front wheel bearings

I went and had a new chain and sprockets put on (so nice not to hear that grinding sound), and while riding it out of the shop, the guy from the service desk noticed that there was some play in the front wheel. We popped it up on the center stand, and he looked it over and said I needed new bearings in the front.

Looking at the manual, this doesn't seem crazy hard, but I have some questions before I take off the front wheel. I don't have a car, so if the wheel's off, and I miss a part, I'm looking for a bus to ride.

1) how many bearings do I need? and there are two sides, right?

2) (6004UU) is the size given, are those standard bearings I could get at an AutoZone or Home Depot, or are they specific to Honda Motorcycles?

3) regular grease?

4) anything else, as usual, is appreciated.

Still learning lots about this bike, thanks for the help.

 

1) Bearing on each side of rim
2) They probably cost about $15 each for OEM. IMHO don't cheese on them, get Honda parts.
3) Sealed
4) You may need help or proper tools for pulling and setting. Again, IMHO, don't cheese. Get them done right and don't worry about them for the next 50K miles.

 

I used an AllBalls kit but if your Honda dealer is close I think (IIRC) that the AllBalls bearings were not Japanese or German - I can check but I think they came from the dreaded C#!n@ You can't go wrong with OEM Honda.

Getting them out can be tricky, I thought there was a secret and took the wheel to a shop, and all they did was get a big punch/screwdriver on the edge of the spacer where it meets the opposite bearing, and hammer around and around in a circle. That's *my* usual approach but I was worried it might wreck the spacer - apparently not and if it did they would have just cleaned it up with a die grinder.

If you have a socket the correct diameter for the outer race (DONT press on the inner race or the seal) you can install them easily. Bearings in the freezer overnight, pour a kettle of boiling water over the hub of the wheel, lightly grease the outer bearing shell and they will tap in with only an ounce or two of force. Make sure that the spacer is in first though, or you'll be buying another set of bearings......

 

There was also something about not squeezing the brake lever while the calipers are off the front discs... so watch for that.

 

I've done it a couple times, the All Balls bearings are like 16 dollars and come with the seals. To remove the bearings you can either hammer them out as stated above, or I prefer to use a seal remover. This tool removes the seals, but also will pull the bearings out, it's a slow process but it works well, just work your way around the bearing moving the tool 90 degrees each time you pull.

Like the above reply, put the bearing in the freezer over night, before putting them in, heat the wheel, I use an electric heat gun (kinda like a hair dryer) to heat the wheel. I use a socket that's the same diameter as the outer race on the bearing and drive it home w/a dead blow hammer.

It's not too hard, just a little time consuming.

Robert