Harley Bearings Warning
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 32,934
Likes: 36,032
From: Carlsbad, CA
Welcome from Sandy Eggo.
Id suggest getting an HD Factory Service Manual. Even if you dont plan to do your own wrenching, there is a lot of good information in there. Yeah, they seem expensive, but are really only about the cost of 1 hour of dealer labor. Dont even think 🤔 about cheaping out and getting a knock off or alternate brand manual.
There is a lot of great information in this forum. But, our search function sux. I recommend using Google to use a more robust search. The basic is within Google type:
whatever you want to search for site:hdforums.com
There is information on the web on how to do more intelligent searches, but, Id suggest starting from there.
After youve done searches, and want more info, dont be afraid to ask for help in the appropriate sub-forum. Most people will be happy to help you, even if the question has been asked 12,392 prior times. Some will give you a bunch of 💩 for asking what they think is a stupid question. Just ignore them, they were abused children.
After a while, you may decide to venture into the POD. Id suggest following it a while before actively participating. Youll get an understanding of who are just trolls, and youll get a sense of the attitude of many, and learn to ignore some of the persistent rabble rousers because they too were abused children, and currently live in their mothers basement.
If you havent taken an introduction MSF course, I highly suggest you do so. Then spend a lot of time practicing accelerating, braking, turning, looking where you want to go, slow maneuvers. Then after a few months or 1,000 or so miles, take an intermediate course.
And above all, ride safe.
Id suggest getting an HD Factory Service Manual. Even if you dont plan to do your own wrenching, there is a lot of good information in there. Yeah, they seem expensive, but are really only about the cost of 1 hour of dealer labor. Dont even think 🤔 about cheaping out and getting a knock off or alternate brand manual.
There is a lot of great information in this forum. But, our search function sux. I recommend using Google to use a more robust search. The basic is within Google type:
whatever you want to search for site:hdforums.com
There is information on the web on how to do more intelligent searches, but, Id suggest starting from there.
After youve done searches, and want more info, dont be afraid to ask for help in the appropriate sub-forum. Most people will be happy to help you, even if the question has been asked 12,392 prior times. Some will give you a bunch of 💩 for asking what they think is a stupid question. Just ignore them, they were abused children.
After a while, you may decide to venture into the POD. Id suggest following it a while before actively participating. Youll get an understanding of who are just trolls, and youll get a sense of the attitude of many, and learn to ignore some of the persistent rabble rousers because they too were abused children, and currently live in their mothers basement.
If you havent taken an introduction MSF course, I highly suggest you do so. Then spend a lot of time practicing accelerating, braking, turning, looking where you want to go, slow maneuvers. Then after a few months or 1,000 or so miles, take an intermediate course.
And above all, ride safe.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,148
Likes: 157
From: Banning, CA
The forum has categories for posts like this, but since it's here, this is what I put in another thread about wheel bearings and still applies:
Do a forum search on "wheel bearings" and you'll see a lot of low mileage bearing failures.
Suggestions:
Don't buy Harley bearings for replacements, get American made if you can, can't find those, seems nobody is having any problems with AllBalls which come packed with Chevron synthetic (most bearings, who knows what's in them). Pop a seal off the new ones and see what kind of grease and how much. If it's translucent, like vaseline, clean it out and pack with a good quality name brand synthetic. You can't pull metal ones without ruining them, best to get plastic to start with. I've heard the latest Harley bearings have metal shields over plastic, so you can't check the grease in them.
I pulled a wheel bearing with plastic ball cages, and they were grinding plastic grit into the grease, I'd never use a bearing with those. Some cheap bearings (Harley?) have flimsy metal ball cages, you want sturdy steel - AllBalls have the heaviest I've seen lately, look as good as Timken, but they are made in China.
Never get a power washer or car wash wand near your wheel bearings, it can blast water and grit into the bearings.
Harley bearings have a primary side that the bearing needs to be bottomed out in first, that's the disk side on single disk wheels. Duals, check the manual. Then the other is pressed in till it just contacts the inner spacer with no preload. This is a critical installation process, If not a Harley mechanic, make sure your indie knows this, hopefully he does already. Bottom both bearings out, they'll self destruct pretty quick.
It should be fairly simple, get quality bearings, grease them enough, install the bearings properly. One of those three steps just isn't getting done on too many Harleys. Personally, I think grease is the culprit most often, just not good enough and/or not enough of it.
Do a forum search on "wheel bearings" and you'll see a lot of low mileage bearing failures.
Suggestions:
Don't buy Harley bearings for replacements, get American made if you can, can't find those, seems nobody is having any problems with AllBalls which come packed with Chevron synthetic (most bearings, who knows what's in them). Pop a seal off the new ones and see what kind of grease and how much. If it's translucent, like vaseline, clean it out and pack with a good quality name brand synthetic. You can't pull metal ones without ruining them, best to get plastic to start with. I've heard the latest Harley bearings have metal shields over plastic, so you can't check the grease in them.
I pulled a wheel bearing with plastic ball cages, and they were grinding plastic grit into the grease, I'd never use a bearing with those. Some cheap bearings (Harley?) have flimsy metal ball cages, you want sturdy steel - AllBalls have the heaviest I've seen lately, look as good as Timken, but they are made in China.
Never get a power washer or car wash wand near your wheel bearings, it can blast water and grit into the bearings.
Harley bearings have a primary side that the bearing needs to be bottomed out in first, that's the disk side on single disk wheels. Duals, check the manual. Then the other is pressed in till it just contacts the inner spacer with no preload. This is a critical installation process, If not a Harley mechanic, make sure your indie knows this, hopefully he does already. Bottom both bearings out, they'll self destruct pretty quick.
It should be fairly simple, get quality bearings, grease them enough, install the bearings properly. One of those three steps just isn't getting done on too many Harleys. Personally, I think grease is the culprit most often, just not good enough and/or not enough of it.
hold up very well especially in the front where the bearing size seems small for the intended use. No ABS bearing from
them though so I use All ***** ABS bearings for that. - Here -
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