2013 RT - rear bearing out at 26.5K

[kyace2003]

While riding in NC in October we noticed that the rear end felt loose so we stopped. After diagnosing it we felt that the rear wheel bearing was out of it. We towed it, now we were in Highlands NC and it had to be towed to Seneca SC. It goes without saying that being on the road and having any trouble is challenging.

Given that we had 26.5K miles on it I was surprised that the bearing burned up and ended up taking the hub with it. I am not trying to throw the dealer under the bus but to learn something here. We had the rear tire replaced at 19k and I feel that the bearing could have been starting to show wear at that point but I wasn't there. After talking to the dealer in Seneca it sounded as if sometimes the roll test doesn't show a bad bearing, and although they didn't say it, they did indicate it was unusual to have one fail at this mileage but not so out of the norm that it was a concern.

After we had the issue I saw threads of folks indicating that you should change them whenever the tire is changed or every other time depending on the mileage, now my question is, anyone else seeing this issue? When talking to my LD friends, most of them stated that sealed bearings just do not have enough grease in them from the factory.

Most of the miles are two-up and pulling the can-am 622 trailer.

Looking back I believe we saw signs but didn't know or understand what they could mean:

1) In May I noticed that if I put any pressure on the hitch I would get a squeak or crunch sound, at the time I felt it was just the hitch and didn't pay any additional attention other than to confirm that the hitch was secure. I do not recall hearing it prior to May, however we did have the tired replaced in April. After having the bearings replaced, this squeak or crunch is no longer present.
2) After a long ride when disconnecting the trailer I would get a quick whiff of hot grease - given that we just road somewhere between 300 - 500 miles I didn't think anything of it especially given I didn't see any leaking or evidence of it on the wheel. After the bearing was replaced we haven't ridden enough to see if this smell still continues.

I am sharing the above just in case it helps someone, frustrating as it may have been, we consider ourselves pretty luck that we didn't have a major accident given we were running around on the mountain roads of NC.

[Chupaca]

I have a set I keep on hand just in case mine go out. At 38,000 miles all is well but then again I run a lower belt tension and don't haul a tailer and have an RS. From my understanding most of the problem comes from the belt tension which has changed along the way. I am glad it is only the wheel bearings and not the output shaft bearings which is a major issue and can also be affected. A reminder to all to check those bearings when doing a wheel change or let the tech know your ryding habits so they are aware....

[jcthorne]

The older 2 piece rear wheels have far shorter bearing life. BRP recommended 24k replacement interval, thats where the every other tire change came from. On the newer 1 piece wheels that came out in 2015, don't think I have seen a bearing failure yet. Although the new wheels do make the bearings more difficult to change when the time comes.

[k7xi]

Mine went out about 21000 miles. I did change the rear tire myself at about 19000 miles, so nobody to blame. Well, nobody else.... The bearings are cheap, so I now have another set on hand, just in case. We also ride two up quite a bit and pulled a trailer for a bunch of those miles, so probably at or near the weight limit. When It started to go, it felt like I had a really low rear tire and seemed kinda squirrely, then it started squealing--- so I thought it was the rear brakes. After changing the brakes, it was still squealing, so then I started taking it all apart. Of course, the nearest set of bearings were 150 miles away on a Friday afternoon.....Ah well, so it goes around here..... I now tell my friends to get their bearing replaced because they mostly have way more miles than I do.

[Ryan12]

Now you guys got me thinking. I removed the wheel myself and had the dealer put my new tire on but they never mentioned anything about bearings. My 2012 RTS SM5 only has 12K miles. But since install and 2500 miles later something has been off but I cant put my finger on it. If I hit a hard bump I will get a hard thud. I cant seem to repeat this off the bike. I can bounce standing on the rear foot pads and nothing but a soft bounce. It's the hard jolts is when I hear and feel the thud.
I'm not a Winter rider so I'll have time to tear it down to replace the bearings. Besides I noticed a coolant leak now so that will need addressed too.

Dang, I just had this all torn apart 2 mo ago doing the spark plugs. I guess I just filled my calendar for Christmas break from work...