1979 R65 Wheel Bearings.

[mikeentner]

I hear the bad bearing sound coming from my front wheel. Any suggestions for bearings folks? Also, any trick or tips to getting the task done? I swear I'm into this bike for over $1K already <---I know, old sad story right?

[30064]

Mike,

Not sure if there's a short answer to the question. Are you sure its bearing noise you hear? Have you performed the shake test? If the bearings are damaged enough to make noise I would think you will notice lateral lash or stiffness and discoloration in the hub by overheating. Axle nut torqued to 25 to 30 foot pounds? Wheel spacers and top-hats installed correctly? Bearing noise or brake noise?

It might be a prudent move to remove the wheel and closely inspect the bearing cages (rollers) by removing the dust seals. What type of wheels?

New bearings and seals will probably run you ??$50 to $70 dollars, if you want to do it yourself. But you will need some special tools to perform the R&R and preload correctly. Race puller, adequate digital caliper, adequate machined take-up collars, pull scale and torque wrench. Most important thing doing this yourself is; procedure. Some may choose to perform the preload without a scale and by "feel" but i consider that a gamble unless the "feel" is done by an expert Guru with years of experience doing BMW wheel bearings. Just my opinion.

Or, you can find a local or nearby airhead friendly wrench to perform the work.

I have enough pictures and documents of the procedure to burry you. I'm happy to share what experience I have with you.

[Stan_R80/7]

Here is a link to a thread on the adventure rider forum describing replacing bad bearings on a /6 front wheel:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=388220

I recently serviced the rear wheel bearings on my '78 using the cycleworks.net lube tool and repacking the easily accessible bearing. My Clymer manual takes the 'heat hub and tap out bearing assembly" approach. Mike V has a thread detailing a technique for snowflake wheels. If your bearings are gone, removing (and replacing) the assembly by heating the hub is the best path. Good luck!

Here is Mike V's thread:

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=46970&