Sliding Rear Axle - 1984 VF700F

waiting for chinese bearing tirade......c'mon s-man, don't dissappoint me!

 

Them Communist AllBalls is fine, just fine...... if you change 'em out every 5000 miles or so.

 

Inspect your axle for any grooves or visible marks.

Also test for wear in the bearings by inserting the axle into each side of the wheel ( you don't need to promise to paint the kitchen cabinets, mow the lawn, say "i love you" or ask permission) about 3" past the bearing; if you can detect any movement when wiggling the axle around, then your bearings are probably in need of replacement.

If you can detect any movement (except rotation, of course) between innber and outer ring of the bearing, it's knackered. Replace.

Original OEM bearings were Japanese-made NTN, i think, a quality brand.

 

Well it turns out that hobble home was the bird that broke the elephants back. I got it home but as I entered my neighborhood I felt some grinding and the rear wheel wandering. I took the wheel off yesterday (because I finally got the spacer in) and one of the bearings gave up. So now I am replacing both rear bearings.

Man, I should gain at least 5hp from all this...

 

You need to change the hub bearing # 26 too, not just the wheel bearings. Change seals #20-21-22 also.


Now you can see that it was NOT smart to ride a bike that was acting wierd because those knackered bearings could have locked up your wheel at speed.......with less than optimum results.

 

Thanks for all the help so far!

I have one last question...

Squirrlman, you mentioned that the axle nut should be around 75# in torque. Is that the "spec" or is that a rough guess? It seams a bit tight to me... but I could just be paranoid.

I got it all back together and it feels great. The back has never felt so planted. I changed my rear brakes while I was back there (I bought both front and back breaks about a year ago, but I discovered that only the fronts needed changed at the time).

 

Clymer manual say's 65-77 lbs.Trust the Squirrel.

 

ok ok. noted. I useually have manuals for my bikes (the last three I've owned I had full shop manuals for) I just haven't got one for this one yet.