Kai, and List---More thoughts about preloading...groan...
There is no good reason that I can think of why any bearing should last
longer when it runs full time. Said another way, why should it fail if
it's NOT preloaded?
Still, there are advantages in preloading.
The biggest one is to keep the bearing spinning with the clutch, so no
spool-up is needed each time the clutch is disengaged. Part of what we
heard (before preloading) was the sound of the nose of the still bearing
trying to match the speed of a running clutch. With no preload, there is
initial slippage between the clutch fingers and the bearing. The
absence of the squeal, or chirp, or zzzzt was worth it, to me. I have
found no penalty in preloading the Gunst.
A quality bearing should be able to run "loaded" full time. (Think of
what the front wheel bearings go thru) One of the reasons some of us
started looking around for something better than the RHP bearing is that
these replacement bearings were failing too soon and too often. (I know
some of them were good, and some owners wonder what all the fuss is
about!)
The KOYO seemed like a worthy replacement for the RHP. It is well made,
but large and heavy. The two Koyos I tried also sang to me when I
disengaged the clutch. These bearings may never have actually "failed"
in service, as a few of the RHP did, but I didn't like the chirp. Years
ago, I tried preloading these with a stouter spring inside the SC bore.
It was a much neater arrangement than the spring/strap as Kai pointed
out, but I apparantly didn't go with a strong enough spring. (15 lb.
preload apparantly wasn't enough)
Kai is correct in that some of this information tossed around doesn't
square up.
i.e. Why would Gunst direct us away from the Borg & Beck clutch, saying
they "whistle" but "doesn't know why?" If the B&B clutch was going to
whistle, it should do this regardless of the bearing used, I would
think. No one that has installed the Gunst kit with the B&B has said
that they have found this to be so.
Why is BPNW reluctant to condone the use of the preload, if their
bearings are as good as the Gunst? Is there a patent infringement if
these parts were to be included in their kits?
Why is TRF out of these parts already?
Good grief!
Dick Taylor
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