F800GS Service E4-2: Rear Wheel part 2, rear brake and bearings

[@TSOL_in_LOS]

what is the mileage of your bike at the time of these rear wheel videos?

[@JockeSelin]

This bike had ~54,000 miles / 87,000km on it, as said in the intro video.

[@TSOL_in_LOS]

Ok, cool. Mine has only 30k km on now and last time I had the rear wheel off what at 20k and I didn't bother to inspect the bearings. I will be soon when I put on my first replacement rear sproket. Thanks

[@JockeSelin]

Any time. Do check the bearings, and change the spacers for the stainless steel ones from bashplates dot de. The spacers won't be worn down by the seal and the dirt. Happy kilometers!

[@alexandregalvaofaria6640]

It is very enriching to see you working, everything becomes easy without losing technique and whimsy at work. I want to be like this when I grow up :). I'm Brazilian and your videos help me a lot. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

[@JockeSelin]

Thanks for your kind words and thanks for watching. I'm pleased to hear the videos have been of use.

[@abitofaviation]

Thank you very much for showing how to change the rear disc!

[@JockeSelin]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watchin'! 😊👍🏻

[@markgilder9990]

Great set of videos. Thanks for taking the time to make them.👍🏻😎

[@JockeSelin]

You're most welcome. Glad they're being of use! 😎👍🏻

[@2410Ewan]

Excellent video and advice. Thanks

[@JockeSelin]

Thank you! Glad it was useful! 😎👍🏻👍🏻

[@anisslekkal2981]

Wonderful work ! Thx so mush for sharing and all the advice.😊✌️

[@JockeSelin]

I'm pleased the videos have been useful! Thanks for watching!

[@Victornm94]

Genial video, muchas gracias por compartir y por enseñar como arreglar un monstruo como ese de moto

[@JockeSelin]

Eres muy bienvenido. Me complace escuchar que los videos te parecen útiles. ¡Gracias por ver!

[@RNRespectNature]

Spasibo from Russia!

[@JockeSelin]

пожалуйста

[@dimitrigrosso9435]

bravo.je vais certainement me lancer avec ce tuto.merci

[@rafaelmora503]

Great videos! I plan to change my rear disc brake rotor on my BMW F650 GS Twin 2009 and your videos will be very helpful, I will also check ball bearings, rubber seals and do some cleanning. As per maintenance manual and videos I noticed there are 3 ball bearings in total, 2 on each side of center hub of wheel plus another 1 in the center of disc where rear sprocket is mounted. Am I right? Just want to double check and get prepared with spare parts before I do the job. Thanks for your answer and sharing these videos!

[@JockeSelin]

Hi! Thanks for watching! I hope you’ll get your bike serviced and that you have many happy miles together. There’s two bearings in each wheel, and an additional one in the sprocket carrier. This is on the F800GS with wire spoked wheels. I’ve never worked on an F650GS Twin with alloy wheels, so my information might be wrong. .The sprocket carrier bearing is in the part with the rear sprocket on. The other bearings are just at each side of the wheels. On the F800GS the bearings are all the same size - I would be surprised if the F650GS Twin is different. The seals are the same except for the larger one at the front axle which is needed because of the stepped axle. Good luck!

[@rafaelmora503]

@@JockeSelin thanks for your response. As per Haynes service manual ball bearings seems to be the same on both models, al least on rear wheel. I will be glad to share some pics once I get the job done. By the way I use parts schematics on BMW Max Motorcycles' website, great source of technical information to order new parts. Regards!

[@JockeSelin]

Good to know, thanks! We use realOEM.com for our part numbers and schematics. I think it's the same as Max MC uses. 😎👍🏻

[@ruben151988]

Hey jocke is there anyway I can send you a video of my rear wheel? I just bought my 2009 gs with 66000kms in it and as I arrived home after a 200km travel back home it started sounding awful. I just bought the bearings but if you could confirm I would be less obsessed with that 😅 thanks in advance

[@JockeSelin]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with your new bike. The quickest way is to take the wheel off and have a look. A spinning the wheel on a video might not reveal anything other than random noise. If you upload a video here on KZbin or on Instagram and send me the link here in the comments (will probably go to spam, but I’ll keep an eye out) or send me a message on Instagram @jockeselin, I can have a look. I’m confident you’ll get your bike up to scratch quickly!

[@drjdvm]

Is it expected to be able to freely spin a bearing with your finger with the wheel off the bike? In other words, can I put my finger on the inner race and spin it in relation to the outer race? Is this a reasonable test of bearing function?

