For those of you thinking about putting the bearing for the drive shaft in the Citica E series, don't waste your time and money for the bearing..It won't work! The bearing will go on the shaft like it should but binds up when you put the two screws in that hold the drive shaft, the bearing is too thick and doesn't go far enough in, the factory bushing has two ears on it and is thinner too ..The Citica E200 must have a completely different frame than the Curado E5 or E7...Questions or comments are welcome and if anyone knows of a bearing that will cross reference..This one came came direct from Shimano!

For some reason, I think you either did something wrong, or you were sent the wrong bearing.  They're built on the same frame.  The bearing is supposed to be a quick and easy swap.  Send a PM to Bantam1 and he'll set you straight.  He's the local Shimano Guru.  If he says it works, I've gotta believe him.

For some reason, I think you either did something wrong, or you were sent the wrong bearing. They're built on the same frame. The bearing is supposed to be a quick and easy swap. Send a PM to Bantam1 and he'll set you straight. He's the local Shimano Guru. If he says it works, I've gotta believe him.

I believe that they must've sent me the wrong bearing cause the 5x9x3 is just too thick and will not flush mount, I can't see where I could have did something wrong because when I first installed it, I double checked myself using the schematic..I will shoot Bantam1 a PM..Thanks!

He hasn't posted here in a while, so I'm not sure how often he checks his PM's.  I know he posts on several other websites forums, including the Tackletour forums.  He uses the same name on all of the websites that he posts on.  You may have to do a little searching around to find where he's hanging out, but he'll definitely be the guy the give you the best answer.

I just talked with a guy and he said that he has done 22 of em with no issues, something is definately not kosher here,he said that he used..Boca Ceramic Shielded ABEC5 SMR95C-YZZ #5 LD..I'm gonna break down my E7 and see if the bearing that I got from Shimano is the same size...It's gotta be the wrong bearing!

5x9x3 is the correct bearing size. I used Boca Bearing SMR95C-2OS #7 LD and successfully changed the bushing to bearing on 4 of my Citica 200E. Make sure that the E Lock and washer, BNT0686 and BNT2144, are on correctly on the end of the drive shaft. If I remember right the bearing is larger than the bushing but still fits in to the cavity. Maybe measure the size of the bearing you received from Shimano see if it is indeed 5x9x3, the label does indicate the correct size.