Rear wheel bearing fail at 10K, NO warranty?

[katacrak]

I will be careful 

[katacrak]

how many bearings change? only the damaged or 3: 2 of the wheel and 1 of pinion.

[JeffK]

After my first rear bearing fail at 10K, I'm now at 23K and the the right bearing showed excessive play.
I noticed awkward behaviour when cornering, so I decided to check.
Time to change again.
Reading trough all the posts on bearing failure, their life span seems aprox. 10-15 K. (kilometres)
I'm getting quite handy with this repair  took me not even 30 minutes.

how many bearings change? only the damaged or 3: 2 of the wheel and 1 of pinion.

For me it was the right bearing, disk side. Center bearing felt not quite right, so while at it, I might as well change that one too.
Sprocket carrier bearing still seems OK.

[Ashveratu]

I put over 40k miles on a BMW R1200R with zero issues concerning wheel bearings. Come to think of it, I have never had a problem with wheel bearings at all in 25 years of motorcycle riding.

JeffK, you wouldn't happen to have pissed off a gypsy or maybe an evil step-mother somewhere did you?

[Shinysideup]

I've got 32K miles on an Empulse R and have had no wheel bearing issues. Is it possible that someone has installed these wheels with improper torque? Or... they're Italian wheels, yes? Maybe somebody made the bearings after lunch with too many glasses of vino? Or it COULD by witches.

[JeffK]

I've got 32K miles on an Empulse R and have had no wheel bearing issues.  .

It might be the adverse conditions, snow, rain, salt, and the absence of seals.

[JeffK]

I put over 40k miles on a BMW R1200R with zero issues concerning wheel bearings. Come to think of it, I have never had a problem with wheel bearings at all in 25 years of motorcycle riding.

JeffK, you wouldn't happen to have pissed off a gypsy or maybe an evil step-mother somewhere did you?

That's why it surprised me, and brought up the issue.
I've done a million kilometres on my bikes and never experienced bearing issues before 100K.
But on the Brammo I am not the only one with worn bearings.
Me: @10K and 23K
Katacrak: 13K
KingCharles: 14K
GSX750ES: 7K
00049(AKA SopFu): 13K (miles)

And that's only the guys on this forum, I've talked to other owners who had the same issues (a lot of evil stepmothers/gipsies)
So if you did not replace them yet, get a spare set of bearings now.

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

I do treat my Empulse far worse than my other bikes. My riding season is February to December...in Chicago. Salt, rain, road grime, etc. As long as there's not ice on the road (and I don't have any broken bones...), I'm riding.

For the record, I did go through two sets of bearings on my SV. One was my fault, for forgetting to install a spacer. The other was probably a defective bearing installed after the first set went.

[Shinysideup]

I've got 32K miles on an Empulse R and have had no wheel bearing issues.

Spoke too soon. At 35K miles, I just joined the club.

I rode the bike squeaking, grinding, shimmying, across town to a shop where they will be assessing if I messed up the wheel too.  I should have called a tow truck, but was too bull-headed (i.e. stoopid).

Having the SKF number in this forum was very handy, though the shop can't get to it until next week.

With all these failures of a common brand-named bearing, does anyone want to guess why? Frequently applied high torque?

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

If it was still moving under it's own power, you shouldn't have any issues with the wheel. Believe me, I've had the ball bearings fall out from the bearing races when I pulled the wheel off of my SV...and then went on to put another 20k on it.

Make sure they put the spacer in the same way they pulled it out. If your sprocket basket pops away from the wheel, you'll know that spacer is backwards.

Good luck!

[Shinysideup]

Got my bike today (fast turnaround).

The parts guy bypassed the SKF bearings and got Japanese Nachi 30X55X13 which he said were superior because they offered a rubber seal. The OEM bearings that failed were very rusty inside. I don't wash the bike with high-pressure.

$27.75 per bearing plus 1.5 hours of labor at $64 per half hour for a grand total of $252.36 with tax.

[kingcharles]

I was told the same when my bearings were replaced, somehow the design of the rear wheel holds water and accelerates rust.

[EmpulseRider]

If thats the case, im hoping the bone dry climate here in Denver will help the bearings stay healthy. As far as maintenance goes, I have yet to spend a dime on anything other than transmission oil replacements. Only have 9k miles on mine though.

[JeffK]

 

With all these failures of a common brand-named bearing, does anyone want to guess why? Frequently applied high torque?

I think it is the absence of a rubber seal (like other bikes) and the awkward step in the axle that gives the inner race of the new bearing some serious punches and causes the first damage.
There's a thread that shows how to smooth the axle a bit, making installation of the rear wheel a lot easier and saves the bearings.

[JeffK]

Aha, here it is:
Link to chamfering the axle