CB550k3 Rear hub movement

[Oddjob]

We did but I asked someone who was dismantling his for the first time and he replied his was flat side out.

[Sesman]

Mine was a first time dismantle and the ring was flat side down. I have to assume that the factory got it right, but I guess there is always room for error.🤔

[Oddjob]

It’s possible that if the carrier is a really tight fit the seal could grab and flip as the carrier is removed. Must check and see if the groove in my Lesters is round or flat at the bottom, they are almost ready for powder coating so easy to get at. If it’s round it’s a clear indication the seal fits that way.

[Bookmark1]

Many thanks for all of the advice and tips. Had another go at that bearing and it did indeed go in another couple of mm before being fully seated. Once everything was greased up and put back together the retainer fitted almost perfectly flush and the movement in the flange was gone. The wheel is back on the bike and is as steady as a rock 👍

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

It might be a daft comment but I did wonder if when the wheel was fitted to the bike & the rear axle torqued up if that 2 mm movement would have gone as a result?

[Bookmark1]

I get what you’re saying Ted. The movement was noticed after the wheel had been mounted first time  but the spindle had not been fully torqued up because there is still a wee bit of work to be done. Some of the movement may have been overcome if it was fully torqued but the fact that the bearing was not properly seated would probably have come back to bite me on the bum.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I get what you’re saying Ted. The movement was noticed after the wheel had been mounted first time  but the spindle had not been fully torqued up because there is still a wee bit of work to be done. Some of the movement may have been overcome if it was fully torqued but the fact that the bearing was not properly seated would probably have come back to bite me on the bum.

When I was fitting the wheel bearings in my 400 I did seem to have to use a lot of violence when drifting them in - there was also the bounce factor of the other side of the hub - must be nice to have the facilities of a press rather than a lump hammer.

[Oddjob]

The carrier is sort of free floating Ted, the retainer is what keeps it in place, if the retainer is loose so is the carrier. Iirc when the retainer is fitted correctly there is a very small gap of around 0.5-1.0mm between the flange of the retainer and the carrier. It cannot be locked tight as under acceleration the carrier compresses the damper rubbers and twists forward, hence why it needs to be greased between the hub and the carrier bush, it’s why the grooves are there to retain grease. Seen quite a few where the grease has either dried out or the bearing was fitted dry that wore the bushing in the carrier oval.

[Charliecharlcomb]

The carrier is sort of free floating Ted, the retainer is what keeps it in place, if the retainer is loose so is the carrier. Iirc when the retainer is fitted correctly there is a very small gap of around 0.5-1.0mm between the flange of the retainer and the carrier. It cannot be locked tight as under acceleration the carrier compresses the damper rubbers and twists forward, hence why it needs to be greased between the hub and the carrier bush, it’s why the grooves are there to retain grease. Seen quite a few where the grease has either dried out or the bearing was fitted dry that wore the bushing in the carrier oval.

Thats exactly what happened to mine. The carrier was dry and worn and the grooves had almost disappeared. It all manifested in an evil wobble of the handlebars which I'm happy to say has now gone once I'd sourced a replacement. I had no idea how complex and expensive comprehensive rebuilds of both wheels would turn out to be.