Rear wheel bearing lube

[MrRiden]

Just received the latest box from Hammersley BMW with a set of new seals for the rear wheel. Just planning on a cleaning and some fresh grease as they felt a bit notchy when I balanced the rear. Read all the stuff on preload but thinking that if all the bits are in good shape and none being renewed I should be good to go. Am I outsmarting myself with that notion?
Rich

[Justin B.]

The bearings shouldn't feel "notchy" at all, and wouldn't the amount of stiction in the wheel's bearings prevent a good "fine" balance?  Maybe check out His Majesty Duane's (w6rec.com) site for the bearing adjustment/shimming procedure - he claims to be the authority on it...

[thrang]

If by notchy you mean that the wheels not spinning smoothly then I'd replace them. A set of bearings is a dam sight cheeper than replacing a wheel if the bearings collapsed and chew the hub. (Its also scary as hell when it happens especially at speed)

Personally I don't bother with pukka BMW bearings, just get them from a local bearing suppiler because they are considerably cheeper. I use BSL in Barrow in Furness and they charged me £16 for the pair last time I did the Bimbos rear wheel a couple of years ago.

[MrRiden]

Well spent the day on the bearings. as soon as I had the left rear set cleaned up I knew that just a lube wouldn't fly. Pitting from a life outdoors had ruined both the rollers and race. a quick search turned up nothing available. A call to the local dealer revealed that the part# on real OEM has been superseded (36311468748 is the new #). & 7-10 days for replacements, Balls. A call to the local chain belt & bearing merchant turned up a pair of 30230 Timken bearings. Sold! Knocked out the old races, cleaned everything up and poped in the new set. A quick preload check a la the Duane wiggle method showed that I was in the ballpark. Just back from a spin now and I find: better gas millage, higher top speed, faster acceleration and easier to control wheelies*. Also the satisfaction of knowing that this part is in good repair now.
rich
*Don't believe everything you read on the internets.

[Bob_Roller]

Rich, did you take any pictures during the job?

[MrRiden]

I meant to but my rechargeables were flat. I still have the old bearings handy but I think what I should have captured was how to remove everything from the wheel without the use of exsessive percussive force. It's really a snap. Don't let some of the needlessly verbose tech articles dissuade you from tearing into the project. With your background you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. I found it far simpler than.. oh.. say, adjusting a king pin & link suspension on an old VW. The cost was 50% less ( $14.95 per)than buying from the dealer.
Rich