most of the bearing brands look foreign to me...
what is a good brand of motorcycle wheel bearings?
- Thread starter tomcat27
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let me rephrase my comment: I'm not saying that the bearings are foreign-made( which they all likely are), I'm saying that I have never heard of the brands. "all-balls", "moose racing", etc.
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Timken and SKF are excellent bearing manufacturers.
Many Timkens are still US made but not all.
AllBalls are of lesser quality and priced accordingly.
Manufactured in China & India.
I was recently researching AllBall Racing for some steering head bearings.
I could not find any reports of failure.
They are quite popular due to their lower pricing.
Ofcourse, proper maintenance and frequent grease is key.
Many Timkens are still US made but not all.
AllBalls are of lesser quality and priced accordingly.
Manufactured in China & India.
I was recently researching AllBall Racing for some steering head bearings.
I could not find any reports of failure.
They are quite popular due to their lower pricing.
Ofcourse, proper maintenance and frequent grease is key.
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
koyo. Counterfeit bearings are a big problem. You may be getting fakes from ebay etc.
Which Suzuki? All Balls are ok, but nothing special.
I'm using Worldwide ceramic bearings in my Suzuki's engine/transmission and wheels.
If the bearings installed by the Dealer failed that soon, I'd say they were installed by someone that has no business installing bearings.
I'm using Worldwide ceramic bearings in my Suzuki's engine/transmission and wheels.
If the bearings installed by the Dealer failed that soon, I'd say they were installed by someone that has no business installing bearings.
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
Dealers are supposed to use their own branded parts, right? And those are typically of good quality.
Look for an underlying issue.
If the bike is going to eat wheel bearings that quick then go with cheap AllBallRacing until you sort it out.
I have also read about "knock-offs" on fleabay but I don't know how much of that is proven with evidence. maybe thats with Timkens or SKF that bring a premium price. I doubt anyone is pirating AllBalls Racing
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
Dealers are supposed to use their own branded parts, right? And those are typically of good quality.
Look for an underlying issue.
If the bike is going to eat wheel bearings that quick then go with cheap AllBallRacing until you sort it out.
I have also read about "knock-offs" on fleabay but I don't know how much of that is proven with evidence. maybe thats with Timkens or SKF that bring a premium price. I doubt anyone is pirating AllBalls Racing
I like bought Nachi last time, but would have gotten NTN, SKF, [censored], NSK as well. I like them made in Japan if possible.
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I like bought Nachi last time, but would have gotten NTN, SKF, [censored], NSK as well. I like them made in Japan if possible.
Lol, every time that German bearing company is mentioned it is censored
If you use periods it will pass: F.A.G.
I like bought Nachi last time, but would have gotten NTN, SKF, [censored], NSK as well. I like them made in Japan if possible.
Lol, every time that German bearing company is mentioned it is censored
If you use periods it will pass: F.A.G.
If your really worried about quality. Stock OEM is usually your best bet. I have found stock OEM parts last the longest but are just overpriced.
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
Sounds like high pressure car wash hose or S100 and a garden hose failure, seen it 100 times. The seals are not made to keep water under pressure out so it blows some water in and the bearings fail a short time later. The S100 and similar motorcycle total cleaners cut the grease between the axle and seal and wicks under with the same effect.
I put over 240K Km on one Honda on the originals most of it at over 160 KPH and almost the same on 2 others with not problems. Go with OE, SKF, NSK, F.A.G. or Koyo bearings. Converting the head bearings from ball to tapered rollerss was one of the first things I did also.
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
Sounds like high pressure car wash hose or S100 and a garden hose failure, seen it 100 times. The seals are not made to keep water under pressure out so it blows some water in and the bearings fail a short time later. The S100 and similar motorcycle total cleaners cut the grease between the axle and seal and wicks under with the same effect.
I put over 240K Km on one Honda on the originals most of it at over 160 KPH and almost the same on 2 others with not problems. Go with OE, SKF, NSK, F.A.G. or Koyo bearings. Converting the head bearings from ball to tapered rollerss was one of the first things I did also.
Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
Dealers are supposed to use their own branded parts, right? And those are typically of good quality.
Look for an underlying issue.
If the bike is going to eat wheel bearings that quick then go with cheap AllBallRacing until you sort it out.
I have also read about "knock-offs" on fleabay but I don't know how much of that is proven with evidence. maybe thats with Timkens or SKF that bring a premium price. I doubt anyone is pirating AllBalls Racing
No if your bike is going to eat wheel bearings you find out why . Most likely the inner spacers are installed improperly .
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
cost is no object. I'm replacing them for a friend on his Suzuki. he had both front and rear replaced around 40k by the dealer. the rears failed 1k later while on a long trip. the fronts are now failing with 15k on them.
Dealers are supposed to use their own branded parts, right? And those are typically of good quality.
Look for an underlying issue.
If the bike is going to eat wheel bearings that quick then go with cheap AllBallRacing until you sort it out.
I have also read about "knock-offs" on fleabay but I don't know how much of that is proven with evidence. maybe thats with Timkens or SKF that bring a premium price. I doubt anyone is pirating AllBalls Racing
No if your bike is going to eat wheel bearings you find out why . Most likely the inner spacers are installed improperly .
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I like bought Nachi last time, but would have gotten NTN, SKF, [censored], NSK as well. I like them made in Japan if possible.
Lol, every time that German bearing company is mentioned it is censored
If you use periods it will pass: F.A.G.
They are good quality as well and OEM for some BMW. Any of the above named should be good. I would rate koyo, Nachi, F.a.g. at the top. Timken and SKF some PN's have slipped in quality.
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I like bought Nachi last time, but would have gotten NTN, SKF, [censored], NSK as well. I like them made in Japan if possible.
Lol, every time that German bearing company is mentioned it is censored
If you use periods it will pass: F.A.G.
They are good quality as well and OEM for some BMW. Any of the above named should be good. I would rate koyo, Nachi, F.a.g. at the top. Timken and SKF some PN's have slipped in quality.
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