Flat tire? Or extended rear-drive unhappiness?

[spacewrench]

I have a flat tire.  No problem, except I don't have a proper size basin to find the hole, so I'll just pull the rear wheel and hand it over to the local shop.

The wheel needed some persuading to come off, though, and the inside of the final drive (the outside, really, although it's usually behind the wheel) is pretty chalky.  Is this par for the course, or the harbinger of a string of fixes that will make me extra sad to have gotten a flat tire?  And who's the bright bulb who designed a sexy single-sided swingarm, but bolted the brake rotor to the rear wheel instead of the wheel carrier, so you have to pull the brake caliper to take off the wheel?

[spacewrench]

The wheel off the bike mmmmmmight fit in the sink, much to my wife's chagrin.  Good news: no apparent leaks in the tire that would explain how fast it leaks down.  Uncertain news: the valve stem is leaking (the center, not the rubber).  I'm hoping I can remove the core, clean it (or maybe replace what I'm anticipating is an O-ring), reassemble and be back on the road.  It's weird how you can ride for years and never have certain things happen -- I can probably count my flats on one hand, and this is the first valve stem I've ever had trouble with.

[dirtrider]

3 hours ago, spacewrench said:

The wheel off the bike mmmmmmight fit in the sink, much to my wife's chagrin.  Good news: no apparent leaks in the tire that would explain how fast it leaks down.  Uncertain news: the valve stem is leaking (the center, not the rubber).  I'm hoping I can remove the core, clean it (or maybe replace what I'm anticipating is an O-ring), reassemble and be back on the road.  It's weird how you can ride for years and never have certain things happen -- I can probably count my flats on one hand, and this is the first valve stem I've ever had trouble with.

 

Morning spacewrench

 

If you have the rear wheel removed & don't know the age of that valve stem then there is no way that (personally) I would re-install that wheel without replacing the entire valve stem.

 

As for the wheel mounted brake rotor,  that was a big improvement in removing brake heat from the crown bearing area.

 

You should also clean up that wheel hub & final drive spool before reassembling (do not use any grease between the wheel & the spool as that is a safety issue)

[spacewrench]

Thanks DR!

I was going to just (try to) fix the core, but it shouldn't be a huge expense to have a shop pull the tire, replace the valve stem, and re-install, and it has the added benefit of them looking for a leak in the tire that I wasn't able to find in my sink.

 

4 hours ago, dirtrider said:

As for the wheel mounted brake rotor,  that was a big improvement in removing brake heat from the crown bearing area.

 

Ooh, good point.  My Aprilia has a spindle-mounted rotor (the spindle remains behind when you pull the rear wheel, making it a simpler proposition) but the downside is a stupid-complex bearing system where they incorporated speedo magnets in one of the (very large) bearings, making that bearing cost about $800 to replace.  (A lot of the stuff in the second picture is large, expensive bearings.  It all fits into the coffee-can-sized unit, which is an eccentric for setting chain tension.)

[spacewrench]

4 hours ago, dirtrider said:

You should also clean up that wheel hub & final drive spool before reassembling (do not use any grease between the wheel & the spool as that is a safety issue)

BTW, what's the safety issue?  (Honestly, I would have been inclined to clean that area up and put a film of grease around things to protect the metal, since the inside of that spool is actually directly connected to the outside world via the center hole in the wheel.  Sounds like maybe I'm missing a trim cap or plug or something to keep the elements out of there.)

[dirtrider]

Afternoon

13 minutes ago, spacewrench said:

BTW, what's the safety issue?  (Honestly, I would have been inclined to clean that area up and put a film of grease around things to protect the metal, since the inside of that spool is actually directly connected to the outside world via the center hole in the wheel.  Sounds like maybe I'm missing a trim cap or plug or something to keep the elements out of there.)

 

 

Afternoon spacewrench

 

If you ever want to see a wheel come loose while riding then put some grease (or something slippery) between the clamping surfaces so it can work while riding.

 

The center hole in the wheel & the spool's hub keeps the wheel centered but has no effect on keeping it tight. The retention bolts are tapered seat so if the wheel starts to work on the spool  (slip a little) then the lug bolt taper wears deeper allowing even less retention.

 

 

 

[spacewrench]

4 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

If you ever want to see a wheel come loose while riding then put some grease (or something slippery) between the clamping surfaces so it can work while riding.

 

I wouldn't mind watching somebody else's wheel come loose, maybe, but I don't think I'd have time to really pay attention to it if it was my own wheel!  So, clean & dry assembly it is!

[Oldrider51]

4 hours ago, spacewrench said:

 

I wouldn't mind watching somebody else's wheel come loose, maybe, but I don't think I'd have time to really pay attention to it if it was my own wheel!  So, clean & dry assembly it is!

I have used without problems a small amount of anti-seize in this area on two 04 1100S bikes. Usually this lasts for several removals or I clean the area and re-apply each time. I use high temp anti-seize. Nothing has come loose in over 60,000 miles. I would not use a grease of any kind.

[dirtrider]

5 hours ago, spacewrench said:

 

I wouldn't mind watching somebody else's wheel come loose, maybe, but I don't think I'd have time to really pay attention to it if it was my own wheel!  So, clean & dry assembly it is!

 

Evening spacewrench

 

Clean yes, doesn't necessarily need to be dry  but don't use anything that remains slippery that could  compromise the wheel/to/hub clamping friction.

 

There are some alloy treatments that  can protect the aluminum wheel but won't add lubricity to the wheel/hub joint.

 

How bad does the spacer washer that goes between the rear wheel & spool hub look?

 

The below caution is from the BMW repair manual___

 

 

[spacewrench]

I saw that spacer in the Clymer manual, but it's not stuck to the wheel, and it didn't fall out of the final drive hub.  So either it's stuck on there and buried in that chalky crap, or it's missing.

[dirtrider]

16 minutes ago, spacewrench said:

I saw that spacer in the Clymer manual, but it's not stuck to the wheel, and it didn't fall out of the final drive hub.  So either it's stuck on there and buried in that chalky crap, or it's missing.

 

Evening spacewrench

 

Probably missing. Some riders removed the spacer in an attempt to correct the PTTR (Pull To The Right).

 

Or it fell off at rear tire change & the person didn't find it until the bike was back together so didn't bother to re-install.  

 

I have also seen them laying around the wheel balancer in some shops (must have stuck to wheel then fell off when wheel was removed from the balancer shaft).

 

I probably should be there but a number of riders have removed them without any apparent  issues.

[AndyS]

Do not grease the parts that make contact with each other. However, you can apply something like XCP or waxoyl to the internal pocket of the FD where you are getting that build up of corrosion.

 

[spacewrench]

5 hours ago, AndyS said:

 you can apply something like XCP or waxoyl to the internal pocket of the FD ...

For people (like me!) who haven't encountered these products:

Waxoyl and XCP

Also, Amazon.

[AndyS]

Living in a relatively salty environment in the winter months, and riding all year, I use a fair amount of the likes of Waxoyl, and XCP. I have also got bottles of ACF50, but despite the press statements about it, I have found the stuff is fairly useless, as it is washed off too easily.

Anyway, this is a bit of a sidetrack from the OP's query.