cacka_lacka
XS650 New Member
Hello everybody. I've been a lurker on the forums for a while but this is my first post.
Tonight I pressed out my wheel bearings in preparation for powder coating. The non-speedometer side of the front hub had a small ding in the flange where the bearing and oil seal seat. While pressing the bearing out, the flange developed a crack when the bearing tried to pass through the deformed part of the flange.
Should have done some preheating or sanded out the ding first.
As far as I can tell, the area of the flange where the crack formed is not a structural component of the hub and simply serves as a seat for the oil seal. The actual part of the hub where the bearing seats is inboard of the crack and is cast with a greater flange thickness. I've outlined in red where the bearing seats as evident by the thicker flange. I'm hoping I can just have someone tig weld a bead over the crack to keep it from growing. What do you guys think? A front hub isn't something you want to fall apart when going down the interstate, but I'm having a hard time imaging this crack leading to a total hub failure.
Any advice?
Thanks!
Tonight I pressed out my wheel bearings in preparation for powder coating. The non-speedometer side of the front hub had a small ding in the flange where the bearing and oil seal seat. While pressing the bearing out, the flange developed a crack when the bearing tried to pass through the deformed part of the flange.

As far as I can tell, the area of the flange where the crack formed is not a structural component of the hub and simply serves as a seat for the oil seal. The actual part of the hub where the bearing seats is inboard of the crack and is cast with a greater flange thickness. I've outlined in red where the bearing seats as evident by the thicker flange. I'm hoping I can just have someone tig weld a bead over the crack to keep it from growing. What do you guys think? A front hub isn't something you want to fall apart when going down the interstate, but I'm having a hard time imaging this crack leading to a total hub failure.
Any advice?
Thanks!