the wheel bearings

By now, I have learned way more than I wanted to.  Yes - I took on this project to keep me occupied, but now I just wanna ride the frigging thing!  And all I've achieved is to stick the front forks onto the frame...   Now things get really tricky - wheel bearings.

BMW - in its grand wisdom, chose off-the-shelf wheel bearings (Timken 30203) that will last 2 BILLION miles provided they are lubricated and maintained correctly.  BUT - to maintain them and adjust them, you need a good mechanic.  The bearings sell for $25 each, but a mechanic costs $100 an hour.  Modern motorcycles are designed so that you just replace the bearings and this requires little or no skill, and not much time.  BMW bearings last forever, provided you have a knowledgeable and patient mechanic and you can afford his well-earned hourly rate.  I have neither a mechanic nor the money to pay him/her...

Back to the drawing board.  My new wheels have no bearings - but my old ones have both bearings and all the other bits needed.  Duane Ausherman has a great instructional page that explains just how to take the bastards out, maintain them and re-insert them.  check out http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/wheel_bearing/index.htm.

I started with the front wheel.  Duane's page explains how you have to heat the wheel with a blow-torch in order to punch out the entire assembly, service them, and re-insert them.  EXCEPT - he forgot to mention that all these instructions do not apply to front wheels!  So here I am, heating, beating, and wailing on an assembly that will never come out with heat!  Call me stupid, but I cooked the front wheel bearings real good for no real reason.  So... order new wheel bearings on the internet, and chalk it all to experience...

Now to the rear wheel.  I repeat the "Duane" procedure and it works like a charm!  I repack the bearings, check the entire bearing stack and insert it into the "new rear wheel".  Guess what, the "new" rear wheel hub is stripped and the whole bearing stack is loose in the hub.  BUGGER!  I email the person I bought it from on Ebay - dryheat1.  I did not expect any outcome but the guy replied immediately and sent me another wheel.  That guy is true-blue!

So now I have a front wheel that works, a rear wheel that works, a swing-arm that needed new bearings (easy) and I nearly have a rolling frame.  Next episode soon...