I need to replace the front wheel bearings on the TE450 as one is making some noise when I spin it with my fingers. I'm thinking things have dried up and corrosion has set in some. What wheel bearings do people like for our Huskies i.e., OEM, All Balls, Moose, etc? OEM are about $20 a pop, All Balls about $25 for a set (seen posts liking them), Moose are about $25 for a set (saw a couple of posts saying they don't last long, , etc.
I have had good luck with All Balls in the past, but the OEM are pretty good in my book. Either way, pull the seals and re-grease and the life will increase drastically.
That's exactly what I did today. Went and bought some Yamalube (waterproof,high pressure) grease and went to work on it. Only took a couple hours to pull the bearings, repack with grease, and reinstall accordingly. Do this every so often and your bearings will last a long long time. I prefer to buy OEM bearings. The ones that I pulled from my bike varies from origin. I found some from Germany, France, and Italy. I think they are all Torrington brand, now owned by Timken.
I called a few Husky dealers and asked around. I was going to get All Balls or Moose but after talking to George @ Uptite, he talked me into sticking with OEM. As far as repacking them and getting more use from a set, I'm only a C rider and can't afford to get new ones every time. Don't get me wrong now, if they are rusty or something to that affect I'll replace them.
From All Balls answering my question; "I would like to know more about your product, Part Number 25-1415. Are the bearing parts "completely" made in the USA with USA "parts" or are pieces to this kit made from China produced materials?" All Balls: "We do the design and specifications on the bearing in house , then they are manufactured in China to our specs. They are a Abec 3 level same as OEM." Paul Waslin All BAllS Racing Bearings and Components 822 North Reading Ave. New Berlinville, PA 19545 T: (888) 228-3323 P: (610) 473-0505 F: (888)552-0557 WEBSITE: All Balls Email : paul_waslin@allballsracing.com
Unfortunately somewhere between design specs and use the A.B brand does not measure up. We are a shop and will no longer use them in house - or even sell them to customers! Even though they would generate more repeat sales. We are mud riders here. Pivot Works appears to offer a good cost / value relationship although they dont have as large an application coverage. In bearings of the same dimensions the only difference is in the metallurgy - which i havent seen with my eyes yet. Take a 6203LLB (2RS) . You can buy them for $3 - $ 75 . The $75 is in a 40,000 RPM centrifuge . Stick to the the $ 10 - $20 brand names . They offer the best cost /value. We use a lot of KOYO and NTN ( Japanese ) with good luck. Personally, lubing wheel bearings on dirt bikes is i think a waste of time . But some people have a lot of time on their hands - wont do any harm . Make sure you get LLB or 2RS - seals on both sides of the bearings. This seems to help the most in the mud. Happy riding.
A top tip, heat the hub (not the bearing obviously) before knocking the old bearing out and fitting the new one in, it will expand a little and make it easier to change, also it wont drag bits of the hub out with the old bearing!! I fitted All Balls fork seals once to a set of forks, I promptly removed them and fitted some decent seals before letting the customer take the forks, they stuck like shit to a blanket, complete junk, never again!
Yes, how does one knock out the old bearing without damaging the inner race? I would clean and regrease the old OEMs if there was a fullproof way of getting them out without damaging the race.
I have been riding for 35 plus years. I have been through this a million times. Expensive to cheap. Bought a stack of bearings off eBay for cheap. They dont last long. Bought some very expensive ones, get destroyed just like the rest because we ride in lots of mud and water here in the NW. I go with the All Balls kits now. They are complete, good quality and last about as long as any bearing is going to under these conditions. The bearings are fine but the seals eventually let mud and dirt in and then they die fast no matter what brand. I use a good waterproof grease (amsoil) and have a small tub I mix the grease and maxilube in as per Tinkens suggestion. Not sure it works as i have not had enough time to deal with it. So I guess what I am saying is for me and my needs the All balls are very good kits, comes with new seals and collars where needed and last as well as most. I always pop the seals regrease and reseal. The grease they use is not as good as what I put in there and there sometimes is not much in there. I dont care how good your fancy expensive bearings are when they get packed with mud like this. I guess if you were really inclined and had a lot of time you could pop the seal and clean them every 5-10 rides but for me I treat them as sacrificial parts and change them out as needed like brake pads.
If I have the front or back wheel off for any reason (like replacing a tire) I carefully remove the wheel seals and with a scribe remove the small bearing seal that snaps in next to the bearing cage. I leave them in the wheel and force fresh grease through them same as you would pack a bearing if it was in your hand. As a result they get fresh grease and the water displaced about every other month... Remarkably I'm still on the OEM bearings on my 09 wr250. I also remove the plastic inserts on all new bearings and repack them with waterproof grease before they are installed. The plastic shields can be removed and replace dozens of times and remain functional. It may seem like a hassle but actually takes only about 5-10 minutes a wheel and saves the cost and time of replacing the new bearings. The rocks and woods I ride in don't have as much mud as you guys in the northwest jungle. You have more top soil in that bearing than the Ozarks have in a square mile.
I grease my bearing very offen, every time I'm in water, mud or I pressure wash my bike. Before I race I pull the wheels, steering head and most of the time the swing arm and clean and grease the bearings and I grease anything with a zerk every ride. Gease is cheap, parts not so much.
Thats prep right there. Its a time thing for me. No way I am going to pull the swingarm and sterringhead. The 511 has zerks which is nice.
I know I'm just a bit OCD (or CDO like it should be). I wont tell you all how offen I change suspension fluids and engine oil.
Seriously! Swingarm and steering every race!?! Good for you Bomber, but that's nuts! That would mean pulling my swingarm and steering once a week, ain't nobody got time for that! I do my linkage Zerks probably every other ride, and the lower shock bearing every month or two. I generally do steering and swingarm bearings once or twice a year. I've had good luck with all balls, and our conditions can get pretty bad. Usually a set of wheel bearings lasts 1-3 seasons, and that's with zero maintenance after installation. I go through several $150 sets of tires in a season, $25 for a set of bearings is noise. I just do it as preseason/offseason prep and ride all year without worrying. I do like the idea of topping off the grease at a tire change though, I may start doing that!
