"Wheel Bearings" - FYI - Another Rhetorical rant....

[GMAK]

Last Saturday, 09/21/2019, me and some friends met at a local Kawa-
saki/Suzuki dealer to enjoy the frivolities of an annual shindig that they
host. Upon reaching their parking lot, and slowing from the 80mph pace
enroute, I noticed a strange noise I believed was coming from my front
wheel.

Unfortunately, I had noticed the same noise just a few nights earlier. I
investigated but could find nothing wrong. The noise seemed to have
subsided during the first notice, so I just assumed it was some kind of
trash temporarily caught between the front tire and fender. I rode home,
and forgot about the noise.

After reaching the Kawasaki/Suzuki dealer, and once again detecting
the noise, I decided the FJR was not safe for riding, And asked if the
Kawasaki/Suzuki service area could check it in for diagnosis/repair.

They did, and I required a spousal ride home. But, not before some
brief inspection, and relaying to me that the front wheel bearings are
the culprit, and need replacement.

Forward to 09/28/2019, I get the bike returned, and everything seems
normal. The Kawasaki/Suzuki dealer was very very helpful in my time
of somewhat emergency. Because I had no intention of any further
riding the FJR until the condition was declared corrected.

I guess my classic rant here is:

Am I missing something here? I know the bike is chronologically 12 years
old, with 35.5K miles. But, would you consider it normal to require front
wheel(or any wheel) bearings at this stage of life?

I've owned a fair number of motorcycles in my life. Most without a high
mileage designation. But, I've never even heard about wheel bearing
failures on any motorcycle(or the FJR).

What am I missing here?

Thanks,

GMAK

 

[mcatrophy]

Could dirt have got into the wheel bearing area during tyre replacement? I don't know how well the bearings are sealed against dirt ingress, all I can say is that the bearings should last much longer than that. 
I always do my own wheel removal/replacement, and I am fairly anal about making sure the bearing area (read bearings, axle, spacers, ABS plate, fork pinch area) is clean (and greased) during replacement. 

 

[Jenks]

I had the same issue on my 2013 FJR but with only 40,000 km (~25,000 miles).

Terrible clicking noise while riding had me thinking it was something caught up in the wheel, but found nothing.

Replaced the bearings and one of them was not very smooth - replaced both and all is well.

Only reason I could think of as to why the bearing failed so early was possibly my use of a pressure washer when cleaning the bike.

Still use the cleaner, but avoid going anywhere near the axle .

 

[RossKean]

The need to replace wheel bearings is reasonably common but not at as low mileage as yours.  On my '07, I replaced the front at maybe 120,000 miles or so.  Rear was untouched when I sold it at 185,000 miles.  Mine weren't especially noisy yet but felt "notchy" when rotating them with a finger during a tire change. I always check. 

I don't believe that Yamaha calls for grease upon installation of the front wheel other than the dust seal lips.  I always apply a modest amount of grease on the axle on the theory that it doesn't hurt.  Don't know if any makes its way to the bearings or not...

Bearings are sealed so dirt shouldn't get in during operation but might be an issue during changing tires.  Same with water - not an issue during normal washing or rain but be very careful if you are using a pressure washer.  I NEVER use one on the bike - too many places where a water blast will do no good.

 

[Bounce]

+1 with those that say "sometimes but not often". What can cause wheel bearings to fail quicker is using any kind of pressurized spray on the wheels when washing the bike. It's not only bad for the bearings but they are especially at risk if the pressure is enough to get around the "dust" seals. Best to never use more than a bucket or garden hose with only tap pressure.

 

[GMAK]

Well, I guess I'm just lucky. I certainly can not be described as a zealous

bike washer. Either high pressure or bucket and brush. I care for service

items like oil changes, filter changes, tire inflation, etc. But I could never

be charged as an excessive washer.

Initially, the faulty noise was similar to bb's in a coffee can. I would have

never thought my wheel bearings were worn out.

As a dealership plug. The store in my story was a Kawasaki/Suzuki dealer.

For any of you in the Dallas Texas area, this was Plano Kawasaki Suzuki,

north of Dallas, in Plano on I75. These guys were very helpful in assisting

me by taking the FJR into their service department, diagnosing the problem,

and completing the correction. All, on a brand bike that they don't even sell.

Kudos to Plano Kawasaki/Suzuki for helping me in my time of need. As I told

them - "They may be responsible for saving me from a trip to my local morgue".

I had just finished making the ~20 mile trip to their dealership at the obligatory

80+ MPH, to attend their open house shindig. The Plano K/S dealer was very

very good to me. Although I'm somewhat confused about the early failure, I'm

very thankful for the dealer's assistance. I feel very lucky. And if this failure is

a common anomaly, I hope that each of you either never experience it, or you

tend to it in plenty of time to avoid possible danger/disaster.

Thank you,

GMAK

 

[NealC]

Not to rub salt in your wound, but wheel bearings are a service item to be checked at the same mileage points for oil changes, replaced when necessary. And they will develop "slop" that can be detected by hand long before they become noisy.

Wheel bearings suffer the most of any ball or roller type bearing on a motor cycle. All others are either low relative movement, i.e swing-arm, relay arm and steering (all re-grease-able), or bathed in oil in the transmission.

Wheel bearings on the other hand, have to survive on just the grease they came from the factory with, and handle radial and side loading. At rotational speeds that vary dependent on the speed you are going. Not to mention the loads transferred through them during braking, cornering, potholes etc.. Compounded further if the axles are not tightened properly during tire changes. That is why Yamaha recommends checking them at every oil change.

They are also relatively cheap, front bearings are going to be ~$50 for the pair, including dust seals. ~$75 for the rear set. 

 

[08FJR4ME]

I have never been able to move my front bearings. The wheel has not fallen off yet. If it aint broke I am not fixing it. No funny noises either.

Dave

 

[lnewlf]

every tar change I pop the bearing covers off or use a syringe to put some fresh grease in the bearing and have never had a bearing fail on any bike...[my FJ1200 had over 100 K rough miles on it ]...

 

[dcarver]

>180k on front wheel bearings no problem.

Damn. Probably jinxed myself.

 

[Toter]

Have never had an issue with wheel bearings on an FJR. I did have to change front wheel bearings on my 2015 HD Road King at 20,000 miles. Harley Davidson changed some years back to a thinner bearing sourced from China. These bearings are sealed and often have insufficient grease inside. Not sure where the Yamaha bearings are sourced, but I would not doubt that they could be from China. It doesn't seem so, since you hear very few reports of premature failures on FJRs. You may have just had a defective bearing. 

 

[FJR Flyer]

I had to change the front bearings on my '06 at just under 82K miles.  I was recording my commute on video, and i could here a cyclic noise on the playback.  I used Timkin bearings when I replaced them.