roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
Has anyone experienced short life with their '07-newer front wheel bearings going bad quickly? It seems I'm replacing front wheel bearings every couple of months.
Front wheel bearing life
- Thread starter roostafish
- Start date
HuskyDude
Super Moderator
I hope I don't get slapped for posting up something from a different forum, not my intention to promote the other one but its good info and worth posting.
I do it to all my bearings when new.
Greasing Bearings - DIY
Hey Mike have you had you front end apart lately. Maybe pulled your front wheel off to make sure everything is lined up straight? Not any excess pressure on the bearing or forks bent...stuff like that. Make sure you axle slides in and out without force.
I do it to all my bearings when new.
Greasing Bearings - DIY
Hey Mike have you had you front end apart lately. Maybe pulled your front wheel off to make sure everything is lined up straight? Not any excess pressure on the bearing or forks bent...stuff like that. Make sure you axle slides in and out without force.
roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
I had it apart today. No force required. I'll do it again and really check the bearings. I'll also put a set of calipers on the axle and check for wear.
roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
I tore the front wheel off today and gave it all a look. The axle is fine. The wheel bearing on the right side (opposite the disk) seemed to be the one with play, so I knocked it out. Sure enough, it is bad, but the other side seems to be tight, and free moving. I had a set on the bench from before the Idaho qualifier (I knew the bike had a penchant for eating bearings, so I made everything fresh before that race.) and slipped one in. The front end is fine now, no slop. It seems that I may be failing to put it all back together correctly at times when I change tires (which happens often) because I'll go ride and the front end starts to lose it's precision. I'll stop and check, and sure enough, I need to loosen everything up, align and tighten the front end back up. This routine is likely the cause of my failing wheel bearings.
GMP
Active member
I rarely replace bearings on any bike, and never fronts on a GG. What I think is the trick is pack the area between the seal and bearing with grease. Every time the wheel is off, I clean this grease (and any dirt that got in) out and repack. Take seconds and seems to work, along with keeping good seals and spacers in the wheel.
Mike, Is this the '01 wheel you converted? Could you have an improper length spacer tube, that causes a preload on the bearings when the axel is tightened?
Mike, Is this the '01 wheel you converted? Could you have an improper length spacer tube, that causes a preload on the bearings when the axel is tightened?
roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
I do have the older wheels on my bike. However the hub is identical through all the years. The tube spacer was swapped out with the '08 wheel, so the fit is just as it was with the '08 wheel.
I followed Husky Dude's link and followed the procedure articulated in it. I also packed the area between the seal and bearing with grease. One thing I noticed was that the seal was pressed in too far last time, so I carefully installed everything this time. My story that I'm sticking to is that I have been trying to do tire swaps for time, and when I install the wheel on the bike I have not taken near the care I should have to align everything, thus prematurely wearing that bearing. It's super simple, but it's a very good idea to check for play or any wierdness before riding the bike.
I followed Husky Dude's link and followed the procedure articulated in it. I also packed the area between the seal and bearing with grease. One thing I noticed was that the seal was pressed in too far last time, so I carefully installed everything this time. My story that I'm sticking to is that I have been trying to do tire swaps for time, and when I install the wheel on the bike I have not taken near the care I should have to align everything, thus prematurely wearing that bearing. It's super simple, but it's a very good idea to check for play or any wierdness before riding the bike.
moto9
Silver Level Site Supporter
What...that sucks...I'm on 133 hrs everything still tight except just a tad bit of play in the upper shock bearing.
What bearing are you using?
roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
I'm pretty sure it's my fault. Stock bearings.
GMP
Active member
My bike is all torn down, everything perfect except a little moisture in the steering head, but my fault as I didn't check it last year. All bearings good.
I can see how the fork can be screwed up by misalignment, but not the wheel bearings. The axel/hub is a rigid unit when tight, and if it were loose, the bike would feel like crap immediately. I've had axel clamp pinch bolts come loose on a Honda and it felt like the bike had rubber forks
I'm getting an '03 wheel, and I'll measure the hub it carefully. One thing is for certain the part#s are different, and the new bearings for the 25mm axel are 9mm wide vs 12mm. Does the wheel spin free and easy when the axel is torqued down? This problem just should not be and I can't help but think you have an axial preload on the bearings you should not have.
I can see how the fork can be screwed up by misalignment, but not the wheel bearings. The axel/hub is a rigid unit when tight, and if it were loose, the bike would feel like crap immediately. I've had axel clamp pinch bolts come loose on a Honda and it felt like the bike had rubber forks
I'm getting an '03 wheel, and I'll measure the hub it carefully. One thing is for certain the part#s are different, and the new bearings for the 25mm axel are 9mm wide vs 12mm. Does the wheel spin free and easy when the axel is torqued down? This problem just should not be and I can't help but think you have an axial preload on the bearings you should not have.
Similar threads
