| Author | Message | ||
     Trakmastr |
Has anyone that has had a wheel bearing go bad reported it to the NHTSA ( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ) as spelled out on page 125 of the owners manual? Perhaps this would get Buell to do something before someone gets hurt. I know I will if my wheel bearings go out! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Buell would move faster than the NHTSA to correct an issue. How many Ford Exploders killed how many people before the NHTSA stepped in? When there is a direct injury or death as a result of the bearings you MIGHT get them to take action. I'd suggest that if you are concerned about failed bearings that you search for some of the bearing options provided by others here and replace your failed bearings with enhanced bearings. It isn't like the bearings are in the engine. How much would it take to upgrade to better bearings on your own? I'd bet it's much less than the race kit and 07 airbox that I paid for voluntarily. Think of it as a stealth mod.  | ||
| Xbimmer |
Buell would move faster than the NHTSA to correct an issue. Probably so. Don't forget also that you've chosen a mode of transportation that the NHTSA regards with some concern anyway. Anybody old enough to remember NHTSA's "Backwards Bike" concept? NHTSA would like us all driving buffered capsules with separation control to keep us from bumping the guy in front. So far there hasn't been any common denominator to point to Buell or even the wheel providers as the source of the problems. I have 45k on my wheels, the bearings are great, no I don't like that they're made in Taiwan, yes I pull the seals every wheel removal and check the condition and regrease, yes I have done all wheel removals since new, yes I observe the torque specs, no I don't like that I can't seem to line up a source of new seals, yes I will replace the NTN's with a gorilla bearing that I can get new seals for when I find one. Motorcycles sometimes take a little more involvement than a Volvo. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Could be worse. You could lose a final drive. I hear those make for spectacular failures. | ||
| Xbimmer |
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| Teeps |
That looks really expensive! | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Anyone have an idea on what the best brands are? I just bought F/R pair of Koyo as a back up. LINK (Scroll dwn): http://www.applied.com/apps/commerce/catalog/catal og.do?e=12&s=4021061&checkAll=true  | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Just spoke w/ one the Applied tech guys (Joe) who said SKF USA is the "best bearing by far" They're about $30 each - so $120 for all four. John | ||
| Xbimmer |
Just spoke w/ one the Applied tech guys (Joe) who said SKF USA is the "best bearing by far" Applied told me that the SKF's were made in Argentina. I'm in no position to evaluate Argentina's industrial abilities (they make good firearms though), but I'd still prefer USA/Japan/Germany for manufacture. Wait, isn't that where all the Germans went after WWII?  | ||
| Johnboy777 |
"Applied told me that the SKF's were made in Argentina" Hey Xbimmer, They just so happen to have a store about 10min. from my office - i'll stop in this week and check it out, see what bearings they have, and where they're made. John | ||
| Arcticktm |
Xbimmer, Still prefer Germany for manufacture after realizing where that flaming final drive was probably made? Just kidding. I still have a BMW cruiser in my garage. I think these type of bearings are SO standard and common (tolerances and all), that the seal design and grease type is more relevant to me than where the plant is located. I am pretty sure they did not do the design work in Argentina. Anyway, SKF has plants all over the world, as do many bearing manufacturers, but the rear 6006's I just installed in the rear are etched as "Argentina". I liked their seal design a bit better than some, but only time will tell. I would prefer to keep the government FAR away from my motorcycle. This goes double for NHTSA, as I DO recall the backwards motorcycle debacle! | ||
| Jlnance |
I've got the Koyo bearings in my rear wheel. They have about 10k on them now and are fine. Of course the originals had 30k on them and were fine too. There is an applied store in town, and I simply asked for 6006 bearings. They had two brands in stock, the Koyos and another that I don't remember, but which were significantly more expensive. I asked if the Koyos were good bearings and was told yes, they are. So thats what I bought. They are made in Japan. | ||
| Chadhargis |
If someone can email me the specs, I can get them to a friend of mine whos mother works for a company that sells bearings. He bought a set for his V-Strom, and even having to buy in bulk, ended up only paying about $6 a bearing. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Don't want no Fag bearing. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I checked the originals in my 07 Uly last Friday. Bearings don't feel terribly smooth but I popped the seals and they had nice, clean, blue grease inside with no signs of water or rust. I added a little Mobil 1 synthetic grease and put the seals back in. Hopefully they're OK for another ~8500 miles. My OEM bearings are NTN's made in Taiwan. BTW, bike has been ridden at least a couple of hundred miles in rain and at least 100 miles on dirt/gravel roads. I think the water found in some bearings is getting there prior to assembly. | ||
