07 SG - IDS Assy has 16,000 miles on it.

Picked up a nail in the rear tire, an E3 w/ 10,000 miles. Put it up on the lift, spun the tire looking for the nail.

Checked the pulley play & got <1/4" rotation of the pulley to the tire rotation so I think the IDS cushions/rubbers are ok. Almost no side play in the assy so the rest seems ok as well

But I could hear some light clicking as it rotated, like a flat spotted or dry bearing or something like that.

Im guessing the the local dealer doesn't keep the parts handy & Ill have to order them. I didnt want to keep the bike up on the lift (cheap Craftsman) and wait a week.

Should I just go ahead & order the bearing & cushions before hand ?

All comments are welcomed

 

The cushions/rubber are loaded rotationally (will call that axial for now) not side to side (horizontally relative to axial). Worn or missing cushion's won't effect bearing play indication.

So you have no pully side to side play and hear a clicking noise as you rotate the tire? Once the cushions engage, the pully rotates with the tires, pully travel is not much at all.

clicking could be the belt. if there is no side play in the pully, your bearing is good. You would probally need to pull your belt to actually check the pully side to side play.

btw, the IDS was installed on your bike by you or someone prior, since 07's do not come with IDS.

 

I understand the Axel rotational loading, maybe my choice of words was not precise enough.

With the tire stopped, trans in neutral, moving only the pulley gives less than 1/4" rotational movement from max forward to max rear.

When checking pulley side movement perpendicular to the tire centerline or parallel to the axel, almost no movement. I agree, normally this means the bearing should be ok.

I bought the bike new, I do 95% of my own work & have access to a Bike Shop. I installed the IDS bearing, using the correct tool to specs.

Knowing that many here have has issues with the IDS bearing and have replaced them with varying mileage on it, Im just seeing if anyone can put some light on if theres a potential issue with mine.

Since I have to pull the tire anyway .....

 

no side play in my book (I installed the IDS also) is good in my book.

 

That's well within spec, the max being .40" according to SB M-1256.

Once the wheel is off, if it isn't already, I would put the pulley on the axle by itself (i.e. no belt) and spin it, as doing that I would expect there to be no noise. If there is I might consider that a problem, but I'm not sure how much noise is normal, as it wouldn't be completely silent.

 

How many miles are on the bearing? I see the miles one the tire. I installed IDS on my 07 when I had it. My bearing lasted 16k miles and it was all to pieces. Could not be purchased at a bearing shop because HD specified an odd sized axle for that year only. Bearing had to come from dealer. They are cheap, around $22. I believe they had problems with the bearing so I replaced mine when I changed tires. There's a lot of posts on here about the subject. Hope this helps.

 

I just had my pulley bearing and rubber cushions replaced at 54,000 miles. Had the rear tire replaced and mechanic noticed some wear and "looseness" in the sprocket bearing and recommended replacement. He noticed the looseness once he had taken it off the axle and felt the bearing with his finger. BTW, It is a unique bearing to only the 2007 IDS. No dealer in the state of Virginia had the bearing in stock. Had to get the bearing from a dealer in Maryland. The part number for my 2007 Ultra IDS was 40670-06 and was around $25.

 

My 08 FLHX is in the shop as I type this. I had a 1/4" "play" on the pulley,the service HD service tech told me my IDS was shot, they are replacing it right now, they also informed me that the "Chinese" bearings that come OEM are listed on a service bulletin, so they are replacing those as well, not sure if this bulletin applies to 07s or not but its worth a look.

 

Interestly, my replacement bearing, part number 40670-06 was clearly marked on the bag as "Made in Canada". That has to be better than China!!!!

 

My IDS had 17k on it at a 25k tire change , just to be on the safe side with some big trips this summer I replaced both wheel bearings , IDS bearing , IDS rubbers and mounting bolts! The IDS bearing spun in my hand felt rough , glad I changed it! Plus the newer bearing appears to be better!