adjustment that was quickly made by run- ning the spacing ring over a flat file several times. With clean, new grease and adjusted bearings, the front wheel should be good for the next 30,000 miles or so. Rear wheel bearings, which carry more weight, suffer more exposure to dirt and water and carry the power to the wheel should be looked at every 20,000 miles. “Every other new rear tire” is a good way to keep track of when to do the rear wheel bearings (and the wheel is already off the bike). Checking wheel bearings is one of those critical bits of ser- vice work that can really strand you if neglected. When the rear bearings fail, it can get VERY ugly and expensive to repair! Both of my wheels were due for service. As the bearing assemblies came out, they had adequate grease. However, right at the bearings the grease was dirty and getting thin. After I’m done with the wheel bear- ings, I’ll start cleaning up various parts and subassemblies and order new rubber bits for several mounting areas. Servicing the wheel bearings for a Slash
Five requires removal of the chrome hub cap. With this off, the five bolts that secure the bearing seal carrier are out, so it can be lifted off. The paper gasket can be reused as there is no pressure in this assembly. With the seal carrier off, the axle is inserted from the inner side of the wheel (where the brakes are). I apply a 4-inch-long piece of three-quarter-inch water pipe as a spacer and then tighten up the axle nut. This pre- loads the bearing assembly and allows it to be extracted as a unit after the wheel hub is first heated. While it is like this, I spin the axle to give me an idea of how the bearings are working. If there’s a gritty feeling, I’ll replace one or both bearings. If it’s loose and rattles, the bearings could be bad or just out of adjustment. The bearings rarely get too tight by themselves. I use a couple of propane torches to get
the hub “spit hot” (a few drops of water sizzle if applied). When hot, I tap out the assembly with a rubber hammer. I stick one end of the axle in a vice and remove the axle nut. The bearings and other parts come off and are laid out in the order they are mounted in the wheel. I clean off all the parts with carb cleaner and paper towels. I check each bearing by putting pressure on the inner race and turning it in the outer
Heating the hub to extract the bearing assembly.
The tear down process begins. After the seat and tank were removed, the bike was rolled into the shop for about eight hours of removing all the parts attached to the frame. After the tank was emptied, the petcocks were removed and the tank set aside to dry out. It's a good idea to do this every year or two, just to ensure that there is no water collecting at the tank bottom.
The stripped and clean-up frame and the BMW factory frame jig. The jig belongs to my friend Paul, who's been at this BMW thing for at least a decade longer than me; starting in the -2 days. Now, to get this collection up to Denver to the fellow who can actually straighten the frame!
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