| Towjam |
Buell would move faster than the NHTSA to correct an issue. Right. See how quickly Buell has fixed the headlights in the 12R. (Oops - my bad. Didn't mean to hit that horse with the stick again) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Right. See how quickly Buell has fixed the headlights in the 12R. And the NHTSA has done.......... Number of deaths? Number of injuries? The NHTSA only deals in demonstrable risks and egregious potentialities. The headlights suck, but don't rise to the level of intervention by the NHTSA. As for Buell wanting to correct the issue, I'd be blaming mother HD not Buell. It's gonna fall to the owner to make the correction. Find a chromer. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
The NHTSA has a vested interest NOT to get involved (too much paperwork) - unless by getting involved they can cover their A$$, if it looks like a possibility the sh*t might hit the fan down the road. They're a government agency, after all, and their primary mission is simply to increase their budget for the coming year. Government can't protect you from everything - life requires risk. . (Message edited by johnboy777 on March 25, 2008) | ||
| Crusty |
I know I will if my wheel bearings go out! Let me see if I've got this right. You've had no problem with your wheel bearings, and you're bitching? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
It's the new trend. Pre-bitching. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
"It's the new trend. Pre-bitching" can't be new ... the wife's been doin' it for years. . | ||
| Xbimmer |
Let me see if I've got this right. You've had no problem with your wheel bearings, and you're bitching? It's the new trend. Pre-bitching. While I agree that the original post kinda jumps the gun since the NHTSA is irrelevant here, we also have long time BadWebbers here that have had bearing failures while treating their bikes (I'm assuming) like any other they've owned over the years. Regardless of the elusive reason(s) for the failures they do occur and often at low mileages. My hope is that Buell is proactively working on the why's and how-to's as we speak. Until a hopefully retrofit better bearing arrangement from the factory appears I'll continue to personally monitor the bearing conditions. The Ulysses I think we all would agree has pretty much pushed the XB performance platform envelope in the direction of endurance which maybe isn't asked of the sport models.  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Supplemental thoughts to my post above- I visually inspected rear bearings on my 07 Uly (~8500 miles) last Friday; they looked good (clean blue grease, no water, no rust) but felt somewhat stiff. I put in a little grease, reinstalled seals, and figured they were OK. Pulled front wheel last night to change tire; front bearings were VERY easy to turn and felt smooth as glass. After seeing that, I called up local Applied dealer and ordered a new set of Koyo's for the rear; they'll be here tomorrow. I'll probably be working on the bike 'til midnight tomorrow in prep for MBV.  | ||
| Jwnsc |
Hugh, let me know if you need any help. I take direction well! | ||
| Hughlysses |
Jim, I may take you up on that tomorrow! Thanks for the offer. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
FWIW, stopped in to see Applied Ind. here in town, and the consensus among a half-dozen or so of the inside sales guys was that both SKF (Argentina) and Koyo (Japan) are the best brands. I bought a pair of SKF, and plan to change them out at the 1st rear tire change. I have a pair of Koyo as well as a back up to keep in the bike's tool kit. . | ||
| Etennuly |
rear bearings on my 07 Uly (~8500 miles) last Friday; they looked good (clean blue grease, no water, no rust) but felt somewhat stiff. I put in a little grease, reinstalled seals, and figured they were OK. Pulled front wheel last night to change tire; front bearings were VERY easy to turn and felt smooth as glass Hugh, For what it's worth, that is normal for both ends. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Etennuly, You think my rear bearings are OK? I will put it back together and keep the Koyo's for spares if that's so. Dang, they felt almost gritty though. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Hughlysses, If its already apart, why not slide in a better pair of new ones - cheap insurance for 30 bucks...no? | ||
| Hughlysses |
John, torn between the need to do that and running short of time. Bike needs to be back together by a reasonable hour tomorrow so I can ride to MBV on Friday! I was gonna try the heat the hub with a hair dryer, drive the bearings out with a drift technique, but my drift won't catch the edge of the bearing from the inside. Might be able to find a shop to replace them quickly tomorrow. |
