Wheel bearings ?

[A10 JWO]

I am rebuilding my wheels including the bearings. Most bearings on the market are now sealed !! I am used to adding loads of new grease when I change these, do we still have to apply liberal amounts and do we still fit the dust covers and grease retainers if we use sealed units. Thanks.

[RoyC]

I am rebuilding my wheels including the bearings. Most bearings on the market are now sealed !! I am used to adding loads of new grease when I change these, do we still have to apply liberal amounts and do we still fit the dust covers and grease retainers if we use sealed units. Thanks.

I just fitted sealed bearings then put everything back as was with no grease.

[Topdad]

If you want to grease pull out the seals inboard side and pack centre leaving outside seals in place the put back as original  extra sealing aginst the elements .

[A10 JWO]

Will freeze the new ones over night for a quick fit with less force and pack everything I can with grease and pack them in. Should be straight forward as the hubs are of to the aqua-blasting shop tomorrow. Thanks for replies.

[Rex]

The point of using sealed bearings is that you no longer have to add grease any more. So you're the person who seems to have filled up every motorcycle hub with grease on every bike I've ever had then!?

[coater87]

The point of using sealed bearings is that you no longer have to add grease any more. So you're the person who seems to have filled up every motorcycle hub with grease on every bike I've ever had then!?

 Reminds me of a story. Friend brings over a ford 9 inch rear end for a hot rod he is building. The last guy, instead of just greasing the differential gears, took it upon himself to pack the entire spline housing FULL. We removed just a little less than a ice cream bucket of grease from inside there.

 You would have thought that by the 5th tub, or 10th tube of grease the last guy might have thought something was wrong...

 Lee

[BSA_54A10]

Well I know a person who shall remain nameless for fear of self incrimination put 2 tubes worth of grease into his steering head before he realized it had to be going somewhere else.
Appears to save metal the ends of the frame lugs were not sealed so yes I ( er I mean he ) now has a front down tube very well lubricated. 

[Rex]

Do people still actually use the grease nipples anymore?
Well, judging by my recently-bought RE they do, as every nipple (and there are many)  had clearly been pumped to the max and grease was oozing everywhere.
Given the slight annual mileage most classics do, the smear of grease used on assembly will last indefinitely.

[KiwiGF]

I am rebuilding my wheels including the bearings. Most bearings on the market are now sealed !! I am used to adding loads of new grease when I change these, do we still have to apply liberal amounts and do we still fit the dust covers and grease retainers if we use sealed units. Thanks.

On my 56 with Ariel hubs I fitted the sealed bearings and did not fit dust covers and any other parts designed to keep grease in the non sealed type, it's never going to have unsealed bearings again so what's the point in fitting the redundant parts. There is no point in applying grease elsewhere as it will never make it into the sealed bearing and makes an unnecessary mess. Just my opinion!

Sealed wheel bearings are a superior design to unsealed type and maintenance free, what's not to love!

[Black Sheep]

A regular generous application of grease to the steering head is absolutely fine - until you send the frame off for powder coating. Something happens at the baking on stage that causes an unaccountable loss of humour on the part of the previously friendly powder coating operative. Still the grease fumes probably put him off smoking for a day or two and the floor of the cabinet will never rust.

[A10 JWO]

Rebuilt both hubs today, slight amount of grease just to ease the bearings in. Job done. Spins really nice.

[duTch]

 In time passed I pulled out one side of the sealed bearing and packed more grease in, and depending one the (bearing) application did/not replace the seal....I've since been told that the grease they come with is sufficient for the life of the bearing (obviously if it depletes, it will fail anyway )

 

I fitted the sealed bearings and did not fit dust covers and any other parts designed to keep grease in the non sealed type, it's never going to have unsealed bearings again so what's the point in fitting the redundant parts.

 I thought that when the other week when I replaced my wheel with new bearings, but decided at least I know where those bits are, and not cluttering anywhere else (or getting chucked out)

[Rex]

Bearings should never be over-filled, so the concept of adding more grease to a sealed bearing is somewhat bizarre.
It's best to replace all the original seals and other components to hubs as they keep the spindle assembly dimensionally as standard.

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
Not directly related to wheel bearings but to greasing
The other day on our Irish National Rally an entrant asked for help to remove the front wheel on is B31
It was the early type where the spindle goes through a sleeve with a nut on either side of the hub and a LH screw in spindle
The spindle was seized solidly into the sleeve
I could unscrew the spindle enough to see where the rust had taken hold

So Grease the wheel spindles before fitting

If I fit sealed wheel bearings I lightly smear all the inner parts with grease to keep the rust at bay..

John