New wheel bearings

[Darin Jordan]

I have bearings and seals, front and rear, on order from Z1 as of yesterday... Not sure what brand they carry, but Z1 seems to be a trusted source, so I'll go with them...

And... you guys were right... I e-mailed them and they have new tank mounting rubber cushions, and a new set of factory replacement clutch springs on order as well.

Was wondering... How long do the Wheel Bearings in one of these bikes typically hold up?? Do the fronts wear faster than the rears?? Just curious...

[7981GS]

Was wondering... How long do the Wheel Bearings in one of these bikes typically hold up?

Over 100,000 miles.

Daniel

[Darin Jordan]

Over 100,000 miles.

Daniel

Interesting... Curious as to why my front ones are showing play at only 23,000 then... Should I be looking for something else that may be an issue??

[mike_of_bbg]

Do the All Balls kits contain Chinese bearings?

I can't speak for all of the various parts that they sell, but my All Balls wheel bearings were clearly stamped KML and China on the seals. So, yeah, I'd say they're Chinese re-badged standard bearings.

http://www.kml-bearing.com/about_us/index.jsp

[7981GS]

Wear depends on plenty of variables.
Some include: manufacturing (metallurgy, clearances, quality of grease), impacts to the wheel,
grease deterioration (washed out, paraffin content, contamination, etc.), seal damage (both during installation and through wear/time, lack of use),
maintenance (re-packing, inspection).

Daniel

[mike_of_bbg]

Interesting... Curious as to why my front ones are showing play at only 23,000 then... Should I be looking for something else that may be an issue??

There are many factors besides just mileage. Weathering, seal quality, installation practices, etc. Bearings MAY last that long but I don't think it's typical in a 30-year old bike to have original bearings. They're something that should be checked every time you have your wheels off; many people just replace them every so often as a matter of course (every or every other tire change for example). Make sure you have the proper spacers in place.

[7981GS]

Just a note.
When replacing sealed wheel bearings, you can remove the external seals and re-pack them with the synthetic grease of your choice.
The seals snap right back in.

Daniel

[Nessism]

Very few people service wheel bearings but doing so will extend their life. I suspect most bearing failures relate to either water entry or the grease drying out.

I put All Balls bearings in one bike and they seemed fine. I don't think they are of equal quality to the Japanese bearings originally used by Suzuki, but good enough.

[GS1000G Shopper]

Great thread, and it answered the question I had.

I found VXB Bearings who sell the 6302-2RS and 6303-2RS for my GS1000G for $3 and $4 each respectively, and shipping is $7. One All Balls kit with two bearings is like $10. They also sell Nachi Japan bearings for a higher price, 6302-2NSE for $7 each and 6303-2NSE for $8 each. I used an All Balls set on my red 1000G, but think I will try the Japan bearings on the blue one.

[1948man]

So McMaster-Carr has double sealed 6302's that evidently don't dissipate heat as well as the open bearings or shielded bearings but are great for preventing contamination. In our application would the double sealed ones be fine as far as heat dissipation? I got some 6302's from them that turned out to be totally open with no shield on either side (my own error) and I'm thinking they may not really be the best idea.

[mrbill5491]

I've used the double sealed wheel bearings for years on my bike, with the exception of the large open bearing in the rear. Never had a problem with them. The open bearings, I've had a couple fail on me, mostly the front bearings. Caught them before anything happened thank god.

[1948man]

Thanks Bill, I'm going to order them.

[Nessism]

The OEM wheel bearings use a seal on the outside but they are either open or just shielded in the inside.

All Balls bearings use a rubber seal on both sides.

Either way I don't think durability is a factor. Main thing is to keep water out so as long as you have a seal on at least one side you will be okay.

[1948man]

Thanks Ed. I'm just wondering what keeps the grease from oozing out the inside if there is no shield there. Seem like I read here somewhere that the action of the bearing spinning tends to actually pull grease in rather than allow it to flow out. The bearings I took out had no seal on the inside.

[Grimly]

I stick with Koyo when available. For what All Balls is charging I can get Koyo, Timken, SKF from my local agri-parts supplier, who has an immense selection of bearings on his shelf.
Relatedly, I've never had a Koyo bearing fail, but after 100K, a couple of them started to feel a bit ragged, so got replaced. When these bikes were in regular daily long-distance use, they rarely consumed wheel bearings at all (except the shake-out of previously-fitted PO cheap ones and OEM factory bearings that had failed seals), but more general private and personal use seems to revert the situation back to less of a bearing lifespan, more in keeping with that experienced by other owners. Even at that, Koyo seem to last a Looooooooong Time.
Really, decent bearings are so cheap, it's not worth cheaping out with cheap crap - your neck depends on them.