FJR Winter Storage

[frayne]

Bear with me on this question and I would appreciate and and all responses. During my working years (32) in a refinery/chemical plant setting we use to rotate pump, turbine, compressor shafts when they were not being used. This was done at the recommendation of our rotating equipment specialists, usually on a weekely basis. And it does seem to make sense if you think about wieght loading on bearings not in motion.

Any thought amoung the group here about rotating/spinning the wheels on occasion to ensure the bearings do not take a set ?

Just curious was to what the masses think.

 

[Ignacio]

Gotta admit I've never thought about it...and even now I would think I'd rather change the air in the tires and worry about this one. <_<

 

[Fred W]

I'm with Iggy. These bearings are not precision enough to make a difference. But if you're worried about it, put the bike up on the center stand and put a block of wood under the front end somewhere so that both wheels are off the pavement. Even if it doesn't help, it won't hurt anything. And it will help prevent flat spots on the tires, which are known to be possible.

 

[S76]

Actually I think there is merit to this question, sort of. I think there is good reason to rotate the wheels while in storage, but not for flat spotted bearings. The bearings are hard enough to take the weight of the bike plus the impact of pot holes etc. They aren't going to deform just sitting there. What will happen though, over time, is electrolysis occurs at the contact point of the balls and race and will pit the races and balls. The pits in turn will cause premature wear.

How fast does this happen? Dunno. I've seen it on car wheels bearings that sat for a year or so outdoors. If your bike sits for a month or two, doubt it.

Electrolysis

People generally do not understand this term, using it as a catch-all to describe any kind of corrosion. Electrolysis is simply the result of stray current, and nothing else. Galvanism and electrolysis produce similar results, only they have different causes. We would be better off using the term "stray current corrosion" because this identifies the cause.

 

[Millsaps2]

Rotating bearing shafts when not in use for extended periods is typically only needed with very heavy shafts or assemblies (>1000 lbs.). For your motorcycle I would be more concerned with the tires flat spotting, the bike is not heavy enough to cause wheel bearing problems in my opinion.

 

[mcatrophy]

Rotating bearing shafts when not in use for extended periods is typically only needed with very heavy shafts or assemblies (>1000 lbs.). For your motorcycle I would be more concerned with the tires flat spotting, the bike is not heavy enough to cause wheel bearing problems in my opinion.

Agree (Gunny, +1, whatever). My understanding of heavy machinery is that it is not the bearings that have a problem, it's the shaft that can "creep" bend. Very nasty when the machine is started again. (This from working in the aero engine industry.)

 

[Fred W]

Actually I think there is merit to this question, sort of. I think there is good reason to rotate the wheels while in storage, but not for flat spotted bearings. The bearings are hard enough to take the weight of the bike plus the impact of pot holes etc. They aren't going to deform just sitting there. What will happen though, over time, is electrolysis occurs at the contact point of the balls and race and will pit the races and balls. The pits in turn will cause premature wear.
How fast does this happen? Dunno. I've seen it on car wheels bearings that sat for a year or so outdoors. If your bike sits for a month or two, doubt it.

Electrolysis

People generally do not understand this term, using it as a catch-all to describe any kind of corrosion. Electrolysis is simply the result of stray current, and nothing else. Galvanism and electrolysis produce similar results, only they have different causes. We would be better off using the term "stray current corrosion" because this identifies the cause.

For electrolysis to occur, I would think that there has to be a current path, generally to earth or chassis ground. The wheels are a "dead end" for electricity since the rubber tires make damn good insulators. More likely in the steering head than on the the wheel bearings.

 

[jestal]

Something no one has mentioned so far may be at the root of the recommendation to rotate the wheels/bearings occasionally.....

Where the roller or ball bearing sits in a static condition the grease or lube at that spot will be pressed out. After enough time there will be metal-to-metal contact between the bearing and the race. No problem unless there is any moisture present in the lubrication. Then rust/corrosion could occur at the metal-to-metal interface of the individual bearing elements.

Moisture in the bearing and in the grease is a very real concern with wheel bearings....particularily things like boat trailer bearings where it is just a fact of life. As long as the bearing is used regularily and the moisture kept homogenized in the grease and the bearings coated with grease on all surfaces it is not an issue. Let the bearing sit for a long period of time and the grease gets pushed out of the metal-to-metal interface of the bearing holding all the load and rust results.

I have seem several wheel bearings removed from trailers where there were slight lines of rust on the outer race that corresponded to the contact line of each roller. If this gets bad enough the bearing can fail.

Certainly there can be issues with very very heavy equipment and brinnelling of the bearings at rest but that is of little concern with things like wheel bearings in cars and motorcycles. The issue of corrosion, however, as described, is a concern.

Having said that I have little to no concern over my motorcycle wheel bearings sitting for long periods of time. I pop the seals out and grease them occasionally with water proof grease, however..... If you ride in wet conditions a lot or wash with a pressure washer or have other concerns that moisture might be in the bearings then spinning the wheel occasionally in storage to move the grease around might be a good idea. If you have those concerns a better idea might be to pop the seals out of the bearings and re-grease them.

 

[JimLor]

Not to be a smart ***, but you can put the bike on the centerstand and throw a bag of cement on the like on the rear deck and take virtually all the weight off of the tires. Of course that puts all the weight on the centerstand...

 

[flyinlow]

As Millsaps said, its to prevent the shaft from bending. I worked in a chemical plant for 11 years and we did the same thing. We had a 25,000 HP electric motor that drove an air compressor (it was in our air separation plant). On this motor, we actually had something called a turning gear, which was a 25hp motor that its only purpose in life was to keep the motor turning when it wasn't running, which was hardly ever.

We also had turning gear on our large compressors for the same reason, to keep the shafts rotating. Also, almost all of the large equipment uses clearance type bearings, not ball bearings.

