Topic: 550K, accessing/removing bearings

[phrige]

I've been looking through the threads and manual and can't seem to figure how to access the big bearing on the rear wheel hub (75' CB550k).
 There is a retainer or whatever that the manual says you need to use a metal punch on to secure, How can I remove this properly.

 Also, is it worth getting a bearing removal tool? These guys are trickier than i thought Hope that once I get one out the other will be easier.

[IndyFour]

Here's a thread with some pics and info on the retainer that holds the rear bearing in....

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=58147.msg629148#msg629148

Personally, I didn't use any special tool to pull the bearings out, just lots of tapping from the opposite side.  Get a copy of the Honda shop manual (digitally on this website) and look at the exploded diagrams of the rear axle and you will be able to tell how it all fits together.

If you search "550 bearing retainer" you'll get lots of info.

Good luck!

[phrige]

Thanks man, thats a major help. I hadn't searched for 'bearing retainer' which would have been the key to that puzzle. Seemingly everyword but that crossed my search tool 

 I'm still afraid of drilling as I don't want to damage things severely. It wasn't specific in the thread listed, i'll search for a few others. but I'm thinking the protocol is drilling slightly deeper below where the punch marks lie. And drilling into them as the dead center.

Its great, the deeper into the bike I go, the more interesting the techniques required. It's fun and frustrating all rolled into one.

[dave500]

ive got one apart at the moment,the retainer is a left hand thread,so clockwise to UNDO it,the sprocket carrier will then come off,place the hub on blocks of wood and with a long bar,get a good purchase on the centre of either bearing and evenly drift it out,use a good hammer,youll easily get to the other bearing then,i bought a pair of skf brand bearings at the local bearing service for 25 bucks,6305 and 6304 are the numbers,these are dual sealed,use them as is.note the step down spacer that goes in the larger bearing is fitted from the inside.

[phrige]

Oh man! Thank you Dave!

 It helps a ton seeing it all apart.
 I ordered some bearings online, Hopefully today will be my day and I'll get both rear and front wheels all set up.

Btw, when you put it all back together should you be greasing things up at all? There's a lot of orangish grease on my stuff now.


Thanks!

[phrige]

So I've removed the retainer using a few methods. Mine was on SUUUPER tight. Probably had some loctite or similar in the threads. I don't have a torch of anykind yet. So what i did was knock it clockwise in each hole for about 4 rotations, then once it was raised a bit of the surface of the hub I took an old fashioned Oil Filter Remover. I put that around it, and a little at a time knocked on the handle and spun it around. I actually  ended up up breaking that after a good number of rotations, and finished the job off with a cresecent wrench locked onto the retainer (inside edge to outside lip), and spun that by hand.

Knocked out the bearings, which were tricky but alright. (Used a paint can opener to make some room between them and the spacer, so that I could get my old socket extension in there and knocked it out. Otherside I used a long pipe.

Now to just reassemble in the correct order. Chlymer manual dont fail me now.

Getting the axle spacer and that additional spacer set properly behind the larger bearing seems to be the next big trick.

[phrige]

Just to wrap it up the spacers weren't so bad. Especially with the fantastic pictures dave gave. The mockup oh how it sits inside the hub especially good.
Now getting the Ball Bearing retainer Ring screwed back on was the biggest hassle. Once I got it say 3-4 revolutions around it was reallly hard. Like walking into a brick wall. I was unsure If it jumped threads.
Looked straight so I took my socket extension and knocked it around and around. I fought mine very hard for a long while, very small movements. then it freed up and did a lot of revolutions real quick The last 2 revolutions were SOOOo slow and stiff. Took a while but I wanted to make it as flush with the hub as possible.

Now its on, and I'm well satisfied. Moving onto Front Wheel, Bearing install after wrestling with the axle nut.   

[dave500]

well done,you can "stake" the retainer so it stays put,did you run a wire brush around those fine threads?

[phrige]

Thanks, yea I cleaned all the threads as best as could. I also went in with a dremel tap tool that had a similar pitch to the hub threads and just made sure any questionable areas had a nice straight thread. (not attached to the dremel, just the bit  )