best way to do it. Also helps to toss the bearings in the freezer and heat the hub a little with a propane torch. I also use a little anti-seize on the bearings for lub and to prevent them from, well, seizing (steel/aluminum corrision).

> The larger bearing had a shoulder in the bore to stop on. I didn't > notice a shoulder at the other end, but I didn't look for one either. Is > there a shoulder there also for the outer race to stop against? I > recall that the spacer was not tight between the two inner races before > I took the old bearings out. What's the proper technique to get the > smaller bearing spaced in the bore properly?

Shouldn't it simply be flush with the hub? Z DC A5X A12X

[James]

Sunflower

>Now that you mention it, those GP racers on speed Channel all appear to have humpbacks. They have some pretty nice umbrella girls in tow, too.

Some racers use back mounted drinking systems. However; most of the hump you actually see is highly advanced and highly expensive back armor. This armor is designed for the racing crouch and would not work well on a KLR. Some riders use a bark armor setup that also incorporates a rear neck brace to prevent their necks from snapping backward. I'd be willing to bet it also helps with keeping ones neck from cramping up over the duration of the race. One item of concern with carrying a backpacking backpack, that I haven't seen mentioned yet, is the good old sail affect. Before I had experience, I tried using a backpack on my XL 500. Was not cool. The thing basically acts as a full blown catch sail. All the wind from forward motion is captured and pulls back on the rider. Over the course of a few hours, you are talking about major stress to the shoulders, arms, and neck. In my case, this over stressing resulted in nasty headaches that took the fun out of where I was. The guys talking about safety problems are right on as well. The last thing you want is something thick and fairly unyielding strapped to your back in the case of an accident. While not an excellent idea, the school style backpacks can be worn with relative safety and comfort, provided you don't put anything hard in them. On two wheels, it really isn't a great idea to have anything strapped to your back that goes beyond a flexible drinking bag or properly designed spinal armor. Your best friend in case of a crash, is flexibility. The more flexibility lost, the greater the chance of breaking something that you don't want broken. Relatively thin armor is designed so that if and when it comes into contact with the terrain surface, there are no sharp edges or abrupt angles to catch. The desire here is to encourage sliding while providing impact and friction protection. A backpack designed for foot travel is liable to cause you all sorts of problems should this situation arise. Jim Sherlock Cedar Creek, Texas [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]