250-500cc Are the replcaement wheel bearings nowadays cheaper?

My original wheel bearings from new lasted 3 solid years. Just replaced them all around this time last year and the front ones are already bad. Are they just not as good as from the factory? I packed those suckers full of waterproof grease(which I thought looked more thorough than the factory. ). Well looks like theres now play in the fronts. Is this common for them to wear out faster once the originals where out or could I have done something to cause premature wear?

i take it that when you installed them you drove them in by the outer race? if you didnt damage them installing them and packed them then there had to be a quality issue..

yeah- they where perfect till just recently. Thats why I was confused.

Wheel bearings tend to not give warning signs.... You check them before a short ride and they are fine. You wash your bike and check them again and they are shot.

Where did you source your replacements.... Industrial bearing supplier, Husky OEM parts, Moose or All Balls kit? I usually go with bearing supplier. Quality SKF bearings, at below OEM prices.

When you repack your bearings before install, pop seal on only one side and make that side the one, that goes against the hub.

Nowadays there are a few different quality of bearings. You can often tell just by feeling the bearing surfaces for the rougher finish level. I now choose my bearings based on the service they will see. For any internal engine bearings I go to a reputable bearing supply place and use SKF or NTN. They cost double but its too much work to replace them to cheap out. For steering head bearings that don't turn fast I have used the all balls bearings (china I am sure) with good luck. Wheel bearings, again due to their service, I use an real SKF or NTN. For swingarm linkages I have not used anything but stock yet but some of the pivot works kits look inviting. Most bearing supply stores will have discounts for large industrial plants in the vicinity. Mentioning their name when ordering/purchasing is an easy way to save 20-50%. You could buy stock but a bearing supply store will have a slightly better quality bearing for 1/2 the price of the MC shop. Hope this helps. Cam.

ps my motorcycle trailer came with chinese bearing so poor that I had to replace them when they were new

Theres one main supplier I buy from on ebay. If it costs a little more to go through halls i will.

Timkin head stock and skf throughout learnt my lesson on cheap bearings years ago.

i ve got the SKF Factory round the corner and some friends working there, so no problems here ;-)

Ask them what they think of the idea of taking a nice new set of sealed bearings apart to add more grease.

oh, you mean taking them apart to add grease, not more grease. ive seen many brands including skfs have very little grease. it would be nice to not have to do that

Before I install any wheel bearings I pop the seals and blow the grease out of them with an air gun and replace with good water proof grease. At wheel or tire changes repeat by pulling the outer seals on installed bearings.
It really helps prolong the life.

I'm talking about high quality, sealed bearings. The seals are there to keep water and dirt out. Take the seal off to add grease and it is no longer sealed. I am sure that the engineers at SKF and NTN spend a lot of time determining how much and what kind of grease to use. Keep the pressure washer away from the bearing and it will last. Once the seal wears out, maybe you can extend the life of the bearing by adding some grease.

I don't touch mine and they always last a long time. I also never use a pressure washer.

Hey Woodzi (fellow Ontarian).. Most seals can be popped out with a very small flat blade jewelers screwdriver.. Removing and re-installing the seals on most bearings will not damage the seals.. Once the seal is re-installed they are again a sealed bearing (the bearings are assembled from the factory the same way)..

NOTE: I know of one exemption to this.. On some SKF sealed bearings you cannot remove the seals (some you can).. The seals are like moulded to the bearing and the seals cannot be removed without destroying the seals..

My recommendation is buy a quality name brand bearing (SKF or NSK or Koyo).. Don't buy cheap no-name brand bearings.. These cheap bearings are usually made in China or India (no offence to both countries just quality control issues).. Working in a bicycle shop I have seen many a exploded cheap sealed bearing.. Just imagine a wheel bearing explode when going 60 MPH..



A good place to find quality bearings for cheap is Ebay USA (as Motosportz mentioned just be wary of counterfeit bearings).. On a previous Ebay auction I bought "Qty of 10 x NSK 6202DDU Bearings" for $11.00US.. NSK calls their "6202-2RS" bearings "6202DDU"..



Bought 3 sets of 10 for $33.00US.. Inc shipping fees I paid $42.80US total.. That equates to $1.43US per bearing.. Amazing price for a quality bearing..



Sealed bearings were not designed specifically for motorcycle use.. Most bearings have many applications mostly in industry, like in electric motors.. The rubber seals were designed to keep dust and air from contaminating the grease in the bearing.. These rubber seals were never meant to keep out water and dirt and mud.. But that is what we expect them to do on our dirt bikes and mountain bikes etc..

If you pop the seal on most sealed bearings you will see there is very little grease inside.. Most bearings (inc SKF and NSK) are only filled about 20 to 30%.. Most of this grease is on the bearing retainer and will never get close to the bearings itself.. But since this cavity is about 75% open.. If water should get past the seals it can lead to rusty sealed bearings.. We just hope that the rubbers seals will keep most of the water out..

This is why some recommend adding grease to sealed bearings.. About 36+ years ago when I was taught how to prep my Sachs Hercules before for an enduro.. My guru dirt bike mechanic Helmut Clasen (won many ISDT/ISDE medals) showed me how to add grease to my sealed bearings.. You pop the seal and add grease till about 80% full..

If you do a search on the net you will see both points of view.. To add grease or not to add grease to a sealed bearing.. If the bearing was in a electric motor that was turning 12,000 rpm in a fairly clean factory I would follow the manufacturers recommendations and not add grease (too much grease at too high a rpm can over heat the bearing)..

Since the sealed bearings on our enduro dirt bikes at times are run through a environment with water and dirt and mud.. And our bearings spin at far less rpm, about ~1000 RPM at 75 MPH.. I personally have and will continue to add grease to all my sealed bearings.. There is no right and wrong way, it's up to each person to decide..

Another example smokin deal from Ebay.. Paid $18.45 for 8 X SKF 63005-2RS (ø25xØ47x16 mm bearing).. This is the wide rear hub bearing on the Husqvarna WR250.. So $2.31 each (they are $36.00 or more plus tax for each one in Canada)..



Paid $57.50 for 42 x NGK BR8EG spark plugs.. So $1.37 each (they are $6.95 plus tax for each one in Canada).. Got enough plugs for life now for my Husqvarna WR250..

I do re-grease them every time i put new bearings in... no big deal to me. but its like it is these days- grease must be so fuc... expensive they ll use only a tiny bit for each bearing.
Anyway- i think SKF bearings are very good quality.

I get years out wheel bearings. In fact, the only wheel bearings I have had to change were on new to me, used bikes.

I never use a pressure washer. I think that is what kills them.

I would wonder if those skf bearings are counter fit at that price, you know the saying too good to be true.