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[Mr D]

I’m aware of three different rider’s this season that have had wheel bearing failures.....I realize there’s no silver bullet, but what quality bearing is recommended for replacement over OE ?

Thanks in advance

[Mr D]

Am I the only rider that’s experienced this 

[grc]

Part of the problem is just cheap low quality parts, but another part of the problem is the fact that Harley also reduced the width of the bearings back in 2008.  Wheel bearing failures increased at that time and are still an issue to this day.  Look at the attached image of the older and newer bearings.

I'm not sure what people may have found elsewhere that would fit and work with Harley's wheels and ABS, if anything.

Jerry

[Mr D]

Part of the problem is just cheap low quality parts, but another part of the problem is the fact that Harley also reduced the width of the bearings back in 2008.  Wheel bearing failures increased at that time and are still an issue to this day.  Look at the attached image of the older and newer bearings.

I'm not sure what people may have found elsewhere that would fit and work with Harley's wheels and ABS, if anything.

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry

[hdbrad03]

2009 FLTRSE3 front wheel bearings died at 19K.

 

  Brad

[Unbalanced]

Part of the problem is just cheap low quality parts, but another part of the problem is the fact that Harley also reduced the width of the bearings back in 2008.  Wheel bearing failures increased at that time and are still an issue to this day.  Look at the attached image of the older and newer bearings.

I'm not sure what people may have found elsewhere that would fit and work with Harley's wheels and ABS, if anything.

Jerry

0.984252" vs 1.0" While the ID is smaller I would think the minuscule difference in size of .016 is less the factor over the possibility of cheaper bearings.

[grc]

0.984252" vs 1.0" While the ID is smaller I would think the minuscule difference in size of .016 is less the factor over the possibility of cheaper bearings.

It's not the axle diameter difference, it's the width of the actual bearing.  Take another look at that photo.  It's a lower capacity bearing made by the lowest possible bid supplier.  What could possibly go wrong, right?

Guess how many wheel bearing failures I've had on all the vehicles I've owned over the past fifty years.  Yup, ZERO, NADA, NONE.  But somehow Harley found a way to take a "install it and forget it" commodity and cause failures where none existed before.  That's what I call progress, as long as progress means going backward faster than anyone else.

Jerry

[J.D.]

Brilliant move by the MoCo.  Cheaper build cost and every dealer gets to charge for bearings plus labor basically every tire change.

Suck it, owners. 

[hdbrad03]

Brilliant move by the MoCo.  Cheaper build cost and every dealer gets to charge for bearings plus labor basically every tire change.

Suck it, owners. 

Great Bussiness Model! We keep supporting it.


 

   Brad

[Mr D]

Was talking with a rider, says he’s been using these....no cheap date, 125 a bearing with ABS

http://www.worldwidebearings.com/index.htm

[Indenial]

80,000 miles on original bearings. Why?

[ltank]

My FXR4 has 75k miles now, on it's sealed bearings when I changed from a spoke wheel to a 19" Thunderstar front wheel.
Older Bikes Had Timken tapered bearings that had to be repacked with grease every 25k miles or so but essentially never needed replacement. They were great on the rear wheels because they are more than capable of handling heavier loads. But the spacers had to to be checked once in a while when repacking the bearings with grease. More maintenance but more mileage.

[J.D.]

Those old style tapered bearings are pretty much bullet proof.  Never had a problem shimming the spacers.  No need for expensive specialty tools to change them either.