Rear wheel bearings

[BLACK WIDOW]

:yikes:It is rather perplexing to me to know that the rear wheel bearings have such a short life (maybe 20K miles max.) I don't even know what the life of the front ones are. What do you think is the problem? Is it poor quality bearings or poor engineering? I have ridden Motorcycles most of my life and have owned many different brands (the best of which were Yamaha and Honda) but I cannot remember ever having to replace a wheel bearing. I put over 90K miles on a Yamaha Venture with no problems and over 50K on the Goldwing with no problems so what gives. What do you think? If there are better bearings out there I for one would like to know the no's so I can replace mine now. Would appreciate your learned opinions.:dontknow:


Michael:doorag:

 

[Cliff-Co.]

:yikes:It is rather perplexing to me to know that the rear wheel bearings have such a short life (maybe 20K miles max.) I don't even know what the life of the front ones are. What do you think is the problem? Is it poor quality bearings or poor engineering? I have ridden Motorcycles most of my life and have owned many different brands (the best of which were Yamaha and Honda) but I cannot remember ever having to replace a wheel bearing. I put over 90K miles on a Yamaha Venture with no problems and over 50K on the Goldwing with no problems so what gives. What do you think? If there are better bearings out there I for one would like to know the no's so I can replace mine now. Would appreciate your learned opinions.:dontknow:


Michael:doorag:

80K on a Harley V-Rod, I only changed oil, tires, spark plugs, & grease wheel-bearings, every tire change, I think belt runs too taut, & is too long :shocked:

 

[NancysToy]

:yikes:It is rather perplexing to me to know that the rear wheel bearings have such a short life (maybe 20K miles max.) I don't even know what the life of the front ones are. What do you think is the problem? Is it poor quality bearings or poor engineering? I have ridden Motorcycles most of my life and have owned many different brands (the best of which were Yamaha and Honda) but I cannot remember ever having to replace a wheel bearing. I put over 90K miles on a Yamaha Venture with no problems and over 50K on the Goldwing with no problems so what gives. What do you think? If there are better bearings out there I for one would like to know the no's so I can replace mine now. Would appreciate your learned opinions.:dontknow:


Michael:doorag:

I think it is a little of both, plus some other factors. Quite sure the Chinese bearings are suspect. The 2009 Spyders even have a different part number for at least one bearing. This has been discussed in other threads. Without doing a complete engineering analysis, I believe the bearings are inadequate for the load, also. Perhaps even the wrong type or spec. It is possible that BRP didn't expect the kind of mileages we are putting on, so didn't take that into account, or they could have even had to compromise to make the hub construction possible, or more aesthetic. We will never know. My final opinion, based on nothing but long experience, is that there is more load than anticipated due to the leverage provided by the long belt, large sprocket, and comparatively long axle. I think it's just something we are going to have to learn to live with and maintain...inherent in the breed.

 

[GA-SPYDER]

I'm wondering if the belt drive/belt tension has anything to do with it.
That belt is guitar string tight, but, HD has been using a similar set-up for years.:dontknow:

 

[ataDude]

I think it is a little of both, plus some other factors. Quite sure the Chinese bearings are suspect. The 2009 Spyders even have a different part number for at least one bearing....

Scotty, as I posted on another thread, I ordered the complete set of 2009 bearings, seals, spacers, etc. for a new black rear wheel for my 2008. All four bearings are now US made.

.

 

[BLACK WIDOW]

Bearings

Scotty, as I posted on another thread, I ordered the complete set of 2009 bearings, seals, spacers, etc. for a new black rear wheel for my 2008. All four bearings are now US made.

.

Mine is a 2009 model (purchased in March); So are you saying that mine may have the bearings made in the US ? or at least maybe a better bearing.:dontknow:


Michael:doorag:

 

[wolfshead1]

I retired from a GM bearing plant.There is way more to making a good bearing than one would think.They should not only last but they can cause a serious bad action if they self destruct.I would uses an American bearing first Japanese second,German and Swiss third.China brg's are cheap and will land you in a heap!

I forgot how to reference them but when I put a new tire on I will also get new brg's.Go to your brg's supplier and have them look it up.You may get a much better brg. for a lot less money also.

 

[WaltH]

Mine is a 2009 model (purchased in March); So are you saying that mine may have the bearings made in the US ? or at least maybe a better bearing.:dontknow:

All three of the rear wheel bearings are made in the USA for the 2009 models.

The bearings should be good for more than 20,000 miles. There must be something else wrong with your Spyder.

