Front wheel bearings
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,741
Likes: 45
From: Indian Land, SC
When you go to the dealer and they have the front wheel off the bike, have them shake it and see if they hear anything moving around inside the hub area. I was getting my front tire replaced under warranty and when they shook the wheel, they heard something moving around. Turns out there was sand left inside the hub area from when they machined the cast wheel. Sand + Bearings= Failure...
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 99
Likes: 1
From: SW Missouri
Bad bearings
I can assure everyone DO NOT TRUST bearing longevity just because they are sealed bearings! I had my tires replaced at 16k miles. My tire guy (not the H-D dealer) had the insight to check for bearing noise or drag while he was balancing the wheel/tire. I never heard any noise coming from the front wheel, but he told me about a dragging in my ABS bearing and that I may think about replacing it. I took to wheel home and installed the wheel without the brake calipers in order to have no induced noise from them. I spun the wheel and there it was! The bearing was noisy as hell without the calipers. I have a friend that has the high dollar bearing removal/installation tool, so I replaced both front wheel bearings.
This proactive procedure my tire guy, Indian Mike, saved me an untold amount of time, grief, and money, since we're doing a 6,000 mile road trip next month.
CHECK YOUR BEARINGS REGULARLY FOLKS!!
Donated
This proactive procedure my tire guy, Indian Mike, saved me an untold amount of time, grief, and money, since we're doing a 6,000 mile road trip next month.
CHECK YOUR BEARINGS REGULARLY FOLKS!!
Donated
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 507
Likes: 1
From: Torrance, CA.
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Road Captain
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 642
Likes: 0
From: Haslet, Texas
Had mine replaced last week. Two days before the warranty ended. It is a '09 Street Glide. The bearings were so loud I could hear them over the radio. Dealer said they were rusty and had no grease in them. Much quieter now.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 99
Likes: 1
From: SW Missouri
It's good you fixed them under warranty. Mine was just out of warranty 4/5.
Ronster
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,173
Likes: 177
From: East Coast
The only place they could be rusty is a small area behind the bearings that moisture cannot escape. If the they had the proper amount of anti-seize on them and the axle, they couldn't develop rust there either. As far as the the bearings not having any grease... they're sealed bearings, so how could this happen? Seems like they're trying to hide the fact H-D may have a design problem along with crappy bearings!
It's good you fixed them under warranty. Mine was just out of warranty 4/5.
Ronster
It's good you fixed them under warranty. Mine was just out of warranty 4/5.
Ronster
Back in the day, I bought a brand new Mustang GT which had no grease fittings in the front end (sealed system). A mechanic buddy recommended installing grease fittings. Having done that in the first week of ownership, we were both stunned by just how much grease this new front end took!
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