Ruined Rear Wheel and Final Drive

[indybobm]

I bought the Valk last summer and rode it a little. Put it away for winter and started getrting it ready for the summer this week. Pulled off the rear wheel to find a ruined Drive Flange, Final Drive, and wheel. I guess the good news is the Driveshaft and Pinion Cup are fine. Previous Owner or Dealer failed to install the Thrust Washer when they put the wheel back on. Luckily I had purchased a Drive Flange & Final Drive from Pinwall last fall as a spare. Very little if any wear and they both came off of the same bike so the existing wear pattern should not be a problem. I am in desperate need of a Rear Wheel.
This made me think of a possible solution. There must be a number of 'bad' wheels out there that have similiar damage as mine. Why could'nt the area damaged by the Drive Flange would be machined to receive a sleeve. Think of it as a thick washer of the same material as the wheel. The sleeve would be heated before installation for a tight fit after it shrinks when it cools off. This would be the new surface for the Thrust Washer and support the the right rear bearing. There is still original wheel material around the bearing (check the picture). Is this possible? Seems a shame to waste a wheel for this type of damage. Must be someway to fix this.

[Chrisj CMA]

A friend of mine had the exact same thing happpen to his rear wheel.  I had the exact same thought you had......

If you could find someone with the machine to turn the wheel you could simply turn the worn face flat again and take it down the thickness of a large fender washer.  then drill, tap and screw that bad boy on with countersunk flat heads and it would be stronger than it ever was.  

I agree

[indybobm]

Sounds like a new business venture to me. Hopefully, someone will consider it.

[art]

A good machinist could do it for you but it would be expensive(shop rates$75-$150 an hour).It could take a few hours.May be cheaper to get a used wheel.If you have access to some machines do it.I know I would give it a try.I'm a retired machinist an I know it would work if done right.

[Blackduck]

Could be a simple as machining the wheel hub smooth and having a spacer washer made up to suit.
It would have to go over the OD of the bearing and use a couple of small roll pins to stop the spacer turning.
Cheers Steve

[sandy]

I think it's possible to weld aluminum to the old wheel and remachine to the original tolerance. A friend had an HD head blow a headgasket and then burned the aluminum away as he rode it home. That's how it was fixed.

[John Schmidt]

When I had my wheels chromed, they ruined the bearing boss on the final drive side of the rear wheel. The process simply ate away the material and they sent it out to me that way. Needless to say, I was on the phone with some unkind words. I sent it back on their dime, but I first marked it(etched) with an ID that would let me know if it was the same wheel. Turned out to be the same one when returned to me, but the job done on rebuilding was great. They did as suggested....cut out the hub on the inner side of the wheel, built it back up with weld, then rebored it. I had to send them a new rear bearing when I returned the damaged unit so they could use it for sizing. That's been about five years now, maybe longer, never a problem.

[Warlock]

I bought the Valk last summer and rode it a little. Put it away for winter and started getrting it ready for the summer this week. Pulled off the rear wheel to find a ruined Drive Flange, Final Drive, and wheel. I guess the good news is the Driveshaft and Pinion Cup are fine. Previous Owner or Dealer failed to install the Thrust Washer when they put the wheel back on. Luckily I had purchased a Drive Flange & Final Drive from Pinwall last fall as a spare. Very little if any wear and they both came off of the same bike so the existing wear pattern should not be a problem. I am in desperate need of a Rear Wheel.
This made me think of a possible solution. There must be a number of 'bad' wheels out there that have similiar damage as mine. Why could'nt the area damaged by the Drive Flange would be machined to receive a sleeve. Think of it as a thick washer of the same material as the wheel. The sleeve would be heated before installation for a tight fit after it shrinks when it cools off. This would be the new surface for the Thrust Washer and support the the right rear bearing. There is still original wheel material around the bearing (check the picture). Is this possible? Seems a shame to waste a wheel for this type of damage. Must be someway to fix this.

I have a spare rim PM sent
David

[hubcapsc]

Another rider PMed me about wheels just last week. I popped off
a glib "Pinwall must have a bunch of them"... but apparently
wheels are kind of hard to come by... I never gave a second thought
to getting a spare wheel... ?

-Mike

[Ricky-D]

I look at the picture and it makes me think there were more issues than just a missing thrust washer.

Heck, the thrust washer is piece of plastic maybe .040" thick.

It may be the bearing shown in the picture is not fully seated, I don't know, but there is nothing on the flange that I see, that will produce that kind of wear.

