Scooterotica

Whilst checking the tyre pressure this morning I noticed a slight knocking noise from the rear wheel. Only a little bit of play. Is it normal to have a little bit of play? It's a series 2 standard set up.

Yes and no.

A bit of play can be one or more of the following: worn main layshaft bearing, worn rear hub cone, worn layshaft needle roller, loose gearbox end plate, loose wheel nuts and lose hub-nut. However, I have spent too much time this year trying to eliminate all play from the back wheel, and all the above were OK. The only exception was the main layshaft bearing which has a tiny amount of backwards & forwards movement. I tracked-down a brand new original Italian bearing (£40) and fitted this and it was exactly the same. It still had that tiny amount of backwards & forwards movement.

Ultimately, I could not deliver a movement-free rear hub to the MoT station but the MoT tester accepted that this was within tolerances and passed it.

It is a tough one, but I would monitor the wheel movement for the next few rides if you are confident that all is intact inside the engine and with the hub.

The only time I noticed this was just before the rear hub broke off at the lugs. Easyish to check, not too expensive or difficult to remedy.

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll take the wheel off and go from there. At least I know what to look for. Thanks

I had this problem a few years ago and everything was good except the hub bearing. I bought two good quality Italian bearings by post and both resulted in movement which I could only detect with the rear wheel on but was definitely there. In the end I drove too a reputable shop and each of the bearings I looked at had a very small out of movement you could just about discern with your fingers. The fifth one they pulled out was rock solid, all the same make. I bought that one and all was good. They seemed a little bemused I was being so fussy. My advice is buy over the counter, check carefully and definitely be fussy.

John