Wheel bearing life span?

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pastorbuck
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Wheel bearing life span?

Post by pastorbuck »

Hey guys. Can I get some feedback on how long your wheel bearings last and what brand you're using. I started this past year out with a new set of pivot works in front and rear. Had to replace the rear after about 300 miles back in June. I used All Balls when I replaced them and now I see I've got to replace them again at about 275 miles. The front as well needs replacing now after about 575 miles. I might be stupid, but it seems to me that they should last a bit longer. Give me some feedback here. Thanks.
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kx200
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Wheel bearing life span?

Post by kx200 »

do you ride a lot in muddy and wet conditions? and do you use a power washer?
I have only changed mine once in my 94 kx200.
My street legal 1997 KDX220 has 7500 and are still on the stock ones. :shock:
kdx633
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Re: Wheel bearing life span?

Post by kdx633 »

Remove the seals and pack new bearings with bel-ray waterproof grease.Replace seals and only drive bearing in by the outer race.filling the space between the spcer and the bearing with grease helps keep the crap out also.These things are mentioned in Fredettes maitenance vids.The aftermarket bearings you speak of are poor quality,bite the bullet and go oem if possible.
pastorbuck
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Wheel bearing life span?

Post by pastorbuck »

Yes, I do ride in very muddy conditions and I do pressure wash after every ride, but I'm careful around all the bearings on the bike not to force water through the seals. I think I will go with OEM this time. It's an '03 and it had the original bearings in it up til last year, so they must be much better quality.
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KDXGarage
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Re: Wheel bearing life span?

Post by KDXGarage »

Are you the original owner? If not, how many additional miles were put on the OEM bearings by you before swapping to aftermarket?
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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pastorbuck
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Wheel bearing life span?

Post by pastorbuck »

I'm not the original owner, but the bike had less than 100 miles on it when I bought it in 2010. It had been sitting in his garage for seven years. I'm not sure how many miles I put on it from 2010 through the end of last year when I changed them out. I'm guessing probably 1,000 - 1,300 or so.
pastorbuck
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Wheel bearing life span?

Post by pastorbuck »

I decided not to buy the OEM bearings. WAY too expensive - like 4x the cost of All Balls or Pivot Works. I decided rather to try a third brand called "Bearing Connections" from Rocky Mountain ATV. I'm sure the quality is probably about the same as the others, but this will give me more time to think about where I might get higher quality bearings. I learned a little bit on the web as I looked around at various bearing supplier websites. There seems to be a standard number system for bearings, signifying quality. A 6000 bearing is a cheap grade; a 6002 is a midgrade; and a 6004 is a premium grade. I noticed that the item number of the OEM wheel bearings incorporates "6004," so it makes sense that they are a higher grade bearing. My plan is to get a micrometer and measure the bearings and shop around the various bearing websites and see if I can find the premium 6004 bearings cheaper than buying OEM. I'll give an update in a few months and let you all know what I find and how they work.
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Slick_Nick
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Re: Wheel bearing life span?

Post by Slick_Nick »

Bearings are a wear item. I am meticulous with my maintenance, and I replace them about every year.
'00 KDX 220R
rsr02
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Wheel bearing life span?

Post by rsr02 »

There is a Fastenal store in my town, I think last time is was around 10 or 15 bucks for front and rear bearings. Still going strong from last summer.
1997 220, KLX forks-pipe-reeds-trials tire
ohgood
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Re: Wheel bearing life span?

Post by ohgood »

rsr02 wrote:There is a Fastenal store in my town, I think last time is was around 10 or 15 bucks for front and rear bearings. Still going strong from last summer.
good info. I'll be replacing mine fr/RR this weekend from motion industries. anyone have the sizes memorized ?
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