I know this has been done to death, but I wanted to run a poll to see if it may be worth updating the rear wheel on my 2008 1125R to 2010 spec. I want to find out if it's mainly the rear wheel that has problems, or is it both ? Especially as Buell has not updated the front wheel, just the rear.

Info on wheel here

Info on bearing,axle and spacer kit here

And should you want to go down the same route on an XB, then here

Just to start things off - I had both sets of bearings replaced at about 5,500 miles - ironically I had noticed that the fronts were "past their best" - but the dealer replaced all under warranty.

And you will notice that both those wheels are unsuitable for ullys .........as i pointed out the other week Ully wheels are heavier and stronger than standard xb's

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2001 X1 2009 1125CR 2006 Uly X3 2010 Uly a fully Maz'd S1 and a 1991 RS1200 Westwind.

Interesting that you had both sets replaced at 5k. There is only an upgrade for the rear, which is probably an admission that the belt is too tight...

Your (1125R) fronts shouldn't last any less than an XB, which shares the same wheel casting.

The question of whether you should buy a 2010 wheel and axle is an interesting one and my mind says:

Q1. How long do the bearings last?
Q2. How much does each bearing set cost?
Q3. How long are you going to keep the bike (in miles)?
Q4. How much is a new wheel and axle set?
Q5. How long do the bearings last in the new wheel?
Q6. How much does each bearing set cost for the new wheel?
Q7. Can you get it in the same colour as the one you have on the front?

Leaving Q7 aside for the moment, as you may have to buy a front wheel to go with the rear, I present:

IF ((Q3/Q1)*Q2) > (Q4+((Q3/Q5)*Q6)) THEN buy new rear wheel ELSE stick with the old one

Q1 = 5000
Q2 = £12
Q3 = 20000 (assumption)
Q4 = ((285 + 108 + 100) / 1.5) * 1.15 = £378 (assumes $100 shipping)
Q5 = 20000 (assumes 4x life of old bearings)
Q6 = £18 (assumes 3 bearings in the new wheel)

My mathematical mind says that £48 is not more than £396, so you stick with the old wheel...

A couple more things to consider:

1. The new front wheel almost doubles the cost of the work
2. The new front wheel is unchanged (assumption based on no need to change the axle)
3. The new rear wheel (I assume) has an extra bearing on the drive side, yet people are reporting failures on the non-drive side too, so this new wheel may not help you that much
4. If you changed the bearings every time you changed the tyres, you would still be spending under £100 on bearings throughout your ownership

What is interesting is that the mileage before bearing failures on XB type wheels appears to be variable, I think this is down to (and thinking out loud here) tolerance stack up of the distance between the shoulders which the bearings press up against and the spacer (which can be crushed by over-torqueing), plus also of course the belt tension (I reckon the actual load from acceleration is a secondary factor - e.g. I can't see sporster_mann racing off all the traffic lights or performing stoppies at every opportunity yet his bearings appeared to have failed very early)

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08 Specialized Langster

O.K. ...very interesting // You are not kidding?

But the front wheel is identical to other XB's? Then - let me guess - the specs of the bearing are different?

I'm on my 3rd set of rear bearings and 2nd set of fronts at 16500 on my 07Scg. I'm thinking of changing the spacers next time. Somewhere on badweb are the part numbers and sizes. I wonder if its possible to get spacers made out of a better material.

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My Smugmug Photos

Bearings are identical between Uly and non-Uly (pre-2010) wheels.



Not the spacer material, but the length in relation to the shoulders that the bearings pull up against.

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08 Specialized Langster

That would mean having spacers custom made to suit the difference in tolerance between wheels. A bit much I think. The stock spaces are only soft aluminium and possibly compress over time

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My Smugmug Photos

Maybe (that they compress)

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08 Specialized Langster

they do if tyre fitters over torque them !!

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Feros Ferio

This is correct they are not.

Sorry SM I put my vote in for my XB12X, rear bearing, before reading the post

FD - you're vote is still very valid - thanks for your input - it's all very much appreciated.

There has been a lot of talk on here about bearing failures - but not much in the way of statistics - I really want data to decide how much of a problem it really is - if we can get hard facts down then it will be useful to all.

Pash - there is one thing missing from your equation - assuming that the bearings in the 2010 rear wheel will last longer it should give peace of mind.

Lastly I have a theory that ( on the rear wheel at least ) it is the tension of the belt that causes rear wheel bearing failures - the bearing on the drive side gets more force applied to it therefore causing them to wear quickly - once worn this allows more lateral forces on the non-drive side thus causing that bearing to fail also. Hopefully with 2 bearings now on the drive side this should spread the load between a greater surface area and should be less prone to wear and premature failure etc, etc.

I had even considered fitting a grease nipple into the wheel and then pumping grease into it to get more lubricant into there - but as the bearings are sealed it seems pointless !

Sorry, I am a robot and am not programmed for emotion...

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08 Specialized Langster

You are right it would be pointless SM. You do not want to drill holes into the wheels as it could make them fail. The bearings are sealed for the duty of there design.

What is needed is a FST which I do not think you can get for your bike yet.

I would go with Maz and Pash and just have the bearings changed with the tyres. You will not get much more than 5k out of the rubber anyway. Take your own rubber and get it done by a good dealer. It is cheap and peace of mind.

For what it is worth. 13k on my bike. Still on the front bearings and the rears changed at 5k, so 8k on them now. Also still on the original headrace bearings as well. Yes I know but I want to find out what the wear feels like and at the moment the bike still handles as good as ever.

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Dan

Growing old is inevitable - growing up is a matter of choice