I don't think this is a problem for your bike.

 

[Scythian]

Not to be a smart ***, but you can put the bike on the centerstand and throw a bag of cement on the like on the rear deck and take virtually all the weight off of the tires. Of course that puts all the weight on the centerstand...

That'll cause a flat spot on the rear deck. :lol:

 

[Knifemaker]

Not to be a smart ***, but you can put the bike on the centerstand and throw a bag of cement on the like on the rear deck and take virtually all the weight off of the tires. Of course that puts all the weight on the centerstand...

Wouldn't that just make the rear tire touch down instead? I'm not sure if you can "balance" the bike on the centerstand so both wheels do not touch the ground without using a block or jack somewhere under the bike to maintain that percarious position.

I can see having a solid pole coming down from the ceiling of your garage and holding the rear down "just enough" to accomplish this however.

I was always told to place a stack of newspaper under the front wheel so the tire was insulated from the cement if the bike was to sit for awhile during the winter.

KM

 

[Dan23]

Bear with me on this question and I would appreciate and and all responses. During my working years (32) in a refinery/chemical plant setting we use to rotate pump, turbine, compressor shafts when they were not being used. This was done at the recommendation of our rotating equipment specialists, usually on a weekely basis. And it does seem to make sense if you think about wieght loading on bearings not in motion.
Any thought amoung the group here about rotating/spinning the wheels on occasion to ensure the bearings do not take a set ?

Just curious was to what the masses think.

Yeah, rotate the wheels daily.

Change the oil before and after storage longer than a week.

Change the air in the tires every 1000 miles maximum.

Remove the battery when you get home from a ride, reinstall the next morning.

Gas goes bad after a week.

Sheesh. Don't you people have anything better to worry about? You must live some glorious lives if your wheel bearings taking a "set" is at the top of your plate.

:blink:

 

[Fred W]

Sheesh. Don't you people have anything better to worry about? You must live some glorious lives if your wheel bearings taking a "set" is at the top of your plate.
:blink:

C'mon, Dan. Who wants to buy a new set of bearings every year? They're 'spensive. $15 last time I checked...

 

[twodogs]

I'm with Iggy. These bearings are not precision enough to make a difference. But if you're worried about it, put the bike up on the center stand and put a block of wood under the front end somewhere so that both wheels are off the pavement. Even if it doesn't help, it won't hurt anything. And it will help prevent flat spots on the tires, which are known to be possible.

Wouldn’t this lead to the front suspension taking an unnaturally elongated and rear/downward set? Perhaps if the air in the front tire was replaced with helium the harmful downward force (gravity, I presume) could be offset? At least somewhat?

Or, every few days the bike could be taken off the block so as to allow the front suspension to rest in a more natural position for awhile? Might as well check the air/helium while we’re at it.

Wait, wait,… here’s the ticket:

Put the bike on the block as suggested. Replace the front tire air with helium. Then, every other day jump on the bike, assuming the riding position. Now, stand on the pegs, keeping your hands on the grips. Now violently shift your weight from front to rear and return so as to cause the front and rear suspensions to contact and compress in turn. This will also slowly rotate each tire/wheel assembly.

Do this for 15 minutes. It’s better to do this without gear on so as to minimize jarring the suspension. In fact, it's probably best done without any clothes at all - i.e., naked.

Then, post a video.

 

[Fred W]

Perhaps if the air in the front tire was replaced with helium the harmful downward force (gravity, I presume) could be offset? At least somewhat?

I predict you'd be needing to pump those tires up pretty often. Helium is one darn small molecule (the smallest). It has a tendency to migrate through rubber pretty steadily. That's why helium balloons deflate overnight. The stuff just goes right through the rubber membrane and any tiny cracks in the seal. Like the one all the way around the rim of a tubeless tire. But an interesting idea.

Which bring up a thread hijack question. What's up with the places selling nitrogen to fill tires? Do people not know that good ole' (free) air is 78% nitrogen already? Ranks right up there with bottled water...

 

[RadioHowie]

Perhaps if the air in the front tire was replaced with helium the harmful downward force (gravity, I presume) could be offset? At least somewhat?

I predict you'd be needing to pump those tires up pretty often. Helium is one darn small molecule (the smallest). It has a tendency to migrate through rubber pretty steadily. That's why helium balloons deflate overnight. The stuff just goes right through the rubber membrane and any tiny cracks in the seal. Like the one all the way around the rim of a tubeless tire. But an interesting idea.

Which bring up a thread hijack question. What's up with the places selling nitrogen to fill tires? Do people not know that good ole' (free) air is 78% nitrogen already? Ranks right up there with bottled water...

Heading to NEPRT in five.....four.....three.....two....

 

[Fred W]

Perhaps if the air in the front tire was replaced with helium the harmful downward force (gravity, I presume) could be offset? At least somewhat?

I predict you'd be needing to pump those tires up pretty often. Helium is one darn small molecule (the smallest). It has a tendency to migrate through rubber pretty steadily. That's why helium balloons deflate overnight. The stuff just goes right through the rubber membrane and any tiny cracks in the seal. Like the one all the way around the rim of a tubeless tire. But an interesting idea.

Which bring up a thread hijack question. What's up with the places selling nitrogen to fill tires? Do people not know that good ole' (free) air is 78% nitrogen already? Ranks right up there with bottled water...

Heading to NEPRT in five.....four.....three.....two....

Really? So you guys have discussed filling tires with helium before?

Certainly my little hijack would not qualify this for banishment...

 

[Afast03nNJ]

Put the bike on the center stand and the load on the front wheel bearings is minimal, the rear wheel will be off the ground.

Honestly I'd be more worried about flat spotting the front tire, make sure it's pumped up to the max with air.