Topic: Wheel Bearing Retainer Help Needed - CB750

[RRRToolSolutions]

Guys,

I'm installing new wheel bearings in the front and rear of my 1974 CB750 K4. When removing the bearing retainers from both front and rear, they were center punched between the retainer and hub to keep them from coming loose. Is this a factory procedure or one a previous owner has implemented? I ask because the retainer was extremely hard to remove and it left it partially striped where the threads were caught on the hub material. I can not find any mention of this in the factory service manual or the Honda "detail service" manual.

Where can the tools be purchased to remove/install these correctly? My Honda dealer doesn't have them and says they are not available.

Advice much appreciated.

Regards,
Gordon

[CB500_k2]

Gordon,

I ran into the same problem on my CB500.  I believe that this is a factory effort to secure the bearing retainers.  After drilling out the punch marks and hammering the darn retainers out I used locktite to hold in the replacements.  I do not know whether this is an acceptable alternative but they have not come out yet.

[kghost]

Every wheel of that vintage I have ever seen has had that treatment.

The way to get them out is drill the punch mark.

I made my tool outa a piece of pipe the correct diameter. Cheap if you wanna spend time with the dremel or die grinder.

[RRRToolSolutions]

Is this drilling a correct procedure and what size bit is used? After you drill the punch marks - what do you do with the holes left? Are these retainers meant to be replaced at wheel bearing changes? I can't imagine reusing the retainers with damaged threads and these holes left by drilling bother me from an astetic perspective.

Still learning the Honda ways ....

For the record - none of the Kawasakis use this retaining system. They use large circlips between the stacked drive bearings which is about 10 times more practical in my opinion and no damage, no hassle replacement. The seals are simple press-in and don't require their own special retainer either. Hey, I'm learning!

Thanks guys,
Gordon

[bryanj]

1/8 drill, dont worry about the holes, liberal application of WD 40 for as long before as you can manage plus gentle heat when you are actually trying to undo and last i heard Honda was still selling the special tool it just aint cheap

[kghost]

1/8 bit will work.

If you must have a specific answer try .010 bigger than the punch mark your trying to get out. 

I just stick them in and wack a new punch mark. I really haven't found a bad set of factory bearings yet. I'm just anal and swap them out. Minimum you could inspect them and grease them back up and stick them back in.....


Wonder if we should tell him bout the spacer and how to hammer them bearings out after he gets the retainer off 

[RRRToolSolutions]

Uh, that would be yes - you should definitely tell him. He has muderous friends all over who will stalk you until you sleep, then make their strike.

Oooops, my other personality just came out. I try to keep "him" contained, but he is my gaurdian and takes over when I'm threatened.....

Oh please do tell -

[kghost]

Ok once you get the retainer out......

How do you plan on getting the bearings out of the hub?

There is a spacer that rides between the bearings that limits access to the bearings making them difficult to drive out.

The problem is ...the spacer is the same diameter as the inner diameter of the bearing making it damn near impossible to get anything between the bearing and the spacer.

I made a special tool with a lip on it to get tweent said spacer and the bearing so I could drive them out. Good luck cuz you won't get a punch in there.

[quietlikeachurch]

This is a somewhat "risky" method, but I just jammed the spacer over as far as it would go and used an old rusty swingarm bolt and a big hammer to do the dirty work.  Once the bearings are out you can reshape the spacer tangs and reassemble.  Also, even though I drilled out the retainer punch-marks (4 on each wheel!) I still managed to screw up some of the threads...had to whip out the Dremel cutting wheel and painstakingly grind the bad threads off and NOT screw up the good threads.  It worked great but I never want to do it again.

Good luck!
-Ian

[torchmonkey]

I read this post after searching the forum. I'm powdercoating my hubs and didn't want to melt the plastic part of the bearing in the oven. I found this: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95987
... and it seemed to work quite well.

[Mantree]

I push the spacer over them use a blind puller to pull the bearing out.  They sell them at harbor fright

[drumstyx]

I push the spacer over them use a blind puller to pull the bearing out.  They sell them at harbor fright

This is the 'tool for the job'. It's pricey; in Canada (Princess Auto) the same tool is $150, but it's worth it.

Why does Honda have to make this such a pain? A tight fit bearing is more than enough to keep itself in place. I'm no expert, but I've done wheel bearings on 4 bikes, mostly Kawis, one Suzuki, and none of them had any sort of retainer other than the spacers being sized to put pressure on the inner race while protecting the bearing and outer race.

I mean, practically speaking, what's stopping you from just...not having this retainer?

[disco]

Hi Gordon,

Be sure to apply plenty of 'anti-seize' compound to the new retainer when you re-fit back together with the hub. Otherwise it will bind up on you real quick .....Don't ask how I know
Aluminum retainer plus aluminum hub = big time bind up.

[PeWe]

I did not lock the rear hub retainer last time. The hub with its threads has too many holes as it is after 2 bearing replacements. No loctite either.
What can happen? The rear wheel is bolted tight together with spacers on both side of the bearings. They should not be able to move. The new retainer is lubricated with copper paste to be able to fit the damaged threads looking like Swiss cheese

I'll replace front wheel bearings soon when the existing bearings feels "sandy" when rotating the wheel. I have a tool for the retainer and 1 or 2 extra retainers just for sure. I might use  a few drops loctite of a weak model, 222 I have bought for carb adj screws.

[RRRToolSolutions]

I was surprised to see this - an early post I made back in 2006! 10 years ago I was "elbows deep" into my CB750K4.

Time really does fly.....Gordon

[mystic_1]

You're not still trying to get your retainer out, are you?  Sometimes it can take a while. 

mystic_1

[RRRToolSolutions]

No, that bike is built and another 20 "something others" behind it.....it was nice to go down memory lane though. I remember that post, almost word for word now that I've read it 10 years later. At the time I was finding it hard to believe Honda would use such a crude and seemingly primitive way of locking the bearing retainer. Of course, the ugly that would happen if the bearing came out while going down the road "trumps" that drill/punch process.

Gordon

[CycleRanger]

New retainers are still available from Honda. A pin wrench is handy for removing/reinstalling the retainers.