Ceramic bearings anyone ?

[400_Rider]

Howdy guys

Does anyone know the size of the wheel bearings for both front and rear wheels including sprocket carrier bearing for the 1997 RVF 400 pleasssseee ?

I am really struggling finding this data I am after a different set of bearings, let me explain

OK have a look at this for me please, you may just find it very interesting :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW7wKg6OSFg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also its very worth while checking this too :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfamxrIQgU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So ... question is ...

What's your input on these ceramic bearings ? are these the ones the race teams use ? ever heard of em before or had a set ?

Because I am getting new wheels for the RVF I am obviously gonna need new wheel bearings so I might as well put the best in there money can buy, oh am gonna want a lovely gold 90 degree bend metal tyre valve putting in there too

So .... To ceramic or not to ceramic ... that, is the question

Check this out :

http://www.ceramicbearings.net/products.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PRODUCTS
Bearing Tech Inc. Makes a full line of high performance ceramic bearings for all the popular 2 and 4 stroke engines used in Motorcycles, Snowmobiles, Karts, Quarter Midgets and others, ceramic wheel bearings and axle bearings as well. Most are in stock and can ship same day.

We can custom build bearings for your application as well. Oddballs and obsolete bearings are no problem. There are far too many to list here, so please call to check availability.

WHY USE CERAMIC?

COMPARED TO STEEL:

CERBEC ® balls offer many advantages.

• Better ball geometry
• Superior surface finish
• 40% less weight
• 60% harder rolling elements
• Lower thermal expansion
• Can operate in low lube conditions
• Higher operating speeds
• Longer lasting
• All this means a lighter bearing that spins more freely and smoother,
thereby consuming less horsepower

Lighter weight means less rotating mass and improved acceleration and higher RPM's!

Ceramic bearings run longer, faster and require less maintenance than conventional bearings.

Bearing tech inc uses only genuine Cerbec ceramic balls.

The grade 3 balls used in our bearings, are round and accurate to within .000003 inch with a lot variation of less than .0000012 inch. Surface roughness is .0510 UIN (millionths) or less and sphericity is 1.05 UIN (millionths) or less. This is far superior to any steel bearing and better than most other ceramic bearings.

COMPARED TO OTHER SILICON NITRIDE BALL SUPPLIERS:

The Bearing Component Group of Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics is the largest vertically integrated worldwide supplier of Silicon Nitride balls. CERBEC ® is different & better because our total focus is to provide a superior service/product package with:

• highly controlled & consistent geometry
• extremely smooth & consistent surface finish
• silicon nitride materials & processes engineered specifically for bearings

At the moment I do not know what bearings my bike has in or if they have a certain number which I can quote to bearing suppliers, but once I have that data I will then go in search of a bearing supplier and relay this information back to you guys so you too can have a contact and place to go to get em

With me riding out with R1's I am gonna need every single bit of advantage I can get hold of

If anyone does know the data of all the bearings please let me know and I'll do the rest of the work and provide data where to get hold of the super fast bearings.

Cheers.

Matt :)

[CMSMJ1]

that lot is talking engine bearings...

[Spike16]

I no ceramic bearings are used in F1 for the reasons listed but havent heard of them in bikes etc, what kind of money do they cost?

also id make sure you get some made and safe for wheel bearings as they take impacts from potholes etc

iv just bought some new wheel bearings of the bay so when they arrive i can meansure them up for you if you like

[superlite]

Less rotating mass?! Hardly in a wheel/axle situation. I'm sure they're great, but I'll have to wait until I've paid off this months snake oil delivery

[400_Rider]

Thanks for the input guys

Yes spike if you could measure em that would be a big help

As per the two video links at the top, the difference with a standard bearing and a ceramic one is shocking

I know a bloke who races bikes who was telling me about this, he said when wheeling at high speed and you bring the front end down, there is a puff of smoke as the wheel hits the ground and spins up, but with 'race bearings' the wheel spins in the air and stops this happening.

Not that I expect to be doing any 120mph wheelies or anything but I do believe this would give an edge, maybe reduce engine braking slightly, maybe even spin up more quickly as theres less force preventing the wheel spinning.

When I find out more I will let you know, I don't care if they cost £200 am havin ceramic bearings in me RVF

[challymo]

Is it just me that noticed they went from a standard style wheel to a dymag/marchesini etc type wheel with wavy discs in the first video. (i'm just nitpicking now). Definately sound interesting. But to be totally honest i dont think you would notice it too much on the road.

[superlite]

maybe reduce engine braking slightly

Erm, no.

And as for the puff of smoke off the front tyre thing, I'd say that's all brake set-up/pad friction rather than bearings.

[hunter]

I think the first wheel in the video had shagged bearings in it,if you had good bearings in your
wheel it would spin a lot longer than that one,and i think the only time you would notice you have them is when you push your bike,so if you push your bike a lot have them.

[400_Rider]

Yeah maybe for what they cost to what benefit they give it might not be worth it.

I think I will just go with orignal honda parts instead

[Spike16]

sorry mate, bearings took ages to arrive

Dimensions
OD=42mm ID=20MM WIDTH= 12MM

hope that helps, o if you do get some id be interested in how much they cost