First: Never but never drive any bearing in or out by the center race! As for the outer race....you need a quality punch. You need a pin punch, the one that is flat on the end with the sides straight up and down on the driving end. It needs to be heavy enough to withstand some hammering, not some little skinny thing. If you clean up the hub and look closely there will be a way to tap this race out. The outer edge of the race will be slightly protruding all around or there may be some cut outs for your punch. (You can even use a Drimel to cut out a few small spots if needed but I have never had to resort to this....yet... Sometimes the area you have to put the punch against is small and you have to use some caution. Get your punch aligned as well as possible to catch that lip and start with nice even blows moving after each one to make sure the force on the race is even all around. Don't rush and keep moving that punch. You need to hold it in tight as you may have a very small "bite" on that race. This is why you need a quality punch. Cheap ones are either too soft and "dent" or they are too hard and their tip chips off.
The key is to keep working around the edge. If you hammer in just one or two spots you risk pushing the bearing "cockeyed" which will only make it jam in tighter. Of course, ALWAYS wear eye protection! I have had several bearings/punches fracture over the years. (I have done hundreds of bearings). I have had fragments go through my lip into my gum, go into my thumb joint, slice open an arm, etc. Be careful!

 

First: Never but never drive any bearing in or out by the center race! As for the outer race....you need a quality punch. You need a pin punch, the one that is flat on the end with the sides straight up and down on the driving end. It needs to be heavy enough to withstand some hammering, not some little skinny thing. If you clean up the hub and look closely there will be a way to tap this race out. The outer edge of the race will be slightly protruding all around or there may be some cut outs for your punch. (You can even use a Drimel to cut out a few small spots if needed but I have never had to resort to this....yet... Sometimes the area you have to put the punch against is small and you have to use some caution. Get your punch aligned as well as possible to catch that lip and start with nice even blows moving after each one to make sure the force on the race is even all around. Don't rush and keep moving that punch. You need to hold it in tight as you may have a very small "bite" on that race. This is why you need a quality punch. Cheap ones are either too soft and "dent" or they are too hard and their tip chips off.
The key is to keep working around the edge. If you hammer in just one or two spots you risk pushing the bearing "cockeyed" which will only make it jam in tighter. Of course, ALWAYS wear eye protection! I have had several bearings/punches fracture over the years. (I have done hundreds of bearings). I have had fragments go through my lip into my gum, go into my thumb joint, slice open an arm, etc. Be careful!

Ouch, that sounds painful. One more reason I don't like this job.

To be honest I'm having trouble understanding how a wheel bearing can be removed any other way than hitting on the inner race. But, this is only the second time I've done this job in ten years.

It doesn't appear to have any overlap. I wasn't able to get anywhere near it with my drift, but I'll wipe it down tomorrow and take a look in better light.

 

In the past on a different bike....
I used an old tyre iron , the curved lip on the iron held in the groove of the outer by another levered in . Gently ease it out , the set up needs resetting every hit , when it has moved a little you can get behind it, did the job eventually.
As above, don't use anything hardened, I made the mistake of using an old 1/2" sliding T handle as a drift once . A bit of the chrome moly/ vanadium / whatever outer came off and hit my arm....claret everywhere....

 

The coefficient of thermal expansion for aluminum is about twice that of Steel. You have a steel bearing race going into an aluminum hub. People often recommend freezing bearings before installing to minimize the interference and make them easier to install. I'm not sure but if you heat both the hub and bearing race the hub will expand more than the race decreasing the interference thus making it easier to remove. Just a guess. Of course this doesn't solve the problem of getting a lip on the race to pound on to get it out.

Some confirmation here;

Will a hole cut into a metal disk expand or shrink when the disc is heated?

Take a metal disc and cut a small, circular hole in the center. When you heat the whole thing, will the hole's diameter increase or decrease? and why? What will happen to the diameter of disc?

physics.stackexchange.com

 

You already know the good answers . Welder or get someone else to remove it.

Do everyone a favor though and clean the grease out. Makes it easier to weld and whatever is used to remove it will be less likely to slip.

I've done this, something like rio (reinforcing iron) with a lip on it (which it generally gets from being cut and careful tap tap tap from the other side (you need to pull the other bearing to be able to get the angle, but you were replacing that anyway .

That said, a welder or someone with experience there's less risk of damage and an even more delayed trip.

 

All of the above. Plus..
I understand your apprehension about cutting THROUGH it with a Dremel, but how about using it to "enhance" the bearing groove? Square up and deepen the groove a bit to give your punch some purchase. AND follow all the good suggestions above about applying the punch, especially to keep moving around. AND apply the heat to the shell; maybe just a heat gun for starters. AND drip a little penetrating oil before you start. Best of luck.

 

I don't understand the problem. You got one side race out? Get a pipe that is the same OD as the ID of the wheel, shove it in and hit it with a sledge hammer a couple times.

 

I got the other side bearing out, but what might not be clear from the photo is that the remaining outer ring from the destroyed bearing is still there. PerazziMx14's edit does a good job of highlighting it. It doesn't seem like any straight piece of metal could get at it.

I hate to pay someone to do my work for me, but I think I'm going to fold on this one. Will be checking with local machine shops to find someone more capable and better equipped than I am.

 

"To be honest I'm having trouble understanding how a wheel bearing can be removed any other way than hitting on the inner race." QUOTE

You can drive one OUT any way you want. You do not drive a NEW one IN by striking the inner race.
But, there IS a tool...

