Rear Wheel (area) questions

[Aladinbama]

Dumb Questions forthcoming - lol - the kind I think I've answered already

I'm now approaching 130K miles on my 1100 (bought it with 60ishK). I'm now getting a rub in my rear wheel. I'm ASSuming it's the rear brake rotor slightly warping. The rotor seems solid with little wear, but I know that really doesn't mean there's no warpage. I'm about to set off on a 2,500+/- mile journey and was thinking I should replace the rotor and pads before I went - Then the fact that the bearings never have been changed either started creeping in my head.
Long story shorter - how difficult is it to change out the rear wheel bearings? I figured if I'm going to take the wheel off to address the brakes I might as well do the bearings as well. Is there anything special I need to know before attacking them? Thanks!

The sound does seem to be brake pad rub though!

 

[Slydynbye]

It's not that hard with the proper tools, (Bearing puller). There is an order of assembly, one goes in first.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Have a look at the below. They are for the ST1300, but many of the principles are the same. It will give you idea of what is involved.
ST1300 - Maintenance - Fitting Wheel Bearings - What the manuals don't tell.
ST1300 - Front wheel bearing replacement [VIDEO]

I'm now getting a rub in my rear wheel.

Likely that the rubber dampeners and aluminium inserts in the rear wheel need to be replaced as well if they have never been. Check those while you are in there.

 

[Aladinbama]

Likely that the rubber dampeners and aluminium inserts in the rear wheel need to be replaced as well if they have never been. Check those while you are in there.

They've been replaced twice since I've owned the bike. Once because of inspection and the second chasing a drivetrain noise (ended up being the U-Joint).
Having owned both for a while I've found there's little carryover between the two bikes (other than general motorcycle stuff), but thanks for the info - I will review it! The front has been done recently!

 

[Erdoc48]

Sounds like you’re pulling the wheel off anyway- if the bearings turn easily without grit and are smooth, I’d likely just leave them as is. Bearings can wear of course, but sometimes, they can last a very long time. I was concerned about these on my 2000, had the wheels off recently, and all was good, so I left them as is.

 

[SMSW]

It's been said before that throwing parts at a problem without a diagnosis is a recipe for expensive solutions to nothing. Before you order a new disk, check the runout. A dial indicator is best, but you might be able to make do with a pointer just barely touching the disk. If you don't have the tools, check the RAN list for another ST owner near you (blue band atop this page >Riding >US RAN List) and give him a call.

My bet would be the caliper first, and do a thorough inspection of it. I hesitate to suggest this, since he is 'retired', but you might PM @Igofar and talk to him about what to check. By Larry's own admission, he is still spending time on the white courtesy phone, so give him a shout. (Larry, if you read this, tell us if you don't want suggestions to PM you for help.)

I think that rotors are pretty stable and don't warp without reason (e.g. a malfunctioning caliper that does not retract the piston(s), causing overheating). In any case, warped rotors do not seem to be a frequent problem on STs. Diagnose the problem first, then get your parts.

 

[ReSTored]

I'm not certain what you mean when you say you have a rub in the rear wheel. Is it constant as the wheel rotates, or is it rubbing or making a noise at a certain point as the wheel rotates?

I'd echo post #6 to check for caliper issues. Over 18 years and about 80k miles I found the rear caliper needed to be serviced at least once a season. This involved pulling the wheel for better access, cleaning the pistons and the caliper and pad pins. Every 2 seasons I'd change the fluid + pull the seals and clean out the groove they sit it. These grooves always had crud in them that caused the piston to be tight and possibly not retract properly.

 

[Aladinbama]

I'm not certain what you mean when you say you have a rub in the rear wheel. Is it constant as the wheel rotates, or is it rubbing or making a noise at a certain point as the wheel rotates?
These grooves always had crud in them that caused the piston to be tight and possibly not retract properly.

B - it turns and there's a point of resistance enough to stop the wheel (on center stand). Every now and then I'll get a "groan".

I clean everything up when I replace the pads. I'm usually pretty thorough, but I've never "rebuilt" these calipers! I don't remember these grooves, but it's been a while (and I'm getting old) so ...

 

[Slydynbye]

If you have 130k and never rebuilt/cleaned out the calipers, it's time.
Grit in between the seal and the piston will prevent the piston from retracting fully after braking and can cause it to drag. It's fairly simple to do. Make sure you clean the groove carefully to get anything stuck in there out. Clean and check the piston and if it has any roughness that won't rub off it might need to be replaced.

 

[Uncle Phil]

When you pull the rear wheel, pay attention to the condition of the bolt heads that hold metal damper holder in place (which holds the metal inserts in place).
If a wheel bearing is going south, you can generally see some odd wear on those heads.

 

[DeanR]

I used one of these to remove rear wheel bearings... 'Sleeve anchor bolt'. $3 from the hardware store. Worked great.
Also cleaned up that spacer.
(1) no movement wheel bearings ST1100 rear | Tires/Wheels | ST-Owners.com