Removing GenII Rotors/ New Wheel Color

FZ1riderNY

FZ1riderNY

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i180.photobucket.com
Many of you probably have run into the issue of trying to remove the rotor bolts from the GenII wheels. Lots of guys I've asked have had no issues at all but I found that removing these stock torx head bits to be a royal P.I.T.A. I had tried at first with heat from a torch but probably didn't heat them up enough to melt the locktite and wound up stripping one bolt and snapping two impact bits.

This was the first bolt that I snapped off the tip of the bit inside and wound up stripping the bolt head.
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After snapping the two bits I had taken the wheel to a machinist but after he had the wheel for over two weeks and never bothered with it I decided to try it again. I ordered two more T40 Impact Bits with 1/2" Drive and picked up a new tank of propane. With advice from our very own Lonney and IBcivic, I used more time with the torch on each bolt head (45 seconds each), and sure enough they came out rather easily.
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After loosening the rear rotor bolts with the exception of the stripped one, I turned the heat on the front rotors and removed both sides with ease.
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This evening I took out my Harbor Freight Easy Out Kit and drilled a 3/16" hole into the head of the remaining stripped bolt on the rear rotor. I used a large Tap Holder and inserted the Easy Out into the hole and twisted until it locked onto the bolt. Then I used the torch on the bolt head with the easy out inside and heated it up for just over a minute. I then took a long box wrench on one end of the tap handle for leverage and broke the last bolt free. Thank God!
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So I was happy to finally have all the rotors removed from the wheels. Now I just have to remove the bearings and I'll be ready to send the wheels to powdercoat.
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I'll be buying the set from IBcivic and getting those powdercoated as well. My wheels will be a spare set and will be a different color. I'm going with a rich Gold color which will be on the bike this season, and the other set I've decided will be Neon Green.

This is the Gold that I'll be getting done on the set from IBcivic
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And this is the Neon that will be done to my existing wheels
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I know this color is not for everyone but once I saw this photo my mind was made up.
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A big thanks for all the great advice that enabled me to get to this point. :Rockon:

So if your having issues with your rotor bolts like I did, the trick is lots of heat directly on the bolt head. At least 45 seconds to a minute straight. Also, a decent T40 Impact Torx Bit.
 
Brian7cees said:
I would be considered an old far by sport bike rider standards...... And I really like that green with the blue bike!!
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Isn't it great! I can't take any credit for trying to bring back neon into style. My buddy Brian got me hooked with his neon green riding shoes and shirt. It kind of grows on you! Once I saw his I just had to have a pair!
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I first want to give a big shout out to Martin (IBcivic). He sent out the wheels at 4:20pm yesterday and I had them in my hands at exactly 4:35pm today at work! How's that for speedy delivery. He even threw in the Cush Drive, Cushions, Rotor, and all Spacers to boot. That wasn't even part of the package. Two big Thumbs Up to you Martin! Thanks bud.

So I have an appointment at the Powdercoater tomorrow at 8am which meant the bearings had to be removed this evening. I started on the front wheel first. I broke out the Harbor Freight Blind Bearing Puller Set and my now trusty propane torch.

I went with the insert that fit snugly into the first bearing and tightened it into the walls.
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I then heated up the outside of the hub with the torch for about one minute, not staying in one place too long. I inserted the Puller and with about 15 pulls the first bearing was out.
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I flipped the wheel over and did the same to that side. In no time both bearings were out and the wheel was done.
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The rear wheel was next and is a little more involved. I remembered looking at the diagram yesterday and knew now that I needed the Snap Ring Pliers so out came the Harbor Freight Set I had in the closet. These HF Tools finally got put to use and they worked great.
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Large snap ring comes out first.
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Rear Bearing ready for removal.
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Same drill as before. This time the larger insert gets installed and tightened into the bearing.
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I applied heat with the torch first and then installed the Puller.
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The rear bearing came out much easier than the front. Only about ten pulls on the tool.
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Lastly was the Needle Bearing and it was the hardest. The trick was to insert the largest insert into the bearing, and then you have to crank down on the insert until the inner section fully seats into the outer section. Then a generous amount of heat and that was it. It took about 25 pulls because the needle bearing has a lot more surface area to cover.
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And that was that. I cleaned up the grease from inside the hub, popped off the wheel weights, and snipped the valve stems. Both wheels ready for tomorrow. Once they are done I will post some shots here. In case anyone wants to tackle removing their wheel bearings, this Harbor Freight Kit works like a charm and I recommend it highly. Here's a shot with the Part# in case anyone wants to grab one.
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Hopefully the wheels will be ready in a few days. Time to order bearings and tires!
 
FZ1riderNY said:
I first want to give a big shout out to Martin (IBcivic). He sent out the wheels at 4:20pm yesterday and I had them in my hands at exactly 4:35pm today at work! How's that for speedy delivery. He even threw in the Cush Drive, Cushions, Rotor, and all Spacers to boot. That wasn't even part of the package. Two big Thumbs Up to you Martin! Thanks bud.

So I have an appointment at the Powdercoater tomorrow at 8am which meant the bearings had to be removed this evening. I started on the front wheel first. I broke out the Harbor Freight Blind Bearing Puller Set and my now trusty propane torch.




Hopefully the wheels will be ready in a few days. Time to order bearings and tires!
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Yo Billy , could you have pushed the needle bearings out from the other side ? I have to get my rims done soon spring is comin !!
 
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Lonney said:
Yo Billy , could you have pushed the needle bearings out from the other side ? I have to get my rims done soon spring is comin !!
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Hey Lonney. I guess if I had the right punch I could have done it that way but I didn't want to take a chance on scoring the inside of the hub with anything sharp. It wasn't really hard at all with the HF tool. Do you still have bearings to remove from your wheels??
 
Yep i didnt have the needle bearing on the Honda . My bearing puller is different but it looks like that needle bearing gets replaced anyway . I should be OK gonna get er done tom.
 
Lonney said:
Billy i used All Balls bearings and im real happy with them.
The Ebay merchant that i got them from was oemcycles .
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Okay, but those aren't for the FZ1 right? All Balls does not have any bearing sets for the rear wheel. I spoke to them Thursday and they said they are currently working on a set but it won't be out for a while.
 
Received a text from the Powder Coater this afternoon with a couple of shots of the finished wheels. From the cellphone shots they look awesome but I won't see them in person until Saturday morning. I figured I'd post the shots in a preview now for everyone to look at early. I'll take better shots with the T3i when I get them home.

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In this shot if you look to the bottom left you can see the front wheel sitting below.

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