Wheel bearing replacement interval?

[mcgyver74]

So having had my odd "Weave" this week which turned out to be owner stupidity I got to thinking..  How often should we think about replacing the wheel bearings,  obviously if they start making noise etc, but given that I like to travel far from home, I wonder if preemptive replacemnt would be a good idea.

Mama K doesn't list an actual interval for replacment, although they DO say to inspect every 7500 miles.  My bike is pushing 24k now and I'm wondering if I should start thinking of doing them...maybe at 30k?

What say ye all?

 

[Fred H.]

I typically do them at around 60K - 70K miles, just for the peace of mind.

 

[mcgyver74]

Ok then I won't worry for another year or 3

 

[B.D.F.]

My opinion is that you should replace the bearings whenever they show signs of failure such as grinding, making ANY kind or amount of noise, are visibly rusty or feel like they have grit in them when turned by hand.

The reason wheel bearings fail is because the seals in front of them failed a long time ago and water has been entering the bearing wells on the wheel(s). I have replaced the front seals on my C-14 three times now and the rear seal is now also shot (86K miles), and a new one is on order. If the seal will not hold the bearing spacer snugly then it is no longer sealing the bearing; I believe an incredibly high number of wheel bearings seals have failed on motorcycles but no one ever notices or even checks them. Take a look next time you have a wheel off and I betcha' those seals will not hold the bearing spacer and actually have a gap between the seal lip and the outer surface of the bearing (or wheel) spacer. Another dead giveaway that a seal has failed is the ability to move the bearing spacer sideways any amount at all inside the seal; to work, the lip(s) of the seals must bear firmly on the bearing spacer.

Wheel bearing seals are relatively inexpensive and very easy to replace. I think if they were checked and replaced more often, motorcycle mechanics could die old men without seeing much, if any at all, in the way of wheel bearing failures.

Brian

So having had my odd "Weave" this week which turned out to be owner stupidity I got to thinking..  How often should we think about replacing the wheel bearings,  obviously if they start making noise etc, but given that I like to travel far from home, I wonder if preemptive replacemnt would be a good idea.

Mama K doesn't list an actual interval for replacment, although they DO say to inspect every 7500 miles.  My bike is pushing 24k now and I'm wondering if I should start thinking of doing them...maybe at 30k?

What say ye all?

 

[mcgyver74]

The reason wheel bearings fail is because the seals in front of them failed a long time ago and water has been entering the bearing wells on the wheel(s). I have replaced the front seals on my C-14 three times now and the rear seal is now also shot (86K miles), and a new one is on order.

I've already replaced the seals once,  if you will recall at the national last year when we did my rear spline lube you pointed out that my seals were chewed up,  I ordered new ones as soon as I got home   but I'll check them again

 

[pistole]

- my mech is pretty serious about reminding me about the rear bearings. He says that the torque + weight of the C14 is really hard on the bearings there.

.

 

[Fred H.]

If you'll put a little grease on the lips of the seals anytime you take the wheel off, the seals will last a lot longer, and the grease will also help keep water out.