Rear Wheel Bearings

[andy]

Noticed a notchy slop in my 81 rear wheel when grabbing and shaking it. Bike has 25,000 miles. I've owned dozens of bikes and ridden about half a million miles, never had to replace wheel bearings. I did take apart and Honda moly'ed the swingarm and all the pro-link bushings a year and a half ago (which made a BIG difference in handling as it was binding and squeeking before I did this). Whats the routine in replacing the wheel bearings? Is this a common CBX occurance? I wash my scooter often, never ride in rain, almost always go TOO FAST! :twisted:

[Mike Nixon]

Wheel bearings on Hondas and most other imports generally last the life of the bike -- but then you know that, having all the big Asian road bikes you do. (In nearly 30 years of wrenching in metro area shops, I have seen fewer than ten wheel bearing failures.) Among the exceptions to this longevity are this one -- when the bike is pressure-washed, that is, when water is sprayed under pressure right on the wheel hub. Replacement is simple. Get the special tool to remove the retainer, and use a thick drift to drift out the bearings, one side at a time. Replace them the same way, after thoroughly greasing them. If you like finesse, get one of the nice bearing removal/installation kits, that uses specially-size collars to do the same thing, drift the bearings in and out.