Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Sport Touring: ST4 / ST3 / ST2 > Bladdy Wheel Bearings - Again !!!

[Jools]

Could've been a top day!

Got back from Northampton about 4:00pm on a bit of a high after a succesful karate grading.

Weathers a bit overcast, but warm and dry, and the bike is sitting there with a 10 mile old Diablo on the back that's just itching to be scrubbed in.

So I get kitted up and the bike is ticking over nicely. Just by pure chance I look at the rear tyre to check the size of the chicken strips that need to be scrubbed off and push my thumb across the virgin rubber. Guess what!....the Bladdy rear wheel clicks sideways.

I grab the wheel and sure enough the wheel clicks from side to side and one of the rear wheel bearings is obviously shot. I wouldn't mind but I replaced them after the last DSC trackday at Rockingham so they've only lasted about 1000 miles since then

I must admit that I just whacked 'em in and didn't do anything special. Is there a technique? or something that I should've watched out for? I suppose that I could've just been unlucky and got a Friday afternoon bearing, but I can't help feeling that it might be something I've done.

Oh well, as long as I get it done for the BHC rideout next week the scrubbing in will just have to wait. Right now I feel a few Stellas coming on....The Pub is calling....

[Redruth]

You're not having much luck, are you Jools? But I always tell myself when something stops me going out on the bike maybe this was the day I would have got knocked off it. There's a reason for everything. It's just not always easy to see what on earth that reason could be.

[Fordie]

Same here Jools , changed the oil and filter on friday,come Saturday parked the bike up after a 50 miler only to come back to a 4" spread of fresh oil under the bike. checked the filter tightness thinking i had not done it tight enough only to find the oil was coming from some where else,a simular plug next to and above the starter motor on the opposite side,not from the seal but through the metal plug itself ? Need to get another one before the weekend. Wonder if yours was caused by either under torquing or over torquing or just a duff bearing,maybe a good thing you found out sooner and not later on a ride out. 4D

[Jools]

Hmmm....You're right Fordie. I don't have a torque wrench so who knows what the hell they're torqued up to. I just keep cranking the tommy bar until the nuts are effing tight (I think that's the correct technical term), but I can see how over-torquing could buggerem.

I'm hoping I can get away with just replacing the bearings. I'm also taking a bit of a flyer on the service. Just can't afford it right now and the belts have done about 6000 miles. Never done the belts meself and as you know I don't have ideal working space alongside my shed so...I'm just trying not to redline the thing and keeping my fingers crossed.

Oh the joy of Ducati ownership on a shoestring.

[Edited on 20-3-2005 by Jools]

[marko]

Only thing you can do is to make sure the seal is OK and if the bearing is not a sealed type pack it with grease.

[Fordie]

Jools my 900SS use to have the belts changed at 10,000 and they still looked in reasonable condition,. as you say keep the the ST of the limiter and fingers crossed. Ive got a torque wrench if and when you want to use it. Regards 4D

[KeefyB]

Hmm,unlucky mate.When you say you wacked the bearings in,did you use a big socket,or similar,and drive the bearing in on the outer race?Bearings can get damaged by belting them in the centre.(You probably know that tho!)
Has the ST got one of those conical spacers for the rear wheel,and has it been fitted correctly?Just a thought.
Other than that,get yerself a torque wrench for tightening up the rear wheel.I once helped a guy with a creaking 750SS.Turned out the wheel nuts were that tight,it was the bearings creaking!

Cambelts should be ok for 12k and/or two years.

[Edited on 21-3-2005 by KeefyB]

[Jools]

Cheers for the comments guys. I guess I will just replace them again and put it down to a dodgy bearing. I didn't use pukka Ducati bearings, just got some 6005-2RS/C3 bearings off a local factor...Who knows... probably made by the Shon Kee Bearing company somewhere in Papua New Guinea :P

I used the "socket on the outer race" method to pop them in. I've still got an old Montesa 348 in the shed that used to eat wheel bearings for breakfast with all the mud and grit that trials bikes live in, so I've done a few.

I still think that the lack of a torque wrench and just whacking the nuts up until my nuts start to creak with the effort could be crimping the bearings up to much.

Hey ho...it's only work!

[Derek]

There should be a spacer between the bearings and if this in right and fits properly then no matter how much torque you put on the wheel nuts the bearings should not be loaded.
I changed the bearings on my son's 125 Ho***a a few weeks ago and found that when I put the spacer in from the opposite side if prevented one of the bearings from seating properly and when I tightened the axle nuts it did load the bearings. I had to knock one of them out, reverse the spacer and put it back together again.