Reusing old bearings

powerdoc · Mar 18, 2012

OK, the rims and hubs are now separate and I'm going to polish the hubs so the question of removing the bearings comes up. I was planning to replace the bearings but then the bike only has 6xxx thousand miles so the bearings hopefully would still be good.

What's the rule for reusing bearings? ( Not just wheel bearings, everything on the bike.)

1: Only if money is a problem

2: Never ever

3: Some can and some can't and the ones you shouldn't are...............

(I'm a big believer in not reinventing the wheel, so to speak.. I'm sure someone knows the right answer)

swooshdave · Mar 18, 2012

Take them out, clean them and see how they spin. Anything less than super smooth replace them.

Wheel bearings won't set you back that much.

concours · Mar 18, 2012

The only wild card is low grade Chinese bearings. The new stuff you buy may be rubbish. My wheel bearings have 38 years and 12,000 miles on them. They inspect just fine, repack and back in they go.

Hobot · Mar 18, 2012

To check, bearing must be dry and then slowly rolled and rolled and rolled till the parts eventually line up on bad spots to feel a slight glitch in the action, then repeat and repeat till ya sure it repeatable, then toss that one or know its on its last few 1000's miles legs. It takes a rather sharp edged drift to get a bite on the race with the dang trapped spacer in the way. I grind 3 notched in mine so the next guy in don't hurt themselves getting bearings out. If anal can replace spacer by Al tube.

rvich · Mar 19, 2012

All vehicle's run on used parts. But you might consider sealed bearings as an upgrade feature. If you are going to polish the hubs, you might enjoy not cleaning grease off of them. I am not sure how one show polishes a hub and keeps it looking that way. It may take considerable effort, so maybe the layer of grease helps!

Hobot · Mar 19, 2012

Definitely sealed wheel bearings are right up there with sliced bread. Power washing is popular with me and Wes and most everyone else, is known to force rusting and grease removing water into hubs.

B+Bogus · Mar 19, 2012

The only problem I have with taking bearings out to check them is that driving against the inner race can damage the ball-tracks, so if everything can be made good and hot first they come out without having to use any real force.
Checking in situ is preferable IMHO, and seals can be flipped out with a thin blade if carefully done.

norbsa48503 · Mar 19, 2012

A nice German company in Korea (KBC) will make you fine double sealed bearings for about 12.00.
If your old one failed at the side of the road you would then have to say yes I beat them out by the inter race knowingly bridling the bearing with out any thought. And now I hate your advice. I say, do what you like you will anyway.

rpatton · Mar 19, 2012

My local bearing guy told me not to spin a bearing dry. Also, he said that you can't tell by feeling or looking at a bearing how much useful life is left in them. All you can tell is whether they are shot or not. I can't see why anyone would put a used bearing back in; especially wheel or drum bearings, stem bearings, clutch bearings, ect. If you used a hammer to get them out, then they are junk.

BTW, the guy at Vintage Brake writes that the brake linings can become contaminated from vaporized grease that gets past the felt seals. He says to replace them with sealed bearings.

mikegray660 · Mar 19, 2012

rpatton said:
...... I can't see why anyone would put a used bearing back in; especially wheel or drum bearings, stem bearings, clutch bearings, ect. If you used a hammer to get them out, then they are junk. ......

+1 -( if one actually ride's their bike! :shock: :mrgreen: )

also they aren't a real expensive item -

gjr · Mar 19, 2012

B+ and rpatton are right on this. If you drive the bearings out, replace them.

You might not have to remove the bearings to check them. How do they feel ? 6000 miles ? They should be good to go. Turn, don't spin them. If they don't feel like they are catching, they are probably good enough for the horses we ride. Shove a little grease into them and let them go. You can pop the shield out of the 'sealed' bearings and add a little grease (Some of them come with about enough grease to keep the balls from getting rusty).

Ballbearings can survive in relatively dirty conditions IF they have grease.

IMHO

Greg

ashman · Mar 19, 2012

Hi
I still have my orginal sealed bearing in both my Norton wheels with over 120,000 miles and 36 years of ownership, if you pull them out every 20,000 miles, give them a good clean and repack them with good quility wheel bearing grease and you shouldn't have any problems with them, I never wash my bike with high pressure water blasters as that will be the quickest way of stuffing up any brearings, but if there is any sign of roughness then I would replace them, its not a hard job.

Ashley

Reusing old bearings

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