[Emerikol]

Gary, pulling the rear tire off will give you a lot of room back there, but not necessarily in the direction you need it. If you have to replace the tire anyways, go ahead and pull it. It might not be extra room exactly in the way you need it, but it may make sticking your head in there to see what you're doing easier. Depending on the kind of bike you've got, the bearing could be either a simple bronze bushing, or it could be a set of needle roller bearings. The procedure is pretty straight forward, slather grease all over the bronze bushing, or make sure you've got the grease really well worked into the needle bearing cavities. Nothing to it. Let us know how you make out with this project.