When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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.
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?
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...
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.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.