Newer memeber with some questions

[Ch4z]

Hey guys, I bought an xb12s (2004) about a month ago and I've been searching around for top mods and what not. Ive done a few DIY mods like LED blinkers(adjusting relay), bar end mirrors, new grips, just things to make it more personable. It came with the RRS, one HID conversion. I ran into a few issues and need some help/opinions.

First issue-
I was riding it on the 4th and my brother noticed my rear wheel bearing was funky. The retainer had broke and the seal was off. I still had to make it home and luckily I was able to limp it back and made it ok. I see that some guys using all balls bearings and some using SKF.. Is there a better way to go? I heard the 2010 setup is the best but I'm low on funds. Also how many bearings is there together with the front and rear wheels? I'm replacing all of them.

Second-
There is a small hole in the front of the muffler so I will be replacing with a new slip on. I see everyone saying it's personal preference (obviously) but the dyno charts show that the buell race exhaust and D&D are the top exhausts. Anyone know a good place to buy the D&D or have an exhaust they want to sell?

Third-
Having the HID is nice but would it be better to run dual headlights with normal bulbs? The DIY for the conversion seems simple enough. The know-it-all bikers keep telling me I have a headlight out... Just curious to see which is better - 1HID or 2Normal.

Last-
Some people like the cheesegrater but I'm a fan of the simple short look. I want to chop it and mount the plate flush to the underside. I could make a bracket for the plate and mount it to the existing holes underneath but I don't want to screw up the stock aluminum tail (my dad always bugs me about having stock parts for resale) So in the case that I somehow mess up the tail, wheres the best place to find a replacement, or is there a good fender eliminator for a reasonable price?

Sorry for the simple - heres the link to the thread questions, but I have been searching and finding many different opinions and I would rather go with general consensus. Thanks guys, and I will post a pic of bike soon!

 

[Gloomshadow]

on a 2004 there are 6 bearings .. two for each wheel and 2 for your idler pulley. You can just go with All Balls off of ebay.. they are great. Same with the steering stem caged roller bearings they make.. a good upgrade over stock. You will need a blind hole bearing puller to get them out. Check Harbor Freight.

The best exhaust on the dyno is actually the Micron but I don't think they make them anymore, you will have to check. Jardine is still around and its pretty good on the dyno and pretty light.

you can just cut the fender off with an electric saw and hand file it all down nice and smooth.. there should be two drain holes under there that you can just bolt a few pieces of sheet metal and bend down to connect to your plate.. I just cut mine out with snips and drilled and bent them by hand.. tail chop is no bid deal.. you will have to repaint the tail end though.. also not a big deal.

 

[Ch4z]

Squid question- Is it necessary to do the idler bearings often? the right side rear is the bearing that failed and I see some guys have damage to the spacer, I don't have a stand for the bike yet, I used to use my brothers because we both had sv650s, but it is a different setup now so I don't even know the true damage yet.

 

[Gloomshadow]

that right side bearing on the rear wheel is taking a lot of punishment , later on Buell added a second bearing on that side to be able to absorb the punishment from the torque. The bearing on the idler should be changed out just to be safe, every few years or so.. If it goes out, it will lock up and in just a few minutes it will burn through your belt, a belt is about 200 bucks, those two bearings in the idler cost about 10 bucks and can be swapped out just by removing the wheel from the bracket. I don't want to risk it so I just change em every few years whether they need it or not. Those wheel spacers are cheap too.. just pull them and look at them..

 

[Ch4z]

Hey Gloom, or anyone really, do you know if the 2004 rear rim can fit the 2005-2008? Ive been searching for the all balls racing kit and I can find the steering head bearings but not a kit for the 2004.. Maybe someone knows the part number for the kit?

 

[d_adams]

Roughly the same price as a d&d, but all 304 stainless, not mild steel.

 

[Gloomshadow]

that right side bearing on the rear wheel is taking a lot of punishment , later on Buell added a second bearing on that side to be able to absorb the punishment from the torque. The bearing on the idler should be changed out just to be safe, every few years or so.. If it goes out, it will lock up and in just a few minutes it will burn through your belt, a belt is about 200 bucks, those two bearings in the idler cost about 10 bucks and can be swapped out just by removing the wheel from the bracket. I don't want to risk it so I just change em every few years whether they need it or not. Those wheel spacers are cheap too.. just pull them and look at them..

wheels and bearings should all be interchangeable for all years as far as I know... I have a 2004 and a 2007 and I don't remember any differences between them in that area. In later years (2008+ I think) they added a third wheel bearing on the rear but I don't have one of those so I cant tell you if its the same size bearing or not...

yeah , now that I think of it. All Balls didn't list a 2004 steering kit... I got the 2005 its the same thing they just messed up the listing of those bearings. They are all the same.

now when you do this bearing job, you may want a dremel tool handy.. every now and then when you pull a busted bearing from a wheel,the bearing falls apart leaving he outer part of the bearing still stuck in the wheel and if its a rear wheel there is no way to push it out from the other side, you have to use a dremel tool and cut it out with a cutting wheel. Just cut triangles out of it until it weakens and it will eventually shatter like glass. So be prepared mentally and equipment wise to tackle that. Don't expect it to be a ten min job.. OH, you can go head and swap swingarm bearings too while you are at it.. cheap to do and the time is right, now that you are at it.

once the wheel is off, getting the swingarm off is a snap.. that would be a good time to paint it with the factory touch up paint too .. that's about 20 bucks a can and you can mist down the frame at that point also bc your front end will be off when you change those steering bearings.. she will look brand new and one can will do it as long as the factory basecoat isn't too bad.

 

[Ch4z]

I don't think it needs paint? Its pretty clean from what I remember. I could be wrong though. So the bearing kit (wheels) is the all balls 25-1627? And steering is 22-1032? Just want to double check before I order anything. How often does the swing arm bearings need to be replaced? Haven't seen much talk about those but it wouldn't hurt. Problem is that I'm in the middle of jobs so I'm trying to keep costs down and get it back on the road. The number for swing arm is 25-1626 from what I'm seeing. Is there a sticky with all these numbers? if not wouldn't hurt if they need to be changed often.

 

[Gloomshadow]

A 2004? I would just change everything just to be sure. Its easier to change everything at once instead of pulling everything back apart again just to drop 20 bucks of swingarm bearings into there.. its like doing the same job twice.

when its apart its easier to shoot a light coat of paint on the outside surfaces of the swingarm and frame.. the color will match perfectly and masking isn't a problem.. frame and swing arm will look brand new. Not totally necessary but a real nice touch.

 

[Ch4z]

The bike was well taken care of when I bought it. Ill take detailed pics tomorrow and post them. Its still a bit dirty. I just didn't think swingarm bearings would go all that much.. Not as much movement as a wheel bearing. For $20 it's definitely worth the peace of mind. I plan to use 3m vinyl wrap to cover the subframe, chin spoiler, forks, and a few other things. Its temporary and for the difficult parts I was thinking maybe use plastidip even though I want to stay away from it.