Front Wheel Bearings

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bigawr

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A little background. I have a 2017 ES model and the left (when sitting on the seat) wheel bearing disintegrated at appox. 15,000 kms (9,300 miles). I didn't think much of it at the time, and replaced the bearings and seals. skip forward to 45,000 kms (28,000 miles) and the same bearing again destroys itself. I have now replaced those bearings ,seals, axle and the spacer between the bearings. The original spacer measured 3.98 mm and the new spacer measured 4.00 mm. Has anyone here had a similar experience? Does anyone know the exact measurement of that spacer? I don't have a service manual at this time.

Many thanks for any advice or insight that may follow.

 
No, not in the least. And I’ve not heard of any other FJR with such short wheel bearing life. Which makes me suspect that there is something* wrong with the assembly of yours. There must be added lateral stress on that bearing to make it heat up and fail (that’s why bearings fail, from heat). Not sure where that would be coming from, but there are only so many possibilities. Good luck with the investigation.

 
Bearings like the ones in the front wheel don't like side loads at all so if the internal spacer is to short it will raise hell with bearings

 
It is odd that it was the left side bearing in both cases, but that could just have been a coincidence. If the spacer was too short, theoretically both bearing inner races would have been pulled inward when you tighten the axle nut (66 ft lbs). Not sure if .02mm difference is enough to cause the problem, but maybe. Weird that a steel spacer would be a different length.

 
Theoretically on paper it looks like there's a big difference in length but let's be clear for our USA guys:

.02mm = .000787401575". That's 8 / 10,000 of an inch. IMHO not enough to make any difference. I think you should be looking elsewhere for contributing factors.

Because I'm an ignorant Gen2 owner, I'd be looking at fork differences. Isn't just one fork on the '17ES "active" and the other like a follower/dummy? Which is which?

 
I don't think you can install the front tire with the spacers that fit into the seals reversed, can you?

I'm not sure how accurate your measurement difference in the center spacer is - no dial caliper and very few inside micrometers can accurately measure differences within 0.001"

The left is the side with the ABS sensor - check that for any irregularities?

 
Just as a reality check, verify the parts and assembly vs the following parts fiche as well as the FSM.

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/yamaha/motorcycle/2017/fjr1300es-fjr13eshb-2017/front-wheel

Edit: You cannot necessarily assume that whoever changed the front tire did so correctly and there is always a possibility that the replacement bearing(s) were not seated properly. With the calipers off, does the wheel generally spin freely (before the bearings were scrambled)?

I suppose that there is a possibility of an initial flaw in the wheel casting or machining. On my '07 FJR, I changed front wheel bearings once (at around 160,000 miles or so). Failure at low miles is rare.

 
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As long as the bearings are fully seated, why would it matter if the inner spacer was a slight bit short? Mine is not

up tight to the bearings, moves around a bit with the axle removed.

Canadian FJR

 
The reason the internal spacer matters is because the wheels hub sets the distance between the outside races of the two bearings. The inside spacer will set the distance between the two inside races. If the inner and outer races of the bearings are misaligned there will be constant lateral force on those bearings. The idea is for them to be aligned so the balls have the designed tolerances.

Note that it could be a combination of the inner races being pinched in and the outer races being not fully seated in the hub. That was what I was initially thinking was the problem since the spacer is nearly the correct length. A little dirt or build-up on the surface would be significant. But his started doing it from new, so maybe there is a lip in the bore in the hub preventing the bearing from seating correctly?

The reason the spacer is free to move is the inner race can move laterally. If the spacer was the correct length it would not be snug in between the bearings or else it would be too long.

Also, I agree the measurements are wrong. I think he meant cm not mm? Ive never measured the internal spacer but I know its more than 4mm long.

 
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Just throwing out a guess here but what if there is an issue with the shock on that side. Tony got 200K out of his front bearings on his 08.

My 08 is still parked in the garage with 98k on the original front bearings.

Dave

 
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Most people do get huge mileage out of the wheel bearings, which makes this so perplexing. Some folks have had less than stellar lifespan from replacement bearings (cough) like all balls (cough) and I chock that up to an inferior product. But the OEM bearings typically last a very long time.

I dont think the suspension would cause a bearing failure, but Im certainly not the expert to say so.

 
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For the record, my Gen 1 now has almost 90,000 miles, and as far as I know (I'm not the original owner), she's never had a bearing job on either wheel yet.

Also, in the 7 years I've ridden her, she's experienced quite a bit of rain with a mix of cold / hot weather on trips.

Every time I swap out tires, I carefully feel for bearing play, and these still feel like new (!).

 
For the record, mine (like many others) is 124,xxx with original front wheel bearings. I've been thinking of the maintenance I do for them. Which amounts to one thing- greasing the axle before insertion. No bearing maintenance whatsoever.

 
Okay. Many thanks for all the replies. I did make a mistake on the measurements, thinking in inches and writing mm.

The correct measurements are, original spacer 99.63 mm

new spacer 100.0 mm

Its still the same idea,one is shorter by a small amount.

I am going to check the bearings every 10,000 kms and see what happens.

For information sake, the second set of bearings were from ... Balls, but I have used that brand on my previous bike

for over 222,000 kms. Never had an issue with them.

Again , thanks for all the help.

 
0.37mm difference is quite a bit more significant. If the new one is exactly 100.0mm, youd have to think that is the correct one. The way to know for sure would have been to measure the distance between the two bearing seats in the wheels hub with the bearings out, as that should be the same distance as the inner race spacer length.

As for All-Balls wheel bearings, there have been prior reports of them not lasting long on FJRs. Its a good bet that they dont manufacture their bearings, but buy them from a wholesale source and then resell them, which would explain the variable quality and longevity.

If it were my bike I would order the OEM bearings. They are not that much more expensive and you know they are decent quality bearings. List price is $22 ea. $16 ea. at Partzilla. All Balls sells their kit (2 bearings and 2 seals) for $29. You probably didnt really need the replacement seals they give you in the kit anyway, unless you mangle the old seals getting them out.

 
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