Bless you

 

The main character definitely isn't shy about getting nekkid.

First tip, grease all the metal parts on that Pit Posse that rub, threads and especially the washers that rub, since PP doesn't have thrust washers like some of the more expensive versions. Those bearings are tight - or should be! I coat the wheel bore and outer race with Loctite so they go in and come out maybe not much easier but don't gall the wheel's aluminum, and freeze the bearing for at least a few hours before putting them in. Do you know which bearing to put in first and all the way to the bottom? If not, research, gotta get the order right or the disks won't line up perfect in the brake pads. Then the other one touches the inner spacer without putting any side load on the inner bearing race relative to the outer one. If I'm remembering right, you use the flat side of the PP thick spacer that contacts the bearing, so when the inner races contact the inner spacer/sleeve, it doesn't push the second bearing's outer race any farther than the inner. Hope I didn't mix up any inners and outers... You may already know all this, just saying in case that new tool means you haven't done it before.

Those new bearings and grease... Chinese bearings can be a grease horror story, I've seen all kinds of **** from there, although AllBals have a good rep and look well built, double sealed and are packed full with a Chevron synthetic grease. Only China bearing I'd consider using. First thing, Harley has used some bearings with metal shields over the plastic/rubber seals, and I wouldn't touch those because if you try taking the metal shield off they'll bend every time and you've wrecked it. Plastic sealed only, I can and do pop the shields with a tiny screwdriver inserted under the seal at the inner race. There's a youtube showing a guy doing it at the outer race, but you risk tearing the seal there, it pops into a groove in the outer seal and you have to dig it out, just rests against the inner one, so the inner is easy. I've seen lots of bearings with a thin string of some kind of clear stuff about 1/16" diameter, only on one side of the bearing cage. I don't care what engineers say about all you need is a film of grease on the *****, you risk early burnout if you don't have at least a little reservoir of grease in there; I pack them 1/2 to 3/4 full and never had a grease problem. I wipe that thin string of grease off (and clean out any amount of that clear stuff) and use a good synthetic. I won't use bearings with plastic ball spacers either, I don't buy the "they work fine" argument, seen too many busted or grinding up in the grease.

I've had to pound out the axle with a sledge hammer on a couple of my old bikes, never happened with axles I put in, I've been greasing them since the '60s just to avoid that. I use anti-seize now, honestly can't tell the difference, both work. I've only seen this once, and it was on a Harley, something didn't go right with the first install and the disk was cocked just a tiny bit, not enough to see, but enough it didn't stop like it should. I was able to slip a thin feeler gage over an inch into the front of one pad and the rear in the other. Forget just what the problem was, but if you can't get a feeler gage (thin, like .001-.002) under a pad, you must have gotten all the wheel parts installed right, takes very little to mis-align the disk in the caliper.

So much for getting to bed early, I'll cruise by tomorrow.

 

Greg, I won't say that Pit Posse is so easy a kid could do it, but...

 

Oh yeah, you didn't like the bearing puller that I loaned you?

 

G'mornin',Woods....

 

Mornin Al, rest of ya Woods when ya get up and at it!

 

Morning, Woodys!

 

Happy Hump Day!