And while the shock is disconnected you can move the rear triangle through its range of motion to check the bearings are moving freely; also turn the shock mount bearings to check they're not gritty/rusted.
The most important job is to check the motor shaft seals and make sure they are still...
Looking at a disassembly video I don't think the splines go past the inside edge of the bearing, though the grease helps to plug those splines in addition to protecting the outer bearing. In any case, the guy who repairs the motors says it's good to regrease the seal, so we regrease the seal :)
Bought a used 2021 Cube Reaction Pro with 3500km travelled and checked the drive side seal - still had some grease but I cleaned and regreased anyway. This cheap bike will go camping so I can leave the Rise at home......... and you can never have too many bikes anyway right?
P.S. For torque on...
My drive side seal had very little grease (after 2 years/1050km) whereas the other side still had plenty but had a torn seal - probably make this an annual job.
Not really. I didn't measure the movement but it was something like 5mm lateral. I'll see if there's the same movement when I do the other side tomorrow and measure the play.
Bearings only need a little grease to work properly; provided they're not contaminated they're probably ok.
I changed the non-drive side seal on my bike today and the old seal was already torn so good timing for this thread.
I did notice that there's significant lateral movement of the motor...
My Cube is 2 years old so I've ordered the seal kit after seeing this thread - seems like a good idea to keep water out of the motor.
Is there a similar process for the Shimano EP8?