Wobbling left to right

bret

'81 Special
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Hey guys,

Got on my 650 after a month or so and realized that it started wobbling pretty badly above 15mph or so.. Last time I rode there was no issue. Does anyone know what might be the problem? Anything I can check? It was a little scary to ride so I only got up to about 30 mph before I turned around and went home.

Thanks!!
 
Hey guys,

I turned around and went home.

Thanks!!

You are the smart one!

Get it on a center stand or center lift, wheels in the air

tire pressure.
pull wheels side to side where's the give?
any maintenance work done over winter? Recheck anything touched.

look at;
axles,wheel bearings, swing arm bushings, broken swing arm shaft at RH nut, steering bearings, spokes. brake fluid leaks. Sand, ice on driveway or road....
cracked frame, loose or missing engine mounts, bolts.

Excess antifreeze in operator.
 
Yes, as Gary said, the problem could be one of many things, but by the way it developed so quickly and is so severe, I think it will be easy to spot.
 
Turns out my rear wheel bearings needed to be replaced... I ordered, from Mikes XS, the rear wheel bearing kit with seals, that says "fits all 650's" and just had them installed this past Friday. I went to pick up the bike and quickly realized the wobble was still there. Well, I turned right back around and showed them, and they took it back in to check it out. I got a call today, turns out the wheel bearings have the wrong diameter... $145 down the drain to have the wrong wheel bearings installed...

2 questions:

1. How do I handle the shop? Will they expect me to pay them full cost to install the correct wheel bearings? Shouldn't they have realized when they were putting them on?

2. What do I tell Mikes XS? Demand that they send me the correct kit? I don't think I can exchange since the wrong wheel bearings are on my bike right now.

Sorry for the spacey thoughts, I am angry right now and feel very scatterbrained with the whole situation. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Yes, they could have noticed the difference by slipping the bearings onto the axle and then holding the bearings up to the wheel. I think a decent shop should not charge you full price for this mutual mistake, just to have a happy customer that will give them good reviews,

Scott
 
MikesXS gives the Koyo bearing and seal numbers on their website. Check the numbers on your bearings and seals, they should be the same. They should resolve your gripe if you can prove that the set was packaged wrong.

Scott
 
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I wonder if they got the top hat spacer out of the old bearing on the sprocket side?
bret I would call the shop asap and ask them to save the old bearings in case your spacer is still in them.
 
The shop said they held on to the balls from the old bearings, but the rest of it was "disintegrated"... Does that sound normal at all??

Also, check out the attached picture. #8 is the part they are saying my bike needs, it's a little collar piece they say was destroyed over time. Anyone know where I can get this?
 

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bret it could be a po had throw away the the top hat spacer and tried to use something else.
It isn't uncommon for that piece to go mia during a bearing swap.
It is kinda funny (2 me) that the shop is saying the ball bearings were left and nothing else.
All that is water under the bridge though.
The ONLY supplier for that piece that I know off is 650 Central.
http://www.650central.com/
On the left side panel click the "chassis" button and scroll all the way to the bottom.
I would also suggest new bearings now that those are tweaked but that is your call.
If you have never done business with 3M it is different than other shops/sites.
You will need to call in (remember it is west coast times) and order.
There is no functioning shopping cart or way to order online.
If you plan to have 6fiddy's for awhile you may want to order two.
Eventually you will come up on this problem again, whether it is another old bike or another rear wheel you buy.
But again your call.
 
bret it could be a po had throw away the the top hat spacer and tried to use something else.
It isn't uncommon for that piece to go mia during a bearing swap.
It is kinda funny (2 me) that the shop is saying the ball bearings were left and nothing else.
All that is water under the bridge though.
The ONLY supplier for that piece that I know off is 650 Central.
http://www.650central.com/
On the left side panel click the "chassis" button and scroll all the way to the bottom.
I would also suggest new bearings now that those are tweaked but that is your call.
If you have never done business with 3M it is different than other shops/sites.
You will need to call in (remember it is west coast times) and order.
There is no functioning shopping cart or way to order online.
If you plan to have 6fiddy's for awhile you may want to order two.
Eventually you will come up on this problem again, whether it is another old bike or another rear wheel you buy.
But again your call.

What is a "po"? Also, are you saying that it isn't worth trying to negotiate a discount for the upcoming labor since it was somewhat of a mutual error?

Most importantly, THANK YOU to you and everyone who has helped me with this issue. I can't believe there is still a shop left that has this part. I will give them a call tomorrow (afternoon) and order it. Would the new bearings that were just installed on the bike still work with this new collar? Or would it be smarter to just order the correct set of wheel bearings? If so, can anyone tell me which set is the correct set?

THANK YOU :)
 
I haven't been there, haven't seen the parts, but if the wheel was assembled to the bike without the spacer being there, blame the shop for having their head up their ass. Really, assembling and tightening the axle without that spacer.....have they ever seen a wheel, axel, and bearings before?

Scott
 
Yes the "collar" is commonly called a "top hat spacer" it sits inside the bearing and the axle slides through the collar. It is a common mistake to throw the collar out with the bearing.
 
... Would the new bearings that were just installed on the bike still work with this new collar? Or would it be smarter to just order the correct set of wheel bearings? If so, can anyone tell me which set is the correct set?

If the axle was torqued down without proper inner spacers (including that collar), you can consider your new bearings damaged. Just tell Mike M Morse that you need the rear wheel bearings and seals, along with the collar...
 
*UPDATE*

The shop called. It turns out the wheel bearings WERE the correct set, and now I just need to order the collar. The shop owner says the wheel bearings are not damaged and that they will not charge me to have the collar installed. Problem solved.
 
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