Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Hi Theo

The rear wheel F650GS Twin have 3 bearings in total, One on each side of the wheel hub and one in the sprocket hub.

The nice thing about these bikes is that the front and rear wheel bearing sizes are the same (6204) and are relatively cheap at about R50 a bearing.

I usually buy mine at BMG (Bearing Man Group) or at Bearings International, just tell the salesman that you are looking for bearings for a motorcycle and that they must give you the better and bit more expensive bearings that can handle water and dust.

It is no rocket science to remove the bearings, but you might struggle a bit without a bearing puller. I've replaced both the front and rear wheel bearings on my bike without a bearing puller, but I must invest in getting one to make my life a bit simpler. So please feel free to give me a shout if you need any advise or help.

You'll need a hammer, a reasonably long punch, the correct size socket, a heat gun, a freezer and some grease .

Just ask YouTube, there is plenty of examples of how to do it.

Doesn't take very long at all, most of the time is spent waiting for the new bearings to "freeze".

Is there any dust seals I have to worry about? 

Warren, do you have any links. I've tried to search on YouTube to no avail. Also, what is the heat gun for? I get the freezer bit for inserting the slightly shrunk new bearings. 

Theo, you freeze the bearings and you heat the seat where it must go.  I use a long bolt with big washers and sockets that fit just on the rim of the bearing, to gradually wedge the bearing into place as I tighten the bolt.

Getting it out is a similar process and a bit of ingenuity.

If I recall correctly there is dust seals. You just net to take them out with a small screwdriver. Most of the time these seals are OK, but you can also find them at the bearing supplier.

Just make sure that you fit the space in the sprocket hub correctly, otherwise you won't get the rear wheel to fit. Also remember to remove the ABS sensor before removing the rear wheel.

Cannot get onto YouTube at work Theo, can do a search for you this evening of which videos I watched.

They were not videos specific to BMW, they were just "change motorcycle wheel bearings" videos. Think the one I found most useful was a Yamaha Tenere. It also was quite detailed and mentioned especially the bearing in the sprocket hub.

As Charles says, cool the bearings, warm up the hub, they slot in without too much pressure then.

Some notes:

If your sprocket carrier has 2 bearings like the Dakar, remember the spacer between the 2 bearings. I've seen what happens when you fit the spacer on the wrong side.

When tapping a new bearing, always tap on the outer ring - never the inner ring.

When you buy your bearings at say BMG, and you ask for say a NSK 6204 double seal bearing, chances are good they will give you a 6204C3 bearing, because thats what he has in stock. C3 indicates that the internal clearances inside the bearing is greater than normal. A non-C (without a C) would be normal. C1 or 2 has a tighter clearance. There's also a good chance you'll get a CE which is intended for electrical motors.

If you point this out to the salesman, you'll either get a blank stare or he'll try to convince you that there's no difference between all of those.

Some literature that I came across stated that you should use normal bearings on the wheel and C3's on the sprocket carrier. However I have not been able to verify this info.  How much difference it make, I cant tell...

If you want to heat your rim without burning the paint, fill a pot to the top with water and lay the wheel on the pot so part of the hub is submerged. Then sit back and boil it. 

Enjoy!

Hi Guys

Thanks to everyone for all the advise.

Philip, I tried to look for anything on the C3/normal bearings on the F650GS Twin.  I couldn't find anything or anyone that could verify which of the two to use.  I went to BMG yesterday afternoon and got 3 C3's.  Also not sure if this is the case for the single cylinder F650GS.

Carel, did you buy the "normal" or C3 for the 800?