 

[ataDude]

Mine is a 2009 model (purchased in March); So are you saying that mine may have the bearings made in the US ? or at least maybe a better bearing.:dontknow:


Michael:doorag:

.
Theoretically, yes. I ordered all four sets (including the sprocket) for a 2009 and they were all of USA origin. And, I didn't notice any part number changes for revisions.

.

 

[BLACK WIDOW]

Bearings

Mine is a 2009 model (purchased in March); So are you saying that mine may have the bearings made in the US ? or at least maybe a better bearing.:dontknow:

All three of the rear wheel bearings are made in the USA for the 2009 models.

The bearings should be good for more than 20,000 miles. There must be something else wrong with your Spyder.[/quote]


Didn't say there was anything wrong at this point ( just reading all the horror stories on relatively low mileage Spyders). I have to replace the rear tire due to road damage (spyder has just over 6000 mi.) and I am trying to decide whether to go ahead and replace the bearings at the same time. I don't want to wait until I spin a bearing and ruin the hub and who knows what else. It's just hard for me to get used to the idea that this kind of maintenance is required in so few miles as being reported.nojoke


Michael:doorag:

 

[Magic Man]

Didn't say there was anything wrong at this point ( just reading all the horror stories on relatively low mileage Spyders). I have to replace the rear tire due to road damage (spyder has just over 6000 mi.) and I am trying to decide whether to go ahead and replace the bearings at the same time. I don't want to wait until I spin a bearing and ruin the hub and who knows what else. It's just hard for me to get used to the idea that this kind of maintenance is required in so few miles as being reported.nojoke Michael:doorag:

Here is where my money is bet.

I think BRP got a bunch of marginal Chinese bearings and hence the failures at this mileage.

I also think Spyder owners are turning out to much higher mileage riders than average by a bunch. My reason for saying this is, I go to rallies all over the contry and see most 3 to 5 year old bikes still not having 20 K on them, more or less the 50K plus miles some guys have put on their Spyders in a little over a year.

A bad run of bearings can happen from time to time. HD had huge motor problems with their then new Twin Cam motors in 1999, 2000, and 2001 due to bad cam bearings. This kind of stuff does happen.

I have had my bearings out when I had the wheels and sprocket chromed and with over 30 years as a certified motorcycle technician I do not believe they are undersize for the job. The sprocket bearing in paticular is a huge double wide unit more than up to anything a 106hp motor can throw at it.

I just think BRP got some bearings from a vendor in China, that although don't fail super fast, could last longer than they do for sure. That is why I said in another thread I will be crossing over the numbers and using USA made bearings in my hubs when I have to swap the rear tire for sure.

MM

 

[BLACK WIDOW]

Bearings

Here is where my money is bet.

I think BRP got a bunch of marginal Chinese bearings and hence the failures at this mileage.

I also think Spyder owners are turning out to much higher mileage riders than average by a bunch. My reason for saying this is, I go to rallies all over the contry and see most 3 to 5 year old bikes still not having 20 K on them, more or less the 50K plus miles some guys have put on their Spyders in a little over a year.

A bad run of bearings can happen from time to time. HD had huge motor problems with their then new Twin Cam motors in 1999, 2000, and 2001 due to bad cam bearings. This kind of stuff does happen.

I have had my bearings out when I had the wheels and sprocket chromed and with over 30 years as a certified motorcycle technician I do not believe they are undersize for the job. The sprocket bearing in paticular is a huge double wide unit more than up to anything a 106hp motor can throw at it.

I just think BRP got some bearings from a vendor in China, that although don't fail super fast, could last longer than they do for sure. That is why I said in another thread I will be crossing over the numbers and using USA made bearings in my hubs when I have to swap the rear tire for sure.

MM

That all sounds pretty logical to me. You ever thought about coming up with a upgrade kit from ESI with only the best bearings, seals, ect. Might be able to move a few.nojoke Michael:doorag:

 

[Magic Man]

That all sounds pretty logical to me. You ever thought about coming up with a upgrade kit from ESI with only the best bearings, seals, ect. Might be able to move a few.nojoke Michael:doorag:

We could, I'll have to see if it would be profitable to do so? :dontknow:

MM

 

[WaltH]

Mine is a 2009 model (purchased in March); So are you saying that mine may have the bearings made in the US ? or at least maybe a better bearing.:dontknow:

All three of the rear wheel bearings are made in the USA for the 2009 models.