[@JockeSelin]

Yes, that's a good test, but it's a little bit more complicated than that. The inner bearing race will not spin freely - like a skateboard wheel - because of the seals and the grease in the bearing. Also, if the spacer is still in there between the left and the right bearing, then there should be a bit of pressure (outwards) on the bearings. However, when you do rotate the inner bearing race it should run smoothly and without effort. It should have no notches or crunches or anything like that. There should be no play or anything like that. It should rotate, with a bit of effort, freely and smoothly. I hope that makes sense. :)

[@drjdvm]

Thanks Jocke. I have had problems with the disc side bearing on my 800 GS. The first one failed at around 11,000 miles with the bearing disintegrating and the outer race remaining pressed into the hub. I had a second bearing on the same side go a few thousand miles later but I noted that the bearing seat in the hub was damaged such that I don't think the bearing was seated properly. I just purchased a spare rear wheel (used off ebay) and the bearing look new. I added some grease but the inner race does not spin easily with just finger pressure. Maybe some binding on the wheel spacer? But there is no play between the inner and outer races and there is no crunching sounds when the bearing rotates. So, I think I am just overly sensitive after having the two bearing failures. Thanks again for the great video and the reply. Much appreciated.

[@JockeSelin]

Hi John, I don't think you can be too careful with the F800GS wheel bearings. If I remember correctly there was, a long-long-long time ago, a discussion on AdvRider forums about that the spacer tube that goes between the bearings might be a bit too long. If you have the time and the tools, you could put new bearings in without the spacer, then measure the distance between the left and right inner races of the bearings and then compare that to the length of the spacer and see whether it is correct or not. I don't know what tool would be used to measure that distance and apart from carefully grinding the spacer, I think that the ideal way would be to use a lathe to correct the length. Anyway, I believe that if your bearings are in good condition and you've done everything "by the book", then you should be fine, just keep an eye on things and be mindful of their "rubbishness". If you don't mind spending a few pennies, then I can recommend the stainless steel spacer from Bashplates.de scheffelmeier-metall.de/BMW-F800GS-F700GS-F650-twin/Stainless-steel-wheel-spacer-for-all-BMW-F800GS-models-with-ABS::25.html The standard aluminium ones are too soft and the seals simply eat them up and the consequence of that is that the dirt gets inside and kills the bearings. I'm sure it'll all be fine. :)

[@drjdvm]

Intresting. I looked up the ADV thread and Woody from Woody's weheel Works reports that some BMW rear hubs are machined on a taper so that once you et the bearing halfway down, you have to pound it to get it to seat and this damages the bearing. He suggests that if you feel crunchies in the bearing, take it to BMW and complain and at least get it recorded if not warrantied. Another person suggested that you remove the drive side bearing and see if the spacer tube protrudes past the seat on that side indicating the toube is too long. Woody also said to insert the axle into the hub on each side and tap with a hammer and this often loosens up a bit of pre-load on a new bearing and it will then spin freely. Here is the thred: advrider.com/index.php?threads/bmw-f800gs-rear-wheel-bearing-failures-and-solutions.505577/ Interesting that this is from 2009 and my bike is a 2014. I am thinking that they never fixed the problem.

[@JockeSelin]

I can't comment on whether there a) was a problem, or b) it's been fixed. Combined our bikes have done well over 50,000 miles and we've replaced quite a few wheel bearings. The aforementioned stainless steel bushes have seen a drastic reduction in the wheel bearing wear. And for the record, yes, you should press bearings in, not bash them in; however, very few of us amateurs have access to huge hydraulic press' that can take the size of a 21" front wheel. I've had no problems with my bearings that I've bashed in. However, using a hot-air gun is close to essential. A cheap infrared thermometer helps to gauge the heat; keep it close to, but not over 100ºC and the bearings pop out and in very easily. I'm sure you'll be fine, just keep an eye on it.

[@McClimber234]

I was here to see the rear bearings removed. :(

[@JockeSelin]

What would you like to know about the bearings benig removed? It's quite easy. Heat the outside of the bearing (the hub) with a hot-air gun to around 100ºC. Then use a drift, such as an iron rod, flathead screwdriver and place it on the inner race from the other side, and then hit it with a hammer, go around the bearing from all angles to hit it out. If the hub is heated, they pop out quite easily. Be sure to place the wheel/hub on something soft, such as a few pieces of wood when you hit it. If you have the money you can always buy a bearing puller. I thought I had a video showing how to do this, but if I do, I can't remember in which video. I recommend you watch all my wheel-related videos, just so I get more views, no, I meant, just in case I've filmed it (these videos were filmed in 2015).

[@frasermoffatt1817]

I wish you hadn't fast-forwarded through the trickier part of the process - removing the pins, seating the pads. Don't need to see your empty kleenex boxes! Otherwise well done!

[@JockeSelin]

That's the first time I've had someone say I should have gone slower in a KZbin video. I'll get it right next time, I hope. I've learnt a lot since this episode was filmed 5 years ago, and released 3 years ago. If you have any questions regarding the aforementioned fast-forwards, just let me know and I'll try to answer as well as I can. Thanks for watchin'!

[@frasermoffatt1817]

@@JockeSelin LOL -thanks for the reply. I do appreciate the content. Between your video and another one, I was able to make it though the task without breaking anything. Cheers!

[@JockeSelin]

@@frasermoffatt1817 Glad you managed to fix it all! And again, thanks for sticking with the video!