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Squeaky front wheel?

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  • Squeaky front wheel?

    I am new to bikes and rode my 94 600 all through the wet winter here in Washington. Now I am hearing a squeak coming from the front wheel I think. With a little over 11K on the odo, should I be doing any kind of regular bearing maintenance?

    Also, should I be thinking about a valve adjustment? I don't know if one has ever been done.

    Cheers,
    Izzy
    -Izzy

    "If you're gonna be a turd, go lay on the lawn."
    -My wife

  • #2
    lube the speedo cable with a few drops of light engine oil
    remove and clean/lube the caliper slide pins... check the front wheel for noise with the calipers off... might be a bearing
    All balls has awesome deals on wheel bearing kits if you need one...
    98 GSX750F
    95 Honda VT600 vlx
    08 Tsu SX200

    HardlyDangerous Motosports

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    • #3
      General rule of thumb is to repack the wheel bearings when the tires are changed (or at least slather in a bunch more fresh lube). I found that there's a problem on the Kats where owners cleaning their rotors with spray brake cleaner can easily force some of the liquid spray into the wheel bearing cover unintentionally, thereby eating away the wheel bearing grease. Do it often enough and it becomes very noticeable. It's why my recommendation for weekly rotor cleaning is typically windex on a paper towel instead of spray brake cleaner...

      I also concur with hardlydangerous that ALL BALLS brand do have superb replacement bearings; their wheel bearings are about as good as the OEM bearings -- their steering stem bearings for the Kat are a big cut above the OEM ones. They're also cheaper to buy

      Cheers,
      =-= The CyberPoet

      __________________________________________________ ________
      CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
      The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.
      Remember The CyberPoet

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      • #4
        check for mice....



        Take a Spin With The KR Mascot...
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdjHBFbMAWE

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        • #5
          Just got some All Balls bearings for the front and rear wheels on my 94 Kat and was wondering if the all balls bearings come already packed with grease. They dont look like wheel bearings I have used before.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by raddude View Post
            Just got some All Balls bearings for the front and rear wheels on my 94 Kat and was wondering if the all balls bearings come already packed with grease. They dont look like wheel bearings I have used before.
            They come with some grease in them, but you should slather in a bunch more (cake it full), and because it's a motorcycle specifically, you should use marine-grade wheel bearing grease if possible (this stuff handles rain-water intrusion and corrosion-battling issues better). I don't know if it's the case across the USA, but in Florida, ever auto parts store carries marine-grade as an option.

            Cheers
            =-= The CyberPoet
            Remember The CyberPoet

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            • #7
              Being a 94 with super low mileage, I would replace the bearings regardless, but I'm not convinced that is your noise. And yes to the valve adjustment question.

              CP, why the recommendation to put more grease in new bearings? I can only see possible problems from doing that. Sealed bearings are usually designed for about a 40-60% fill, which is what the factory puts in, any more than that is just going to cause more rolling resistance as well as heat build up, and most of the excess will force itself out through the seals only to attract dirt, and possibly allow the dirt to be worked in. I would also be concerned about possibly mixing greases of different bases, as well as the possibility of damaging bearing seals if removed or replaced incorrectly. Also in doing a little bit of research, I find several memos and directives relating to electric motors (nuclear power plant specific) and failures caused by overgreasing.
              Pics
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              Just because they sound the same doesn't mean they are: there≠their≠they're; to≠too≠two; its≠it's; your≠you're; know≠no; brake≠break

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              • #8
                Originally posted by thetable View Post
                CP, why the recommendation to put more grease in new bearings? I can only see possible problems from doing that. Sealed bearings are usually designed for about a 40-60% fill, which is what the factory puts in...
                As far I know, the Kat front-wheel bearings are not "sealed" bearings as such, but rather open bearings protected by virtue of a separate cover that sits inside the rotor on the front wheels (item #6 in this fiche file). If they are sealed bearings, I would expect them to come pre-packed, and my advice would be to leave them alone at time of initial install rather than repacking them.

                In my experiences with open bearings, the open bearings were packed with a grease that was primarily designed for corrosion-resistance and storage potential, rather than for high-speed use, and as such I was always instructed to repack them upon arrival (military, former industrial firm I worked for, the mechanics that taught me in my youth). I brought that habit forward and use it to this day with any open bearings I have/get/etc.

                Since the outfit that does my tire changes for the bikes automatically repacks the wheel bearings at the same time as part of the tire service, so I've been spared dealing with Kat wheel bearings beyond seeing them in the packaging when I order them for others, in spite of riding Kats for a decade...

                On the other hand, I've repacked at least a dozen Kats' worth of suspension bearings (shock, shock pivot assembly, dogbone bearings) and the difference in how they age given marine grease vs. standard wheelbearing grease, at least in Florida, is quite amazing.

                Cheers
                =-= The CyberPoet
                Remember The CyberPoet

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by The CyberPoet View Post
                  As far I know, the Kat front-wheel bearings are not "sealed" bearings as such, but rather open bearings protected by virtue of a separate cover that sits inside the rotor on the front wheels (item #6 in this fiche file). If they are sealed bearings, I would expect them to come pre-packed, and my advice would be to leave them alone at time of initial install rather than repacking them.
                  When I replaced mine last year, the Allballs that I ordered were the 2RS (two rubber seal) bearings.
                  Pics
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                  No pics yet
                  Just because they sound the same doesn't mean they are: there≠their≠they're; to≠too≠two; its≠it's; your≠you're; know≠no; brake≠break

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