rear wheel rubbing

[rman]

Hello, and please help.

I have been working the bike recently and noticed some drag at the rear wheel. This might account for my 22MPG last season.

I am posting two picture that show the orientation of the brake caliper support assembly. I think that this is incorrect and that the spacer needs to be moved to between the wheel and the assembly and not the wheel then assembly then spacer.

If anyone knows if this is right or wrong or even has a picture of this assembly handy I would apriciate the assist.

Thanks
Ray

[prometheus578]

"Interesting..."

No, the order is correct.
Now then... hard to tell by the pictures.... but you may be missing something.
If you have your Clymer's manual handy... page #215... part #4, shaft collar. Hard to see if it's there or not so I went to my bike to compare.
Of course... My bike's axle area is a LOT CLEANER!!!!!
Meaning... and you can see it from your pictures, the center hub area of the rim, and the lower part of the torque plate, etc are grease stained.
No, it looks like you have all the correct parts, and have them in the correct order... but all that staining could mean you have a failed wheel bearing. I'd say it failed, heated up, melted the grease, grease slid past the oil seal, etc.

[AlanB]

Hi Rman,

Right number of parts..... possible the wrong parts! Standards a nd Specials use different size spacers; Prom may be right (as usual!) or the spacer between wheel and brakeplate may be too slim?

AlanB

[rman]

Prometheus578

Hmmm, well yes there could be a bad bearing as well. But the break rotor is rubbing against the caliper bracket. See top of rotor.

When I was looking at the drawings I cannot see how the caliper bracket fits into the sequence when only the torque bracket is shown.
In my second photo from right to left I have the cinch bolt then a gap, then torque plate, then the collar and then the caliper bracket then it looks like the oil seal. I may just be seeing things wrong.

[rman]

snakes and arrows

Ok got some arrows into the photo to show my areas of intrest. Red arrow is the rubbing rotor, green is the gap, yellow is the spacer.

[randy]

Ray, why don't you bring it over and we'll have a look?

[John]

I don't know if the standard is different from the Special in regard to the order of spacer, caliper bracket, and torque plate, but I just checked all three of my Specials, and that is the sequence of the components, from the inside out.

[randy]

Ray, I just checked my 79F, and you have the parts in the right places. I think the wheel needs to come off to check if you have the bearing spacer in there. In the center of the oil seal there is another spacer. If it's missing, that may also be why you've got leakage there.

[prometheus578]

That's what I was thinkin', Randy. It's just too hard to tell from the pics.
When he's got the wheel off, check to make sure the tubular spacer is in the wheel hub between the wheel bearings. I've seen people leave that out before when changing bearings.

[eroellig]

Re: rear wheel rubbing

Originally posted by rman
Hello, and please help.

I have been working the bike recently and noticed some drag at the rear wheel. This might account for my 22MPG last season.

[...]

Thanks
Ray

A different Point-Of-View.

When I got my bike, the PO hadn't done ANY maintenance in the 8 years he owned it. I noticed that it seemed like it didn't want to move very well. The answer was that the back brake caliper wan't releasing and the brake was dragging. It seems that the PO hadn't noticed and just opened the throttle a little more as the back brake pads only had a couple of paper thickesses left and the rear rotor is worn almost to the minimum tolerance.

A rebuild/cleaning of rear MC and caliper (and new SS lines ) worked wonders.

Any chance of this on your bike?

Eric

[randy]

Prom,

I was thinking that too, but if the center bearing spacer was gone, the roller bearing would come apart. There's nothing holding the inner roller in that bearing except for that middle spacer.

The roller bearing coming apart in that way would cause a hell of a wobbly, grinding, crunching horror sound.

[prometheus578]

Yes, but.
I've seen people put the wheel together without that inner spacer.
"Gee, when I tighten the axle nut, the wheel doesn't move."
So they don't tighten the nut too much and then ride.
But it is tightened. This pressure then, would force the brake mounting componets inward, stressing the wheel bearings... the inner roller...
It would then heat up, melt the grease and the oil seal, resulting in the staining we see in the photos.
Yes, eventually, the bearing would come apart resulting in the cool audio noises you demonstrated but the bike would have been rideable for some time prior.
In another thread, I mentioned the Victorys with the wrong length spacer between the wheels. They, on average failed at the 20,000 mark. Now then, they did have a spacer, (though a little too short) to take the sideward bearing load... we'll just have to wait and see.
Looking at those pics again... the grease staining tells me there's something not right with the bearing. May not have been the cause... but it's now affected.
Unless, or course, someone is just a sloppy greaser.

[mro]

I tighten the axle nut

Has the nut been torqued properly?


mro

[DiverRay]

Has the nut been torqued properly?

MRO
Has it been torqued in the PROPER ORDER? You need to torque the axle nut, and THEN the pinch bolt. My machine had both front and rear tightened in the wrong order, and it was a mess!

[rman]

problems still

Hello,
I have recently returned from a three week stint at Delta Junction Alaska. It was cold and snowy. I much prefer the 70+ temps and clear blue skies that I have returned to. Took the bike out for a 65 mile ride yesterday and felt the rear rotor. it was barely warm to the touch and the brake pads that I put in last year still look good. The bike only got 20MPG during this run and was unable to exceed 85MPH

I hope to get some time on the wrenches soon but this weekend being passover my SWMBO has my social calender filled up.
I hope Randy might be available to take a look and let me know what needs to be done. Any time open in your schedule Randy?

The wheel seems to spin ok when up on the center stand so I am not sure that the problem is a bad bearing or just an idiot behind the wrench.

Thanks for all of the input everyone.