Stiff wheel

prom

Joined
May 4, 2025
Messages
6
Age
44
Location
GREECE
Bike
ST1300 2015
Hello fellow St owners:)
I would be thankful if anyone could let me know about the front wheel's ease of motion? Meaning how easily should it turn? Uploading a link of mine, I don't know if this is the normal range or not... Thanks
 
It should spin freely, a hard push should get you 1 to 2 turns. Your brake pads could be dragging, if the bike is new to you (newly purchased used bike) the front wheel could be improperly assembled, could be bad bearings, lots of things.

It would be helpful to post more information. What is the year of bike, when did this start happening, etc.
 
Thank you.
It's a 2015. Very well taken care of by previous owner with all the services done in Honda Germany on time.
I got the bike last year in mint condition and did a service anyway a few months later.
Oil,filter,air filter, differential oil,fluid check..
The brake and clutch fluid was done in 2024...
I noticed this occured after the wheels were taken off for painting and then the bike was not moved for two months.
But it was much worse than what the video shows.
The video depicts how it is After I brought it in for a wheel bearing check and the mechanic here said he cleaned out the pistons and added some grafite.
It improved to the point of the video.
I just didn't pay attention to see if when I got the bike in the first place it already was like this ...
So I need to check it out further.
 
You can pry the brake pads apart a little to clear the rotor and have it spin freely...

However, that assumes the wheel was installed correctly, there are 2 spacers and sometimes they are installed on the wrong sides or reversed.

1596319614345-jpeg.259795


BRAKE SIDE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------CLUTCH SIDE
 
Hmm maybe the mechanic installed it reverse, this bike is new to this area, so it's unfamiliar to many...
Thanks again🙂
 
prom said:
Hmm maybe the mechanic installed it reverse, this bike is new to this area, so it's unfamiliar to many...
Thanks again🙂
Click to expand...
The clutch side spacer looks good (in the video), just take a pic of the brake side wheel and should be easy to see if the spacer is the issue.
 
It looks to me like the left side of your bike has the right side spacer installed backwards, but I no longer own a 1300 and I am not sure. If I compare your video to my service manual, the right side does not look like the SM's picture. Other guys will answer soon.
 
Thanks again. I told all this to a mechanic but he insisted it's installed correctly.
So I took a pic of the right side and showed it to Google ai.
It's reply was worrying,:
No, this side does not look correct. There is a critical assembly error with the wheel spacer on this side of the wheel.The image shows the wheel spacer installed backward or missing its outer seal coverage. The wide, flat flange of the aluminum spacer is pushed completely inside the wheel hub bore, which can cause severe binding and component damage.What is Wrong?Spacer Orientation: The wide flange of a wheel spacer must sit flush against the outside face of the wheel bearing/dust seal. Here, it is stuffed deep inside the hub.Metal-on-Metal Contact: This incorrect placement causes the fork leg or the axle shoulder to grind directly against the delicate wheel hub, rubber dust seal, or the inner bearing race rather than clamping safely against the spacer's intended face.Wheel Alignment: Because the spacer is incorrectly seated, your entire front wheel is likely shifted off-center relative to the forks, which will cause your brake calipers to misalign with the brake rotors.Immediate Next StepsDo not ride or move the vehicle under power like this. Follow these steps to correct it:Remove the Axle: Support the front of the vehicle, loosen the fork pinch bolts, and pull the front axle out.Inspect for Damage: Closely check the inner hub, the wheel bearing, and the rubber dust seal for any signs of scraping, crushing, or metal shavings.Flip/Reinstall the Spacer: Reinsert the spacer so that its widest flat surface sits neatly outside the wheel hub, pressing against the inner race of the bearing. The narrower shaft should face the fork leg or axle head to act as a proper standoff.
 

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Honestly, google AI isn't even worth my time to read what it said. Do NOT use ANY information it provides you.

Take the wheel off yourself, follow EVERY STEP of the guide on this forum to reinstall the wheel. Once you have the wheel back on but before the brake calipers, give the wheel a few spins by hand. If it rotates smoothly your bearings are likely good, ANY kind of roughness indicates you need new wheel bearings.

Article [13] - ST1300 - Maintenance - Front & Rear Wheel Install and Front Axle Animation | ST1300 Articles

Animated sequence to show the correct procedure when installing the front wheel into the forks of a Honda ST1300. The right hand side of the bike is the side with the brake lever. Left is the clutch lever side. This is the convention used in the Honda manuals. The video and the photo below...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com

If you have done this and you still have issues and you are certain the parts are in the correct places and installed properly it is possible your axle is bad or perhaps a brake caliper piston is ceased (you should have discovered this when you have the calipers off and pushed the pistons back in for re-installation).
 
Nightmare said:
Honestly, google AI isn't even worth my time to read what it said. Do NOT use ANY information it provides you.

Take the wheel off yourself, follow EVERY STEP of the guide on this forum to reinstall the wheel. Once you have the wheel back on but before the brake calipers, give the wheel a few spins by hand. If it rotates smoothly your bearings are likely good, ANY kind of roughness indicates you need new wheel bearings.

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If you have done this and you still have issues and you are certain the parts are in the correct places and installed properly it is possible your axle is bad or perhaps a brake caliper piston is ceased (you should have discovered this when you have the calipers off and pushed the pistons back in for re-installation).
Click to expand...
Thank you, I'll give it a try
 
Re: bearing condition... when the wheel is off, stick a finger in the hole of the bearing and push it while turning. Then pull it while turning. What you're doing is loading the bearing the way it's loaded when you're riding. Simply spinning the bearing without side loading it won't tell you its true condition, and spinning the wheel on the bike isn't sensitive enough to tell if the bearing it bad. When doing it with your finger, you should be feeling for any rough spots. If it spins smoothly, it's good. If not, time to replace.
 
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