Front wheel clicking noise. help needed.

[BonitaPanther]

Hi Tom!
Seeing that the strong florida winds have blown the bike over twice in the last year there is a good chance you are spot on.
Were the parts hard to replace?

 

[mustangtom]

Hi Steve,

No, the hard part is getting them. I could not find any numbers on the bearing, but it looks like a standard generator bearing to me.

Just take your wheel off, unscrew the axle ,pop out the bearing with a punch, and press or hammer the new bearings into the hub with a piece of 2x4 wood and hammer,make sure the bearings are greased. The ones I bought from Whizzer are only sealed on one side,the outside side of hub, they were basically dry.
Tom

 

[Quenton Guenther]

About 98% of the time the "clicking" noise is from the speedometer drive assembly. It is common for the drive to make a noise, and the best solution is to replace the drive. There are 2 options concerning the speedometer drive, one is to replace with the original part, and the other is to use the drive unit from later speedometers. The Ambassador and NE-r use the later style because of the disc brake system [clearance issues]. The later unit is very common and can be ordered from the average bicycle shop. It is gray plastic and has 2 locations for the cable depending on which side of the wheel it is mounted].

I would guess the cost is under $10. for the later version. Be sure to get the 26" version as it is the same ratio as the original Whizzer version. If used on a 24" Whizzer the speedometer will be off 10% [all 24" Whizzers use the 26" ratio]. If your speedometer indicates 50 MPH it is actually traveling at 45 MPH.

If your problem is bearing related, the bearings are available from almost any bearing company. If you find it to be a bearing problem contact me for phone numbers of bearing companies that can help supply the needed parts.

Have fun,

 

[BonitaPanther]

Thanks Guys! Hopefully this weekend I will have time to take it apart and find the source!
Great tips!

Have a happy safe new years everybody!

S