2 year service - is this unusual?

Originally Posted by gary tompkins

Big Oz had the wheel bearings fail on his 696

The clue is in the name?

Jx

Jenny you being a desert rat,

if potholes are such a big thing for wheel bearings and heasdstock bearings, i suppose on a Dakar you change them on a daily basis?

Originally Posted by bialbero

Jenny you being a desert rat,

if potholes are such a big thing for wheel bearings and heasdstock bearings, i suppose on a Dakar you change them on a daily basis?

Hi Bialbero - not necessarily - you might have to change them once or maybe twice during a long rally like the Dakar, but certainly not every day... on a shorter event like an FIM round, you'd be unlucky if you have to change them at all if you started the event with fresh ones.

You have to remember than dirt bikes have far longer and softer suspension travel, and are also much lighter, so the shock loading on bearings is reduced significantly... the trick is also to ride at a speed that minimizes the vibrations - for example on washboard piste (dirt roads with corrugations), if you ride at 50mph or more, it actually smoothes everything out, as the wheels are essentially skipping over the ridges, a bit like a speedboat planing on wave crests?

Even on my Tenere which I rode 23,000 miles across the USA over the winter of 08/09, and covered a lot of desert miles are quite high speed, I never needed to change the wheel (or steering bearings)...

Keeping them clean and adjusted is the key.

Jx

ps. As Rally suggested, this is an alternative method:

JMo, thank you.

that's the point I tried to make. we never changed the bearings, nor did anybody else
(maybe the factory teams because they can)
potholes will simply not kill a healthy bearing. the bumps will be eliminated by the tyres and the suspension
X

I agree... I have an 8 year old monster thats done 38,000+ miles... never needed bearings for that bike...

Jx

[gary tompkins]

Originally Posted by JMo

The clue is in the name?

Jx

He's Big Oz only in name these days. A strict fitness routine has seen him shrink to a relative lightweight.

In fact the Kenties are considering re-naming Andy as our medium Oz

[BigOz]

Originally Posted by JMo

The clue is in the name?

Jx

Not so much these days but yes for the bikes first 6k mikes it was essentially carrying the weight of two normal riders, I've now lost 6.5 stone so we will have to see if the new set last longer.

At the 2 year service (a couple of days out of warranty) Pro Twins noticed the slightest sign of a front wheel bearing failing, in the hand after they were removed one was definitely on it's way out.

No problems with the head bearings but I changed them while tinkering with a few mods in the last two weeks.

How's the recovery going?

Andy

Originally Posted by BigOz

How's the recovery going?

Andy

Quick thread hi-jack... it's going ok Andy - still on crutches for the moment, but got an x-ray on the 24th and hopefully will get the all-clear to start walking again...

It's going to be a while before I'll be riding (certainly off-road) in any capacity though - doctor said it could be up to five months, so I'm looking at the end of May to get back on a dirt bike...

Right, normal service is resumed... "that Rich at Luigi Moto, excellent fellow etc etc."

Jx

Wish someone would give me a quid for everytime I've read "don't go anywhere near any motorcycle with a pressure washer". I wouldn't even use it on my scooter commuter.

Warm water with lots of suds and a clean sponge ! Doesn't take any longer either.

[utopia]

Totally agree with that.
...but would add...a selection of paint brushes, some with the bristles cut down to stiffen them up a bit, and all with a piece of cycle inner tube covering the metal ferrule.
...and a cheap hand pump with neat cleaning product of your choice, for those grubbier areas.
Hand cleaning is also a much more intimate contact with the bike...helps with general familiarity and with spotting developing problems.

When I was 18, I discovered that 3.30pm was a good time for bike cleaning...cos after a while the girl next door would come walking along from the school bus-stop, and I could engage her in conversation for a few brief moments until her overly strict father called her inside.
She ended up being the mother of my four children.

[steeevvvooo]

I use a hosepipe with a trigger thing on it. Reasonably powerful close up if needed but gentle enough to not do too much damage I hope.

My other bike is clunking like mad over bumps and creaks under heavy braking, definitely bearings but think it's head bearings rather than wheel

Sometimes you need a jetwash...



Jx

[utopia]

Originally Posted by JMo

Sometimes you need a jetwash...

Jx

Yep....they're great for stripping ceramic tiles off your garage wall !!!

Originally Posted by utopia

Hand cleaning is also a much more intimate contact with the bike...helps with general familiarity and with spotting developing problems.

Yep totally agree. When cleaning my 696 with a sponge not long ago I knocked the rear calliper with my sponge to find both bolts only finger tight - if that. Wouldn't have spotted that if I was using a jet washer. You spot loads of stuff when doing it by hand!