Rogue ball bearing

Never mind the ball bearing, what lift did you buy?!

Forks would have to be very lose for bearings to fall out, thereâs a ball in the crankcase breather but thatâs bigger I think, sounds to big to fit in the mag or dynamo, could it have been attached to the dynamo by magnet and you didnât notice?

Dan

George......a possible answer to your conundrum may be seen within the attachment. After dismantling my ES2 completely and bagging all the smaller parts, I then discovered a small ball bearing on the garage floor. Thinking that I had dropped one from of the steering head races I counted up all the little blighters.....but all 17 were present and correct for each set. Also the rogue bearing was smaller. Later on, when moving the gearbox to a shelf, I also discoverd a mushroom headed pushrod plus another plain chunk of rod. At which point a light-bulb moment suggested a connection between these two rods and the erroneous bearing.

Please note, in the attachment photo, the distortion caused by the camera lens.

It would probably drop into the outer cover waiting to get caught somewhere....

You might have success with a magnet on the end of the pushrod although it would probably just stick to the mainshaft.

I would assume the shed fairies put it under your bike as a joke.

Previously George Phillips wrote:

From memory the clutch rod ball bearing is larger than 3/16" - maybe 1/4".

Oh no. Not the shed fairies again!

Geeorge

It is at the actuator end of an AMC box. Around 10mm or larger. The ball in the photo I posted measured around 4.5mm and as can be seen is about the same diameter as the rods.

Is it coated with oil or grease that would suggest it may be from inside something or clean which you would not expect if it had come from a grease packed head bearing say or gearboxes oil filled internals.

Hello George, wonder if the ball has fallen out of an extension bar or ratchet you have used . the one that engages with the socket to hold it on to the shaft.

Barry.

I fail to see how the ball could have escaped from the clutch push rod, George. You have had the gearbox apart recently, I know, but I am sure you will remember installing the ball on re-assembly, wouldn't you? The ball should be the same diameter as the push rod, so if you can ascertain that measurement, it could save you delving into the gearbox to have a look, if this ball is a different size. Also would not the feel at the clutch lever be different if no ball is present? The absence of the ball would make the push rod assembly too short.

As to where it came from, Barry's idea is not without merit. Also folding kick start levers have a detent ball.....

My kickstart footie/kickie bit kept swinging out when I did not want it to. So I added a thin rubber tap washer under the nut which has helped.

Previously George Phillips wrote:

I'll check that Barrie but it seems a little large for my socket set.

I agree Ian. I can't see how it would have got out either.

Of course, I may have forgotten to put it in. In which case the extra 3/16" would be taken up on the spiral thread at the timing end.

My folding k/start is permanently tightened to "operating mode' as it keeps coming loose if I leave it in "foldable" mode. And it has no ball.

Back to the drawing board!

I think I have no choice - for my peace of mind - but to open the timing side of th g/box, remove the clutch actuator, put a magnet on the end of the thrust rod and slide it out hoping to see a ball on the end of it.

That's tomorrow sorted!

G

Hi George,

Don't forget to de-magnetise the pushrod before reassembly otherwise all the metallic swarfe in the box will stick to it and make lapping paste.

Dick

At least that made me smile!