Rims bearings and spacers

[ZeePopo]

I ordered a new set of rims for my track tires so I dont have to keep changing tires everytime I go. Problem is they only come bare rim, no bearings, seals or spacers. I never changed bearings on my rims so are there spacers between the bearings? Or are the spacers just outside the rim? I might go ceramic bearings, the ones I'm looking at come with seals. For the OEM rims are the bearings without seals and that's why we need extra seals? Do I need the seals if the bearings I order come with seals integrated?

[Dennis]

There is a spacer tube inside the rim, between the bearings so that when you torque the axle the load is on the inside races, compressing the tube. I don't recall on seals. There are some for sure beyond the bearings. Try looking at a microfiche for the best answers.

[DougE]

If you go the OEM route, i have bearings and seals for the rear wheel.

[DougE]

The rear wheel has 3 bearings and two seals.

[Berlin Germany]

@ZeePopo

number 2 in the pic above is the spacer inside rim between the two bearings (#3)
and its length must be accurate to 1/10 mm - otherwise you damage the bearing(s)

my hint was to get the spacer - in original - from suzuki

for all art.-numbers see this page

and strongly recommended

- watch what gen you have (1 or 2)
- watch table 2 at same page - the order in which the bearings are installed is extremely important

[SASSIN8]

When installing the bearings and spacers, it is important to install the rotor side bearing first, pushed right up to the shoulder… insert the long spacer, then install the sprocket side bearing… however, it is important to note, that the sprocket side bearing (not the sprocket carrier bearing), does not go right up against the shoulder… if you push the bearing in too hard, the bearing will seize and most likely collapse… I have made a special bearing installer for the rear wheel that only allows the bearing to be pushed in the exact amount and no more… the bearing just has to touch the spacer and there will be a small gap between the bearing and the shoulder… I have also made my own wheel spacers out of stainless steel with a smaller outside diameter… if you have a brand new spacer and seal, it is very difficult to spin the seal on the spacer, and if you look at the old spacer, it will have grooves all around, showing just how tight the seal is on the spacer… I made the new spacers with approximately 0.5mm smaller diameter, and still grabs the seal perfectly… the new spacers will last the left time of the bike, and the wheel spins a lot easier with less stiction on the seal… I don’t have pics yet, but they look really good… they are double the weight of the OEM spacer, but that shouldn’t matter at all…