Bad bearing outer race removal

[Peteg]

So driving out my bad left side bearing with a drift pin, the bearing came apart. So now I have the dust seal out along with the inner race, balls and spacer. I thought after the spacer came out I'd be able to contact the outer race with my punch. It seems like the only thing sticking out past the wheel shoulder is what's left of the old inner bearing seal. I assume it's time to get out the dremal and cut the outer race? Not in a rush, and don't have a drawing so I decided to check with you guys and make sure I'm on the right path. Also I have access to a press. My bud down the street is in az. , but his wife's home, so I have access to his entire shop if I need it.

[Valker]

If you're careful, a press can work well. If you have access to a welder you can carefully run three lines from the wheel side to the open side on the race (ONLY THE RACE) and it will drop out. I'm not sure how that does it, but I have seen it.

[da prez]

  There is a puller made for this situation. Check with your local parts store. I have one in my shop.

                                 da prez

[h13man]

I use a piece 24" lg. pipe/metal rod about 1/2-5/8" dia. with a sharp square end and carefully tap on it all the way around coming from other side of the wheel. Take your time and be gentle. This is the method I used to extract the #6204 from my rear wheel. Honda left the bore open wide enough on my wheel to accomplish this.

Using a Dremel tool with a mounted point/carbide burring tool and grinding a slot into the race almost deep enough to break thru. With a punch and hammer give it a smack as it should break like drywall. This approach is common in industrial maintenance when all else fails.
 

[Valker]

I use this tool to remove my wheel bearings quite easily. https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0269

And I seat the new bearings with this tool. https://www.harborfreight.com/bearing-race-and-seal-driver-set-10-piece-63261.html


I change out a LOT of wheel bearings on the eleven bikes I have here at the house and on friends' bikes.

[Peteg]

Cool more tools to buy. I was able to get the outer race out this morning; big gouge with a die grinder then finished it off with a dremel. What a pita. I'm all over the place, I get a second bearing and my 5/8" spacer for the rear tomorrow. Then I guess I'll order the fronts and do them when I do the front tire this winter. I want to start vacationing with the Valk, it's really fun to ride. I hate getting stuck away from home though.

So the bearing I got for the rear from O'reilly's is a Precision 5204KZZE, it's double  sealed but there's no description indicating it's a double row angular contact bearing and the letter designation has 4 letters not 2. I'm wondering if I have the wrong bearing???

I thought the balls were supposed to be round. The ones that came out of my bad bearing had a flat side. I'm amazed the bike rolled at all. Slow it wasn't really too bad.

[Peteg]

Found explanation of bearing part #'s on the web, looks like I have the right one. Also the identification numbers stenciled right on the inner race are - 5204 2RSC3, perfect per the description I found.

So I read in my manual that the id #'s should face out when the bearings are installed. Is that true / critical???

[Dusty]

Numbers face out  to be able to read them when  replacing bearing next time.

Dusty

[Peteg]

I'm back waiting on parts and just wanted to see if I could annoy anyone who might still be following this thread. By writing down what I've learn I should tend to remember it better, like when the teacher tried to get me to learn not to speak unless called on by writing it 200 times.

So Valker's install tool worked great for me, 5 minutes a bearing, straight in. You definitely don't  need my centering mock axel. It worked, but since it's longer than the race is deep you need to be carful not to knock the spacer into the inner race of the opposite bearing when you do the second bearing. I may make a centering extension that's shorter than the depth of the front bearing when I have nothing else to do. I was a little unsure of the flat disk that contacts both the inner and outer race, but when you see it work that's not an issue. Also if you need it right away and don't have an HF near by, O'Reilly's has a kit in they're free loaner tool program.

I don't know about the Motion Pro removal tool yet. It doesn't come until Monday. I'm thinking the removal tool would have taken my bad bearing straight out and held it together without leaving the outer race behind. In any event I think the place I really went wrong with my shop tools was removing the bad bearing first. I think if I would have knocked right side good bearing out first, sliding the spacer round and round with the punch, I would have been ok. With the other stuff out of the wheel, I could have put my deep well 21 MM socket w extension against the back of the bad bearing and driven it straight out with a BFH without it coming apart, maybe.

Lastly and I'm sure I read this in a Chinese fortune cookie once. "If you ride a Honda Valkyrie make sure you keep at least one spare thrust washer in your o-ring stash." Just when I thought my luck had changed and I'd be test riding today. I was cleaning my thrust washer and it broke in half