The bearings should be good for more than 20,000 miles. There must be something else wrong with your Spyder.[/quote]


Didn't say there was anything wrong at this point ( just reading all the horror stories on relatively low mileage Spyders). I have to replace the rear tire due to road damage (spyder has just over 6000 mi.) and I am trying to decide whether to go ahead and replace the bearings at the same time. I don't want to wait until I spin a bearing and ruin the hub and who knows what else. It's just hard for me to get used to the idea that this kind of maintenance is required in so few miles as being reported.nojoke
I changed the rear wheel bearings on my 2008 Spyder at 34,000 miles and they still looked good (two Chinese and one USA). I changed the rear tire on my 2009 Spyder at 18,500 miles but did not change the bearings (three USA). I now have 27,000 miles on the 2009 and no indication of any problems. I will change the bearings when I next change the tire (automotive tire). These are sealed bearings. If they are not leaking, you don't feel rough spots, and there is no noise, they are probably alright.

I would not change the bearings at 6,000 miles. There is significant labor required to swap the bearings. You can feel for rough spots with your finger, without removing the bearing. Wait for the next tire change, especially if you are going to stay with the OEM tires (don't last very long). I might give different advice to someone with a 2008 Spyder.

There are two bearings in the wheel and one bearing in the sprocket. The sprocket bearing is a double-wide.

The maintenance interval for Harley wheel bearings is 100,000 miles.

 

[BLACK WIDOW]

bearings

Mine is a 2009 model (purchased in March); So are you saying that mine may have the bearings made in the US ? or at least maybe a better bearing.:dontknow:

All three of the rear wheel bearings are made in the USA for the 2009 models.

The bearings should be good for more than 20,000 miles. There must be something else wrong with your Spyder.[/quote]


Didn't say there was anything wrong at this point ( just reading all the horror stories on relatively low mileage Spyders). I have to replace the rear tire due to road damage (spyder has just over 6000 mi.) and I am trying to decide whether to go ahead and replace the bearings at the same time. I don't want to wait until I spin a bearing and ruin the hub and who knows what else. It's just hard for me to get used to the idea that this kind of maintenance is required in so few miles as being reported.nojoke
I changed the rear wheel bearings on my 2008 Spyder at 34,000 miles and they still looked good (two Chinese and one USA). I changed the rear tire on my 2009 Spyder at 18,500 miles but did not change the bearings (three USA). I now have 27,000 miles on the 2009 and no indication of any problems. I will change the bearings when I next change the tire (automotive tire). These are sealed bearings. If they are not leaking, you don't feel rough spots, and there is no noise, they are probably alright.

I would not change the bearings at 6,000 miles. There is significant labor required to swap the bearings. You can feel for rough spots with your finger, without removing the bearing. Wait for the next tire change, especially if you are going to stay with the OEM tires (don't last very long). I might give different advice to someone with a 2008 Spyder.

There are two bearings in the wheel and one bearing in the sprocket. The sprocket bearing is a double-wide.

The maintenance interval for Harley wheel bearings is 100,000 miles.

Thanks: That sounds like good advice.nojoke

Michael:doorag:

 

[bjt]

Here is where my money is bet.

I think BRP got a bunch of marginal Chinese bearings and hence the failures at this mileage.

I also think Spyder owners are turning out to much higher mileage riders than average by a bunch.

+1

I know Chinese quality is improving as it has to. Many people are tiring of the short lifespan (or danger) of inexpensive, low quality components. However, I think we are still a few years away from feeling confident in Chinese quality. The more that manufacturers are finding that their customers will go elsewhere to get better made products, the more they will tend to shy away from the ultra cheap parts that they tend to get from China and other countries.

 

[Roaddog2]

+1

I know Chinese quality is improving as it has to. Many people are tiring of the short lifespan (or danger) of inexpensive, low quality components. However, I think we are still a few years away from feeling confident in Chinese quality. The more that manufacturers are finding that their customers will go elsewhere to get better made products, the more they will tend to shy away from the ultra cheap parts that they tend to get from China and other countries.

+2 :gaah:

 

[sylblk]

rear wheel bearings

i found a seizing right side rear wheel bearing while replacing rear tire. made in china... caused hub damage. new part made in U.S. still same brand. current mileage: 17k miles. anybody have a crossover part number to a top notch manufacturer like Timken? also recommend checking for all wheels side play at every oil change

 

[Recluze]

I just had NSK 6205 W bearings (2) put in my rear hub. "single row radial bearing:25mmIDx52mm ODx15MM wide double sealed, non-contact, normal clearance (NO1)"

I had to change the rear tire and did not want the OEM bearings put back in there.

The cost for these $48.38 including s and h and tax from My Bearings and more.

Good luck

 

[docdoru]

Replaced 3 bearings + hub at 62K. pps: