Replace bearings after pulling?
- Thread starter Klutch556
- Start date
Only if they get damaged when they are pulled..other than that, I'd check to see if they need to be repacked then put them back in...
So don't be a complete dork and spend $500 on new ceramic bearings that will offer basically zero perceivable benefit?
That too.....
michael parris heuberger
Registered
Hi. Some say they work some say they do not. I have ceramic bearings in my wheels, trans and cams. I say they help. They do not add HP. Every little bit helps. Do you need them no. Do I need them YES.
michael parris heuberger
Registered
Hi. I did a little looking and found they are worth a bout 3 MPH in the 1/4 mile.
While there is no “feel” benefit other than emotion, the ceramics will last forever. The key is purchasing them based on bearing part numbers from a reputable manufacturer, through a bearing distributor. If you see ceramic bearings advertising for a Busa, someone is just making money for the lookup you can do in a few minutes.
To the original poster, I would replace them, purchased from the correct source it is an inexpensive purchase.
If I dropped $500 I'd wait till I upgrade to BSTs. As for new bearings, I'd get them from brocks
Why would you purchase bearings from Brock. He is not a bearing manufacturer, neither a distributor?
You can get standard stock for close to $4 a bearing and SKF or NSK ceramic for close to $20 each.
In short, if you are not a bearing guy, all you have to do is read the bearing number off the actual bearing, call a SKF dealer and ask him for the ceramic equivalent.
Why pay Brock almost 100% margin, to supply something which may not be stocked for time and conditions as bearing distributors are audited to do?
Mythos
Registered
The only ceramic bearings I ever had were in the wheel on an aftermarket shift detent arm. When spun by with my finger, they didn't spin as freely as the steel bearings in the OEM detent arm. I was told they need to polish in but I doubt if steel or ceramic makes a bit of difference for applications where there is only partial rotation.
I've been told you can feel the difference rolling the bike by hand. Also heard the ceramic bearings got rough after some use. I have a hard time believing ceramic can withstand as much abuse as steel. I would try them in wheels though, just see for myself. I hope I remember to look for them myself if I ever buy those BST rims. The problem will be finding the part number without buying the bearings from a BST supplier.
Ceramic is just a trade name, the bearings have case hardened stainless steel inner and outer rings, with nitrided steel balls. They should last around 10 times as long as a normal bearing and especially if there is ingress of dirt they handle that extremely well. The latter is not an issue with a Busa.
To give you an idea where the friction thing works:
Anyone who has watched the Tour -De France and is a fan, will know a time trial bike, used for the tour or the Olympics costs around $18,000. They use ceramic bearings throughout to reduce friction. The bearings do not have conventional seals, they are open. There is a very thin seal that fits over the shaft and hub after the bearing is installed. The seal has almost zero friction. The bearings are not greased, as that will totally negate the friction advantage. The bearings are lubricated by around 3 drops of extremely thin machine oil, that's it and that is all they need for reliability in that specific application.
So here is the thing, in a race time trial every fraction of a second counts and in a finish sprint, the riders are mostly a tiny fraction of a second apart, so it counts. THE BIG DIFFERENCE is on a time trial a professional bike rider can average around 30mph and outputs only around 1/2 of a hp (horse power). So that tiny advantage helps a tiny little bit.
So for a Hayabusa that puts out close to 200 hp, that is completely negligible, plus the ceramic bearings used are greased, and in most cases the construction is the same as a conventional bearing, only the materials differ. There is no friction advantage. Most people forget that for any bearing to last the steel parts are separated by a film of lubricant, otherwise they will self destruct in no time. The lubricant is what reduces the friction, not the materials.
The human mind is a very powerful computer, but powered by emotion. My bike is almost 30% faster after I cleaned it and it rides so much smoother. Go figure.
The resistance felt when pushing a Busa comes almost 100% from the rolling resistance between the tire and the pavement. The friction caused by the brake pads and bearings are negligible.
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I know when my front tire is in the stand and I spin it, it moves pretty easily and spins a couple rotations...
With the chain friction, I don't think it would matter too much what bearing was in there
@Klutch556 brother if it were me, I'd check the bearings when they are pulled and if they are good, put them back in...at that low number of miles they are far from being out of spec....
Why waste money on something which isn't worn out.
With the chain friction, I don't think it would matter too much what bearing was in there
@Klutch556 brother if it were me, I'd check the bearings when they are pulled and if they are good, put them back in...at that low number of miles they are far from being out of spec....
Why waste money on something which isn't worn out.
The answer to replace the bearings with new, lies in how they are removed from the wheels. Ask the OP how he is going to remove the three bearings plus the two seals.
Yep, agree 100%...the first post I posted on this very subject to the OP pointed that exact thing out...
When you buy BST wheels , you get option of ceramic bearings before you add to final tally bro , just easier to add right there and have them fitted ready imho , but more expense added of course lol . I like knowing my BST's have them , and anyone that hand spins my rear wheels ( while parked up ), are amazed at how easily they rotate compared to their stock wheeled bike .
I'm not removing them, the shop wiring up my headlight and doing the powder coat is.
They do really good work from what I've seen. I feel like they'd say something if they messed them up during the removal?
I just didn't know if they could be reused. If they couldn't, I was gonna go ahead and buy new bearings and take them up to them to save time in case they didn't have ones to replace mine. They are primarily a custom/cruiser shop and I have zero knowledge about what type of mechanical parts the busa might share with the bikes they normally service.
I appreciate the info fellas!
There is a professional way to remove them using a special tool and and a more rudimentary way to do it with a hammer and a bar. The first is a bit safer, but both methods would leave me uncomfortable putting the old bearings back. No way I would even consider putting the same two seals back.
And then there are the backyard butchers you should avoid at all costs, see their footage below.
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Berlin Germany
Registered
@Klutch556
my recommendation would be when ever a wheel bearing is pulled - how ever - it should be replaced by new - typed "2rs".
the price per bearing is so low, that even a 10-minute-thinking-about with the mechanic is nearly more expensive than a new bearing .
so what shalls
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i find the "ceramics" that sometimes are recommend to be far too expensive for use in normal road traffic
and even with the 1/4 mile race (etc.), according to the experiences of good friends, i would personally do without it.
this enormous price difference to "normal" standard 2rs wheel bearings does not seem justified to me in any way - they are simply not worth it.
i personally strongly doubt whether such ceramics are used in motoGP or in the "world super bike class".
that huge money i would (so infinite much more useful) invest into chassis maintenance like
- replacing fork oil all 2-3 years (10000mi)
- greasing new the needle bearings in swingarm &
- greasing new the rear shock rod´s needle bearings
- greasing new the steering head tapered roller bearings every 3rd year (the original are simply crap)
all of this regularly and you think you have a brand new chassis.
my recommendation would be when ever a wheel bearing is pulled - how ever - it should be replaced by new - typed "2rs".
the price per bearing is so low, that even a 10-minute-thinking-about with the mechanic is nearly more expensive than a new bearing .
so what shalls
________________________________
i find the "ceramics" that sometimes are recommend to be far too expensive for use in normal road traffic
and even with the 1/4 mile race (etc.), according to the experiences of good friends, i would personally do without it.
this enormous price difference to "normal" standard 2rs wheel bearings does not seem justified to me in any way - they are simply not worth it.
i personally strongly doubt whether such ceramics are used in motoGP or in the "world super bike class".
that huge money i would (so infinite much more useful) invest into chassis maintenance like
- replacing fork oil all 2-3 years (10000mi)
- greasing new the needle bearings in swingarm &
- greasing new the rear shock rod´s needle bearings
- greasing new the steering head tapered roller bearings every 3rd year (the original are simply crap)
all of this regularly and you think you have a brand new chassis.
Wow... that guy giving the lesson should have been a commandant in a concentration camp... the orders and the way he delivered the orders... oooohh boy.
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