New wheel bearings question

[hattitude]

I am redoing the wheels (new spokes & tires) on my 2001 Springer and I am mounting them with new wheel bearings. The old bearings quite frankly were probably good, just unknown age on a 2001 bike. The bike only has 15K miles.

I picked up a set of Brock's performance #9267 equivalent bearings that are single seal, but then decided to go with the OEM HD #9267 double seal bearings. I picked the up the OEM wheel bearings last week at the local dealer.

This is my first wheel bearing removal/install with my new George's tool. The last time I replaced a wheel bearing was about 15 years ago, and I had assistance by an experienced wrench. My memory is vague on my question...

I noticed, prior to installation, that while the new bearings move smoothly, they are stiffer than the old double seal bearings.

I am guessing that the older bearings moving more easily is due to age/wear....  Or should the new bearings move as easily as the old ones..?

The new Brock's Performance single seal bearings move easier than both the new and old double seal bearings. Is this due to the single seal design?

Again, all move smoothly, just a noticeable difference in how easily they move. I wouldn't say it's a substantial difference in movement, but easily noticeable.

Is this difference, which is the same in all four new HD double sealed bearings, normal...?

[Ohio HD]

New bearings will feel like there's some drag on them, mainly due to the seal and grease. I imagine they all feel the same?

[hattitude]

Thanks...

That was what I was thinking....

And yes, all four of the new double seal bearings feel the same....

[tomboyjr]

I work on bicycles more than motorcycles, but I always open up the seal and pack more grease in there. I see many new bearings with hardly any grease.

[Tacocaster]

Agree with Ohio. All my new OEM's were not easy to spin by hand before installation.

On a side note and not for everyone's taste but since we're talking wheel bearings.....
I always c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y remove the outside lip-seal and re-pack the new bearings with new grease. Why? Because I find the manufacture's grease is a lot on the skimpy side.

The next time I change the tire if the bearing still spins smoothly I remove the lip-seal and re-pack again. My bearings seem to be very happy with this approach so I've continued this process for years.
YMMV.


Yup! I see tomboy answered ahead of me. Figured I couldn't be the only one.

[hattitude]

The OEM Harley #9267 wheel bearings have dual seals. The rear/inside seal is attached to the outer race and the front/outside seal is attached to the inner race.

I would think it would be real hard to separate the seals and add grease without damaging one or both of the seals....   

Certainly not in my skill set....   

[boooby1744]

I went with Worldwide Bearings Ceramic hybrid. Hand assembled with Mobil Polyrex EM grease. They spin very smoothly as they should for what they cost.
 Do a search for the article
Dragbike ceramic bearing review.

[jls 64]

I work on bicycles more than motorcycles, but I always open up the seal and pack more grease in there. I see many new bearings with hardly any grease.

I do the same too

[hattitude]

I looked at Worldwide ceramic wheel bearings a while back... They looked to be very impressive, but were too expensive for my blood...

Maybe I have been lucky, but I never had an issue with a wheel bearing over all the years, miles, and bikes I've been riding..

I replaced a couple out of an abundance of caution, and a couple due to feeling a little scratchy when checked at a tire change. However, I've never had a wheel bearing failure... (knock on wood)..

[Tacocaster]

The OEM Harley #9267 wheel bearings have dual seals. The rear/inside seal is attached to the outer race and the front/outside seal is attached to the inner race.

I would think it would be real hard to separate the seals and add grease without damaging one or both of the seals....   

Certainly not in my skill set....   

#9247 are easy - if careful - and I don't remove the seal more than twice. The bearing gets tossed regardless if it makes it past a second re-pack.

[Hossamania]

So you're saying that after at least 100,000 miles and ten tire changes with the same bearings, I might be on borrowed time?

[calif phil]

The older wheels that used the 1" and 3/4" axles, those bearings lasted a long time.  The 25mm bearings are a huge step backwards when it comes to longevity. 

[Hossamania]

Good to know, thanks Phil

[kouack]

The older wheels that used the 1" and 3/4" axles, those bearings lasted a long time.  The 25mm bearings are a huge step backwards when it comes to longevity. 

I am wondering why we do see so many issues with the 25mm bearings. 1 inch is 2.54mm vs 25mm we are talking about only 0.04mm or 0.016 inch, not a huge difference. I do not know the diameter of new axles larger? smaller? Just curious.

[kd]

The OEM Harley #9267 wheel bearings have dual seals. The rear/inside seal is attached to the outer race and the front/outside seal is attached to the inner race.

I would think it would be real hard to separate the seals and add grease without damaging one or both of the seals....   

Certainly not in my skill set....   

Put some grease in a small stainless bowl/dish of sorts, heat it to a thin liquid and drop the bearing in it. Keep it hot to keep the "oil" thin. Leave it and allow it to cool slowly on it's own.

[FSG]

I work on bicycles more than motorcycles, but I always open up the seal and pack more grease in there. I see many new bearings with hardly any grease.

there was an article years ago from Timken (posted on HTT) as to why this wasn't a good practice

[IronButt70]

The OEM Harley #9267 wheel bearings have dual seals. The rear/inside seal is attached to the outer race and the front/outside seal is attached to the inner race.

I would think it would be real hard to separate the seals and add grease without damaging one or both of the seals....   

Certainly not in my skill set....   

An oring removal tool can remove the seals with no damage. Done it many times. I have checked new bearings and have found them with very little grease inside.

[Ohio HD]

there was an article years ago from Timken (posted on HTT) as to why this wasn't a good practice

I don't add grease. I figure the manufacturer knows more about the bearing than I do.

[Ohio HD]

Just sayin.....   

McGuire Bearing

[Tacocaster]

Oh boy! We have a new "OIL" thread!!!

[Ohio HD]

It's tech. Much like don't run your motor, transmission or primary overfilled. From what I remember reading is when bearings have too much grease, or the wrong kind, they run hot.

[Tacocaster]

Not disagreeing with that, Ohio, and thanks for digging it up for us. Just seems counter-intuitive but, Hey, they put the money into the research, so it has to be right.

I'll still continue to re-pack mine anyway.

[-deuced-]

The older wheels that used the 1" and 3/4" axles, those bearings lasted a long time.  The 25mm bearings are a huge step backwards when it comes to longevity. 

I am wondering why we do see so many issues with the 25mm bearings. 1 inch is 2.54mm vs 25mm we are talking about only 0.04mm or 0.016 inch, not a huge difference. I do not know the diameter of new axles larger? smaller? Just curious.

1 inch = 25.4 mm, ya got mixed up on your decimal points but yeah, 0.4 mm = 0.016 inches. You're right, it's not very much. When we're talking about 1 inch, 3/4 inch or 25 mm bearings we are talking about the internal diameter of the inner race of the bearing. When we're talking about 1 inch, 3/4 inch or 25 mm axles we are talking about the external diameter of the axle. The new axles (25 mm) are slightly smaller. The 1 inch, 3/4 inch and 25 mm wheel bearings all have the same overall external diameter of 52 mm. The 1 inch and 3/4 inch wheel bearings are the same thickness. The 25 mm wheel bearings are narrower. Perhaps that has something to do with longevity?

[ziggy24]

https://ludeca.com/blog/lubrication/9345/three-myths-about-greasing-bearings/