Wheel bearings - Do you care what product?

[haroman666]

So i'm just having a ganders at wheel bearings for my CBR and as with most things, there's a vast range of choices and prices.

Previous bearings I have bought have always been whatever's cheapest.

I have already done the wheel bearings on the CBR and I think maybe 20,000miles later I need to do them again.

So i'm looking at perhaps spending a touch more for a better quality bearing/seal combo.

It passed through my head and I wondered if anybody preferred a certain manufacturer over others for price/longevity compromise.

All Balls, Kyoto, PFI, blah blah blah.

What do you go for?
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[MarJay]

Wheel bearings aren't worth scrimping on IMO. In fact, ANY sort of safety critical bearing is worth spending money on.

Koyo are Japanese made, and about the best quality you'll get for a 'motorcycle' bearing, but some people swear by going to a bearing factor to get better quality and often cheaper prices. I've never done this, but I've always thought if I had ever needed to buy wheel bearings that I'd do it.

My understanding is that bearings have ratings depending on the tolerances used. Motorcycle bearings I guess are probably in the bottom third of bearing quality, because they don't need to have the same level of precision as one used in the Hubble space telescope for example. I'd have said that just a few steps in quality would make a massive difference, and because it's not going via a 'motorcycle' manufacturer, could potentially mean cheaper too. I don't have any direct evidence to back this up, only anecdote, but I think it's worth investigating.

You would have to obviously make sure the dimensions are identical and the load factor is the same, but if you actually talk to a person at a bearing factor and show them the bearing then I'm sure they can fit the requirements.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[smegballs]

I'd always go for either Japanese or Scandinavian-made ones.

They are only a few quid extra so why not go for a quality product.

FAG, SKF, NACHI, NTN etc etc

I bought some today, turns out I actually have a local bearing supplier 7.50 each, where their equivalents from simplybearings cost 6 each plus P&P, so not much difference. I got NTN ones, the ones in there (which is suspect were factory OE ones due to only being shielded on one side) were NACHI.

Get the double-shielded "2RS" suffix ones.

[Pigeon]

[Kickstart]

Hi

I tend to stick with the known brands (as given above). I do have some cheapies sitting in a box for emergency use, but they were cheap and I would expect to replace them pretty soon

All the best

Katy
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[MarJay]

[almostthere]

I just use whatever they sell me at wemotos think they might be koyo though
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Beer, It's the reason I get up every afternoon
www.mfairco.uk

[Commuter_Tim]

I bought some of the OEM ones off DSS just recently, they are as of yet unfitted but I'm going with the old "if it ain't broke" methodology.

Anybody know off-hand how many hours of swearing I should dedicate to removing wheel bearings from a 17 year old bike?
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The above post is most likely nonsensical.

I ride a Bandit 600... badly.

[smegballs]

[Polarbear]

I use FAG or SKF and to be honest the prices aren't much different unless you buy from Honda or whoever and pay through the nose.

https://www.qualitybearingsonline.com/

Most bearings will be of the C3 standard (Some bearing manufacturers use CN). It's all to do with the machining tolerances and clearances. C2 is tighter than C3. Bike wheel bearings will be C3's and you won't get any advantage going for a C2 because of high axial loadings.
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[Polarbear]

[Commuter_Tim]

[smegballs]

[Tbag]

Never bothered about what make etc, ones that spin and have balls in work for me..

[serlant]

I always use wych bearings, who sells FAG and SKF bearings, and also sell the rubber seals, normally comes to 20 quid, and i'll pay the extra £4 quid or so for decent bearings and good seals.

https://www.wychbearings.co.uk/6204-zz_fag.html

The seals don't look compatible as they only do them in
https://www.wychbearings.co.uk/28x47x7-r23-nbr_oil_seal.html
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04 CBR1000RR, 1995 Husqvarna TE410, 1998 VTR1000(Sold), 1990 XJ600(sold), 1996 KH125(dead and sold)

[haroman666]

[haroman666]

So I managed to find some Koyo's that also came with seals via https://www.hendersonbearings.co.uk/

I've started recording mileages of when I replace things (Tyres, chain/sprox, brake pads) just to see what lifetime i'm getting out of stuff. I'll add wheel bearings to the list and see how far I get!
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[Andy_Pagin]

FWIW the original front wheel bearings on my Fazer went at 20,000 miles.
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the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[smallfrowne]

SKF Explorers maaaan, the bee's knees.
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'90 VFR750; '89 NC30; '95 DR650; '89 CD250U; ~'82 CG125; ~C90

[smallfrowne]

This thread reminded me I needed to do my cd250u's rear bearings. So I thought I'd give it a go with my right arm fractured and in a pot... It wasn't going well tbh, no luck with the bearing slide hammer thing, couldn't get it tight enough not to slip. Couldn't move the spacer to get at a lip of the bearing with a punch either.

Then i remembered I had a gas torch (been using it to make some of pretty nice pizza...). Bloody hell what a piece of piss it was with that.
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'90 VFR750; '89 NC30; '95 DR650; '89 CD250U; ~'82 CG125; ~C90

[RhynoCZ]

Might be a bit late, but I always go for Japan or Czech made bearings, both are top notch quality. The same goes for motorcycle chains. If I can't find a Czech bearing/chain, or a good deal, I just go for the Japanese stuff.

Czechs might be drunk meth addicts, but they do know their machinery.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Beehive Bedlam]

Interesting I have got some cheap bearings sat in the draw still not fitted. Got an advisory on the MOT slight play but not excessive at the end of last month.

They are challenge and the sprocket bearing is AKA <£10 for the lot.

Also I didn't know one needed seals (never had dealings with bearings) until I recently watched Dell boys vid on wheel bearings the ones I have do not seem to have the seals.

Can one reuse the seals or is this just Dell Boys OCD?

https://i.imgur.com/tl9cm9m.jpg

[Polarbear]

[B5234FT]

It's the sort of job where I value even my own labour at FAR more than the saving in the bearings and therefore dont want to do it twice. After some failures years ago I'll now only fit FAG and SKF in my cars.

[smegballs]

I took the rear wheel of the GN out to check the bearings, they were fine, and made a note of the oil seal size (47x28x7mm for any GN owners out there). The seal costs 2 quid online, so for the paltry cost, I'll get a new one when it's time to do the rears.