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Wheel Spacers

N

njdulong

Bicycle
Howdy,
I was finishing up installing new tires and upon inspection of the the front wheel bearings and dust seals found one of the dust seals torn.  Looking for a cause I gave the wheel spacers a look and sure enough both of them had some type of plating peeling off on their exteriors.  Most of the loss was in the area where the spacer flares out but the side with the torn dust seal had plating missing where it contacted the dust seal.  Anyone seen this before?  Front axle is torqued to 94 ft. lbs.  2009 with ABS and 14K miles.
Later,
Norm
 
No I haven't. I bet Kawasaki won't cover the bearing either. They will probably say it was a wear item or you caused the problem. But you never know and it can't hurt to take it to the dealer and let them have a look!
 
Hi,
Unfortunately this will be one of those issues I’ll deal with myself.  My dealer is 3+ hours away so it’s a logistical nightmare to get me home from the shop and then back up to retrieve the bike.  Spacers are $24 ea. and the seals $9 ea. so its short money and I’ll have the peace of mind knowing it was done right.  Since I’m going to have to replace the front brake pads before I head out on my yearly “big trip” in June I’ll replace the spacers and seals at the same time.  At this point it’s back together and I’m out riding.  That particular seal has two lips and only the outer one was torn.  I used a tad more grease and sanded the spacer smooth.  The bearings showed no sign of any moisture intrusion but will check them again when the wheel is off and replace if necessary.  I am going to have my torque wrench checked just to eliminate it from the mix.  If I am over tightening the front axle I would think that the added stress would show up at the flare possibly cracking the plating.
Later,
Norm
 
Hi,
Me again.  No, I'm pretty sure I didn't.  The spacer is stationary while the seal rotates with the tire.  The tear lined up nicely with the missing plating on the spacer which acted like sand paper against the lip on the seal as the wheel turned.
Later,
Norm
 
Honda tells you to put a thin coating of silicone grease on the wheel spaces where they contact the rubber seals. I suspect a little grease on them would have prevented this.
 
Howdy,
Nope, used grease as recommended in the Kawasaki manual.  I'm probably not making myself clear.  Picture a cheap chrome job peeling off a piece of metal, this is what the plating looked like peeling away from the spacer.
Later,
Norm
 
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