Front Bearing Gone
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 5,465
Likes: 6,328
From: pacific northwest
When a customer asked me for the best I always mention SKF first. F.A.G., NTN, NSK and Fafnir (now Timken) were also high quality trusted bearings. The problem for those of us with ABS is getting one from these manufacturers for ABS applications.
To break that part number down for everyone:
6000 series of Radial Ball Bearings
6200 equal size series, 200 series
6205 with 5 representing the bore / ID - 5 x 5 = 25mm
2RS = 2 Rubber Seals / Sealed Both Sides
J = Metal Retainer separating *****
EM = Electric Motor Quality
Electric motor quality is the normal standard for a premium bearing. It is a precision bearing ABEC 3 rating, usually in C3 fit / tolerance class, good to around 3600 RPM rating.
You are 100% correct. Grease acts as an insulator and too much will make a bearing run hot. Heat is friction and friction kills.
To break that part number down for everyone:
6000 series of Radial Ball Bearings
6200 equal size series, 200 series
6205 with 5 representing the bore / ID - 5 x 5 = 25mm
2RS = 2 Rubber Seals / Sealed Both Sides
J = Metal Retainer separating *****
EM = Electric Motor Quality
Electric motor quality is the normal standard for a premium bearing. It is a precision bearing ABEC 3 rating, usually in C3 fit / tolerance class, good to around 3600 RPM rating.
You are 100% correct. Grease acts as an insulator and too much will make a bearing run hot. Heat is friction and friction kills.
Did all of mine at 12k miles during the crappy weather, old ones did not look bad but after having one fail on the Low Rider wanted a good quality set. Actually the factory ABS bearing was the *** brand made in Korea, seems like a good quality bearing.
Last edited by MRFREEZE57; May 17, 2022 at 11:33 PM.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 257
Likes: 48
From: Katy, Republic of Texas
Received the Pit Posse VT102 today. New bearings installed and back on 2 wheels tomorrow. That tool is the ****!
Really great information discussed in this thread and the expertise in this forum is top notch.
Have a great weekend,
Rob
Really great information discussed in this thread and the expertise in this forum is top notch.
Have a great weekend,
Rob
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 104
Likes: 54
From: Salem Oregon
Originally Posted by Uncle Larry View Post
Check the grease in the new bearings BEFORE installing ....It's a quick and easy task to safely remove the seal and reinstall
"Not at all recommended. I wish I had a dollar for every time a customer complained there was not enough grease in a bearing. These sealed bearings like anything else have a life span. They wear every time the tire rotates. Good brands like SKF have been throughly tested and they know how much grease is needed. As mentioned above too little or too much is not good, the right amount gives best results. I will trust the SKF engineers"
"Not at all recomended" ... and why wouldn't you if you could ? ... You put X amount ( 4 qts? ) of oil in after an oil change and you check it after you put it in correct? Why? Don't you blindly believe that each quart had the correct amount? ... Let me relate a first hand scenario for you ... Two seasons ago I replaced tires, tubes, rim liners, rotors, all wheel bearings, oil filter, air filter and all fluids ... The bearings I used were All ***** ... I've used them in the past ... After opening the bearings I checked ( as I have in the past ) and low and behold one bearing had absolutely zero grease in it ... Yes you read that correctly ...Zero grease ... Fortunately I caught it before installation ... Was it a fluke? ... A one time happening? ... Could be ... Will I do it again ( check for grease ) on the next installation? ... You bet your sweet a$$ I will ... Not the type of reply I'd expect from you :<(
@Cosmic Razorback
Check the grease in the new bearings BEFORE installing ....It's a quick and easy task to safely remove the seal and reinstall
"Not at all recommended. I wish I had a dollar for every time a customer complained there was not enough grease in a bearing. These sealed bearings like anything else have a life span. They wear every time the tire rotates. Good brands like SKF have been throughly tested and they know how much grease is needed. As mentioned above too little or too much is not good, the right amount gives best results. I will trust the SKF engineers"
"Not at all recomended" ... and why wouldn't you if you could ? ... You put X amount ( 4 qts? ) of oil in after an oil change and you check it after you put it in correct? Why? Don't you blindly believe that each quart had the correct amount? ... Let me relate a first hand scenario for you ... Two seasons ago I replaced tires, tubes, rim liners, rotors, all wheel bearings, oil filter, air filter and all fluids ... The bearings I used were All ***** ... I've used them in the past ... After opening the bearings I checked ( as I have in the past ) and low and behold one bearing had absolutely zero grease in it ... Yes you read that correctly ...Zero grease ... Fortunately I caught it before installation ... Was it a fluke? ... A one time happening? ... Could be ... Will I do it again ( check for grease ) on the next installation? ... You bet your sweet a$$ I will ... Not the type of reply I'd expect from you :<(
@Cosmic Razorback
But, if you want to treat every bearing like the bearings on grandpas model T, go ahead.
Jes
Intermediate
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 36
Likes: 10
From: Pohjois-Pohjanmaa
It's called a sealed bearing for a reason and if you go and remove the dust seals and try to repack you already broke the bearing. I just change the bearings with every tire change, they are not that expensive. Especially if I don't know what bearing is in there or how many miles it has seen. These are heavy bikes and they eat bearings like cereal.
Club Member
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 11,539
Likes: 8,375
From: Inland NW
Check out Brocks performance for World Wide Bearings, they make one for the ABS, just replaced all 4 on the RGL with the WWB's, used 2 Timkens I had for the rear sprocket.
Did all of mine at 12k miles during the crappy weather, old ones did not look bad but after having one fail on the Low Rider wanted a good quality set. Actually the factory ABS bearing was the *** brand made in Korea, seems like a good quality bearing.
Did all of mine at 12k miles during the crappy weather, old ones did not look bad but after having one fail on the Low Rider wanted a good quality set. Actually the factory ABS bearing was the *** brand made in Korea, seems like a good quality bearing.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 12,233
Likes: 4,943
From: England
On a different forum I stopped posting that adding grease is more likely to kill a bearing then just leaving it alone. I worked for a company that wanted to use a specialist grease so what they did was weigh a bearing, clean out the grease and reweigh to see exactly how much grease they should put back in.
To defend Uncle Larry it is one thing to see if a bearing is greased just to make sure but it is a whole different thing believing there is not enough grease and adding more.
To defend Uncle Larry it is one thing to see if a bearing is greased just to make sure but it is a whole different thing believing there is not enough grease and adding more.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 7,857
Likes: 4,419
From: Texas
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,462
Likes: 57,017
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
As an ag mechanic I see the same issues Cosmic Razorback is telling you about. You ask a bearing dealer worth his salt what the biggest killer of a bearing is and most will tell you an owner with a grease gun. They either put in the wrong grease for the given application or too much. In my case it's usually both. Heat causes expansion, expansion will builds more heat. You put too much grease in a sealed bearing and it will fail. GUARANTEED!
But, if you want to treat every bearing like the bearings on grandpas model T, go ahead.
Jes
But, if you want to treat every bearing like the bearings on grandpas model T, go ahead.
Jes
