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Rear hub bearing failure

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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 06:59 PM
  #1  
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Default Rear hub bearing failure

Next time you have your bags off take a look at your hub bearings, my 08 street glide developed a ginding sound today on the way home from work pucker factor was way up as I slowly made my way home about 10 miles. Here's a picture of what I found when I removed the saddelbags to take a look. Pretty hard to see but some of the ball bearings are actually missing.
 
Attached Thumbnails Rear hub bearing failure-hd-rear-wheel-brg-failed-002.jpg  
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 07:30 PM
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That's crazy on an 08!
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 07:57 PM
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scary, glad you made it home okay...
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 08:19 PM
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i had one fail on my 04,not as bad as yours.it was just real noisy.
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 08:23 PM
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Thats two bearing failure posts in a week! Humm...

lp
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 09:42 PM
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My other bike is a Buell Ulysses. Somedays it seems like every other post on the Buell forum is about bearings. Last year Buell went to a different supplier on both the front and rear bearings. This year Buell changed the rear wheel. They added a third bearing, extra seals and increased the bearing size.

The four theories talked about the most before Buell made the last change were:

1. Chinese bearings = poor quality
2. Over torque when wheel was installed by owner or dealer
3. Owner washed the bike with a pressure washer or did many water crossings.
4. Drive belt too tight.

Do you guys think that any of these theories might apply here?
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 10:12 PM
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08 Ultra with about 10,000 miles, I found the grease used for the sealed bearing on the inside of the saddle bag, the bearing looked just like yours. I read the fine print on the extended warantee and the IDS (Isolastic Drive System) is (NOT) covered..21000 now and I hope it never goes out again, $300+ for the complete sproket and bearing...
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 10:14 PM
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I'm the other bearing failure,

1. bike is an 09 wheels have never been off
2. do not own a pressure washer and
3. no belt on the front wheel

Bike has almost 11k miles on it, Chinese bearings = poor quality is the only one that possibly works.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...ase-marks.html
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 10:54 PM
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wow i thought i was the only one this ever happened to. now i dont feel so lonely. i lost a rear bearing this summer, but it was due to a undersized crush spacer. the bike starts to act really funny at 80mph when all the ***** end up on one side of the races.
 
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Old Aug 26, 2009 | 11:32 PM
  #10  
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Wow, I didn't see any grease on that failed bearing. Shouldn't there be something there?
 
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