I think that the axle had to be loose to allow for the results shown by the picture, if indeed the wheel is worn down like it looks to be.

It would be a rare occurrence to see this same thing on other Valkyrie's.

At least this is my opinion.

***

[Daniel Meyer]

I look at the picture and it makes me think there were more issues than just a missing thrust washer.

Heck, the thrust washer is piece of plastic maybe .040" thick.

It may be the bearing shown in the picture is not fully seated, I don't know, but there is nothing on the flange that I see, that will produce that kind of wear.

I think that the axle had to be loose to allow for the results shown by the picture, if indeed the wheel is worn down like it looks to be.

It would be a rare occurrence to see this same thing on other Valkyrie's.

At least this is my opinion.

***

The missing thrust washer will definitely do that. I have fixed/seen several in this condition. The washer's entire purpose is to keep the star off the wheel...the star moves/rotates a few degrees back and forth relative to the wheel as the dampeners allow it to, and the steel star will eat the aluminum wheel reasonably rapidly. The washer is teflon and prevents the steel/aluminum contact.

[indybobm]

Thanks for all the replies. The thrust washer was missing, the axle nut was tight, and the pinion cup looked like it had been serviced and taken care of. I am checking with a wheel repair firm about fixing the wheel. I'll update this when I have more info. How many damaged wheels are out there?

[bscrive]

Mine was worn a little but not that bad.  I just added a second thrush washer and it is fine.  I agree with the guys, you just need a shim in there.  The flange sits up against that side so if you use something to build it out, it will be ok.

[Warlock]

I look at the picture and it makes me think there were more issues than just a missing thrust washer.

Heck, the thrust washer is piece of plastic maybe .040" thick.

It may be the bearing shown in the picture is not fully seated, I don't know, but there is nothing on the flange that I see, that will produce that kind of wear.

I think that the axle had to be loose to allow for the results shown by the picture, if indeed the wheel is worn down like it looks to be.

It would be a rare occurrence to see this same thing on other Valkyrie's.

At least this is my opinion.

***

I'm with Rick. Looks like the bearing isn't seated in the race. I had problems with a chrome wheel on the drive side bearing not seating. When I would make a left turn you could hear it clicking. I ended up using a coke can as a shim and then indexed around the bearing. Still running great with no problems. Also check and see if the center spacer is in the wheel between the 2 bearings.
David

[indybobm]

Actually, the picture is misleading. I have attached a different picture showing that there is still wheel material around the bearing.  It does look like the left bearing is bad. The inner race ‘wobbles’ and it feels rough. Bad combination with a missing thrust washer. When I took the wheel off of the bike, the axle was tightened properly, the bearing was fully inserted in the wheel and the spacer between the bearings was tight. Three of the bolts that hold the damper plate on were ground down sufficiently that I am having trouble getting them out. I will slot them for a big screwdriver. I have also attached pictures showing both sides of the old and ‘new’ drive flange. Notice the wear on the inside of the old drive flange.

[Daniel Meyer]

Excellent pics. Mind if I save/use 'em when this issue comes up again (or maybe a tech tip)?

-dm

[indybobm]

Do not mind at all. Maybe it will help someone else. Although, I hope it is not necessary.

[Daniel Meyer]

Do not mind at all. Maybe it will help someone else. Although, I hope it is not necessary.

Happens more than it should...the teflon washer tends to stick to the wheel when the star is removed if everything is greased properly, and folks don't see it. Gets knocked off or lost in the shuffle of a tire change.

Even the dealers lose them and don't "know" they are missing when they put everything back together.

[Warlock]

Do not mind at all. Maybe it will help someone else. Although, I hope it is not necessary.

Happens more than it should...the teflon washer tends to stick to the wheel when the star is removed if everything is greased properly, and folks don't see it. Gets knocked off or lost in the shuffle of a tire change.

Even the dealers lose them and don't "know" they are missing when they put everything back together.

Remember when we built a thrust washer out of a milk jug at Texas Ranger BBQ
David

[F6MoRider]

Can't help but wonder if both sides of the thrust washer, the inside of the star and the bearing end up to the o-ring were coated with Moly before the last reassembly? 

Were the parts pictured cleaned after the recent removal and before the pics were taken?  They look dusty and dry and w/o the lube, you had metal on metal contact on the star collar to bearing sleeve.  If the thrust washer was also missing, this might explain the excessive wear.  I've seen the same wear but to a much smaller degree when the thrust washer and adjacent surfaces were not lubed.