H: Hubs, Wheels and Tyres Measuring Rear Wheel Play

[Bill Thomas]

Yep dial guages gather dust nowadays . Even the valve timing equal heights are done with a Vernier but I have promised myself some digital ones for my next big build.

They send me Dizzy. Cheers Bill.

 

[BigEd]

They send me Dizzy. Cheers Bill.

Two dial gauges moving in opposite rotation make my eyeballs spin too.

 

[Simon Dinsdale]

Just bought two digital gauges to replace the two dial gauges I used for valve timing. So much easier on the eye and the head. Only cost £12 each from China inc postage.

 

[Bill Thomas]

I bought a Digital one for electrics, I don't even believe it, Up and down like a loony, I dug out my old meter and mended it, Super, Had it for years,even does Homes !!. Cheers Bill.

 

[macvette]

I got this tip from Ron Kemp. Take a Black and Decker Workmate or equivalent, extend the legs and stand it up so that the table is vertical. Take the wheel off the bike.Clamp the wheel by its tyre so it is also vertical. Assemble the bearings and shims in the hub without grease so that you have 3 thou float on the axle. Remove and grease the bearings, reassemble. Shim the brake plates to give minimum clearance . You check this by rotating them with wheel still clamped. In your case you could simply remove the wheel from the bike, leaving it assembled, support it as above and check the end float on the axle but I don't know what the end float would be with bearings packed with grease.

In case I wasnt clear, here is a picture of the workmate in use. this was after I had shimmed the bearings and fitted the RFM during the rebuild of the whole bike.

 

[Bowsh]

View attachment 21319
In case I wasnt clear, here is a picture of the workmate in use. this was after I had shimmed the bearings and fitted the RFM during the rebuild of the whole bike.

Time to blow the dust off the workmate and go for it....

 

[BigEd]

View attachment 21319
In case I wasnt clear, here is a picture of the workmate in use. this was after I had shimmed the bearings and fitted the RFM during the rebuild of the whole bike.

Sometimes the simplest of ideas doesn't occur to oneself. Thank you.

 

[vibrac]

perhaps the title of the thread should be feeling the rear wheel play....

 

[Bowsh]

BTW if there’s any time served Vincent chaps near me (Epsom). I make a mean cuppa.

 

[Bill Thomas]

Years ago when I was a self employed car mechanic, I bought a very simple Support stand for helping me in my Pit, It's for holding exhausts when your replacing bits, Like a third hand.
It's just a long tube, Very sturdy, With 3 legs and another tube goes up and down inside,
It's got a nut welded towards the top and you screw the bolt into it to lock the inner tube to how high you want it, A few years ago I welded a bit of square ish steel to the top of the inner tube, So I could bolt an upper frame member to it ,For repair, One of the holes I drilled out to take a wheel spindle, So now I can balance wheels, And also set up wheel bearings.
I have also bolted a wood vise to the top, If I want to weld something.
I have found it really good, And saves me rolling around the floor,Which I am not good at now !.
Sorry that went on a bit !. Cheers Bill.