Pilot Bearing Puller-Two claw puller Separate Lifting device

Buy Pilot Bearing Puller-Two claw puller Separate Lifting device - Order today from VXB.com for top-quality bearings & smooth delivery ✅

vxb.com

 

Those things suck. But yeah, definitely do not drive a bearing in using the inner race. If for some reason you feel the need to use a puller - this style doesn't slip like the 3 jaw ones

 

Insert a section of 1/4" flat steel into the radius of the outer race and weld (see green lines) it in place. Then insert a drift from the other side and drive it out.

 

Guys at the machine shop got it out quick and drove the new ones in in under an hour. May be the easiest $100 I've spent.

 

Way to go!

Curious, how did they remove it? Might be helpful for future reference.

 

And thanks for posting the outcome. That's appreciated, particularly when someone else has the same problem.

 

Speaking as someone who is competent with only basic tools, what a good machine shop can do is like magic to me. Good outcome. Ride safe and enjoy your trip!

 

I just replaced all 5 wheel bearings on my 2023 1050 at 34,000 miles. Used heat and a puller to remove. Came right out. Greased the new bearings, and put in freezer overnight. Next day, heated the wheels and pressed in the new bearings. Went smooth as can be. No hammers, slide hammers or punches used. No trauma or stress to the wheels.

 

I'm curious how you went about heating the hub shell. I've changed quite a few bearings without drama, but the heat/freeze approach does sound good.

 

I typically just stick the biggest pipe that fits behind a bearing and hit it once with my 64oz blacksmith hammer. Reinstall is room temp with a bearing driver puck. Can't say that I have had to resort to heat or cold yet, and I'm changing the bearings on 4-6 bikes a year.

 

Freezing the bearing is as far as I go. Several years ago I did buy a set of bearing/seal drives from HF, to save my sockets. Its one of those tools like a blind bearing puller that you didn't know you needed it until you had and used it.

 

Thank you Fox for the public service announcment regarding a little PM before the trip.

 

Edit: duplicate

 

Yes, I'm very fortunate that the bearing and my battery died right before the trip, and not during. For the bearing there was no obvious indication of an issue until it was very serious. Delaying replacement of the battery was my own fault, but I did manage to get to the East Penn distributor today for a new ETX12 right before they closed.

Should be sitting at about 196k by the time I'm back.

 

Rather than learn how to pull a roached wheel bearing after failure, I submit you should be checking the wheel bearings each time you do a tire change. Pulling a worn bearing before failure, is much easier.

Pick your wheel up, stick your index finger in each inner race and spin the wheel with your foot. The bearing should feel smooth as it’s running on your fingers.

 

It is easy to test for worn wheel bearings prior to them becoming an issue. Hold the bike with one hand while pushing back and forth on the top of the tyre. Same as with steering head bearings, any wear/slack is very obvious.

 

I went back and looked at your photo again. Next time look at the parts book at the assembly you are working on. Under all that dirt and grease I realized you had not removed that inner grease seal that was covering up the inner edge of that outer race you were trying to remove. I guess those who work on these forget some may forget or not know how these things go together. As a rule experienced techs like to clean everything up before beginning a job. (keeps them cleaner and they can see what they are doing). Also if its a job they have never done before the smart ones consult some reference source to determine how the thing goes together. Of course its always best to have a quality factory manual on hand to read BEFORE doing the job.
Its hard for a DIY to work on some things if they are lacking the tools, instructions and experience to do the job. Sometimes its best to pay the pro rather than break something.
If you ever need a rear bearing removed for $100 please give me a call!!!

Glad you got it sorted out.

 

Rather than learn how to pull a roached wheel bearing after failure, I submit you should be checking the wheel bearings each time you do a tire change. Pulling a worn bearing before failure, is much easier.

Pick your wheel up, stick your index finger in each inner race and spin the wheel with your foot. The bearing should feel smooth as it’s running on your fingers.

Good test, I check every time the wheel is off.

It is easy to test for worn wheel bearings prior to them becoming an issue. Hold the bike with one hand while pushing back and forth on the top of the tyre. Same as with steering head bearings, any wear/slack is very obvious.

This was what uncovered the issue. Thanks for the call-out, I'll be sure to check this routinely in the future.

I went back and looked at your photo again. Next time look at the parts book at the assembly you are working on. Under all that dirt and grease I realized you had not removed that inner grease seal that was covering up the inner edge of that outer race you were trying to remove. I guess those who work on these forget some may forget or not know how these things go together. As a rule experienced techs like to clean everything up before beginning a job. (keeps them cleaner and they can see what they are doing). Also if its a job they have never done before the smart ones consult some reference source to determine how the thing goes together. Of course its always best to have a quality factory manual on hand to read BEFORE doing the job.
Its hard for a DIY to work on some things if they are lacking the tools, instructions and experience to do the job. Sometimes its best to pay the pro rather than break something.
If you ever need a rear bearing removed for $100 please give me a call!!!

Glad you got it sorted out.

Good eye. As I mentioned, I'm not experienced at this job, and unfortunately the tutorials I watched in advance did not cover this scenario or even mention it as a possibility. The only other time I've changed a bad bearing, it was still largely intact despite having an obvious effect on handling, and didn't take a manual to replace. If I had my own workspace I might have had more of a go at it, but as it was I had already overstayed my welcome in my friend's apartment complex garage stall.

 

Easiest way to get a blown bearing out I pushed this one out with my screwdriver.

 

But then you get to scrape all that splatter off that flange surface too.