UGH... installing new inner Torrington cam bearings from Fuel Moto. Started with rear cam hole first everything went great- turned Heartland brand installer until it bottomed under decent pressure (ie not over doing it on ratchet). Removed tool and stuck my finger in there to lube the inside of bearing and it spins around great. Sooooo moved to front cam hole and went about the same exact procedure as rear. Stuck my finger in the bearing to lube and... NO MOVING/SPINNING action on the rollers. WTF...I reinstalled tool to make sure I had it seated all the way and I do. im not sure what happened but I take it thats not how its supposed to be? Will it loosen up or is it not spinning in there not good? I assume the latter..

Damnit now I have to start over...and buy another bearing. Why does this **** always happen to me lol At least theres snow on the ground and the bike is not going anywhere soon.

 

On the second bearing, was the writing on the side of the bearing shell facing outwards?

If not, that could be your problem.

 

It's not normal...the bearing is bad...you will need another.

~Joe

 

Hmmmm. Did you install with the numbers facing out? I used the same tools and had no problems.

 

Thanks for the fast replies. After i calmed down and went back to garage, i pulled the new front bearing to see if it moved while it was out of the bore. It did! So i relubed everything and reinstalled it. Once i took the tool out i tried rolling the bearing and it rolled nice and smooth this time it was definately seated further into the case bore. Looking back at the rear bearing, i noticed it was sticking out further than the newly reinstalled front bearing. So i pulled it and reinstalled to the same depth and now they are both spinnning nice and free. Btw... Number were facing out at all times. Hopefully everything is good now.

 

Here is the final product. It shouldn't hurt that the bearings were installed/removed/installed should it? They werent marked up or anything after removal and they spin beautifully now....

 

In general, you should never re-isntall bearings...just replace.

For this to be okay, you will need to carefully inspect the bearings, and ensure that the outer case isn't crimped at all that each individual roller is free. Any crimping of the outer casing holding the rollers, can cause a roller to bind, and lead to bearing failure.

So...go get a magnifying glass and a bright light and plan on spending as much time as it takes to CAREFULLY inspect.

Or have regret in the middle of nowhere when it DOES bind and leave you stranded.

FWIW, your bike has a simpllistic beauty about it....leave it as is looks wise, it is a home run.

~Joe

 

I hope to hell you're NOT going to re-install spring loaded tenshioners!!! NOW is the time to upgrade to the hydralic tenshioner plate setup.

~Joe

 

Thanks traveler. Im pretty confident these bearings are okay as they move nice and free now with no binding. I will however inspect them more closely before putting the cams back. And sorry to disappoint but i am just replacing the tensioners with OE spring loaded ones. These lasted 21k and looked decent still. I probably wont even have this bike another 20k at my rate, thats 4 years of mileage.

 

Thanks for the update.