Topic: High Quality Wheel Bearings

[Gregorymoto]

That is way to much money. I spent $25 for front and back and I ride like mad man. I checked them in Dec when I was putting on new rubber and they where fine. Thats over 10 years and 2 motors of ridding.

[lucky]

I'm looking for high quality wheel bearings.  Hondaman recommends SKF or KML bearings in his book,  but I'm having
no luck finding them.  Anyone know what brand Z1 Enterprises sells in their kits? 

KC

You need to go to a bearing supply house.
Bearings are grade 1-10.
The $240.000 dollar cars, and printing machines use grade #10 bearings.

[flybox1]

All balls bearings are KML.
All youll ever need.

[HondaMan]

Ummm...once you ride the SKF (or some NOS Timkens), you won't go back...

When I rolled 600+ lb. payloads with my wife (touring stuff) was when I decided to try these out. The bike changed personality dramatically from wandering the lane in crosswinds, passing trucks (the other way), and road vagaries, to holding a line like it is on rails. The only thing changed to get this performance (since I already had the bronze swingarm bushings and tapered steering bearings, and the very same tires as the previous year) was the bearings: I had installed the Honda NTN bearings in 1979 just before we were married, and took our first (heavy trip) with those, wandering: after the change we took another trip similarly loaded with far better performance.

[Kickstart]

I just picked up my SKF wheel bearings from my local SKF bearing distributor....

I just realized they are JEM (I believe that's C3 extra clearance).  I assume I need standard clearance... correct?... or will these work fine?


BTW, my SKF bearings are made all over the place.  I think one box said Thailand, and another said Argentina (I don't have them in front of me right now... but I don't think any of them said Germany)... FWIW.

[HondaMan]

I just picked up my SKF wheel bearings from my local SKF bearing distributor....

I just realized they are JEM (I believe that's C3 extra clearance).  I assume I need standard clearance... correct?... or will these work fine?


BTW, my SKF bearings are made all over the place.  I think one box said Thailand, and another said Argentina (I don't have them in front of me right now... but I don't think any of them said Germany)... FWIW.

SKF has the spec control and materials that are needed for the great performance. They got the rights to this when they bought Timken's ball bearing lines in the early 2000s (I think that is when it was?).

The C3 is the "extra clearance" bearing, aka "electric motor" bearing. It is the one most stocked in bearing houses today. Not just 8 years ago, those were special order bearings, and the tighter "standard clearance" bearings were the norm. I'm not sure why this change? It makes me think about getting some boxes of the SKF 'standard' bearings in these sizes for my website, maybe?

I recently found an NSK bearing dealer here in Denver, which are also pretty good. For my 750 rebuild I'm doing now, I decided to try theirs out this time, as they are rated partway between SKF and NTN in today's bearing quality, according to Automotive Engineering magazine of 2 years ago (I think it was a summer issue I read).

I gotta get that mag again, it is a real valuable resource...

[Kickstart]

So... is it OK to use the JEM bearings, or should I return them for the standard clearance?

Thanks,
Chris

[HondaMan]

So... is it OK to use the JEM bearings, or should I return them for the standard clearance?

Thanks,
Chris

If you can get the standard ones, I'd go for it. The "extra clearance" is .0003" typical, which, when multiplied by the 10" to the wheel contact area, becomes .003" of side-to-side movement (not counting spoke flex). When you then multiply that value by the distance to the handlebars (about 26" or more) it becomes .078", or a little over 1/16". This becomes the unconscious correction you put into a veer-off that is created by a road bump that tweaks the wheel sideways.

Standard bearings hold this same clearance to less than .0001", usually. Good, hard steels hold this flex to a minimum.

[lucky]

If you really want best quality go with ceramic ball bearings
I have a supplier.
Give them a size ( stock part number )
They will make you any bearing you like
Pricey

Be careful ceramic bearings are for certain kinds of applications,
they can crack and then you have broken glass swirling around.

[crazypj]

I don't think  anyone mentioned RHP bearings?
 I've always had good luck with them (100,000miles +)
 Orlando bearing suppliers seem to be way overpriced in my opinion (living close to Orlando I've checked out a few)

[HondaMan]

I don't think  anyone mentioned RHP bearings?
 I've always had good luck with them (100,000miles +)
 Orlando bearing suppliers seem to be way overpriced in my opinion (living close to Orlando I've checked out a few)

What are those?

[crazypj]

Ransom-Hoffman-Pollard, British stuff.
Don't know if they are still in business but were real common in the 70's~80's.
Little expensive but worked well

[70CB750]

Or INA from Germany, excellent stuff 

[bert96]

Nachi-Fujikoshi corp . Anyone know these bearings? are they good?

They are made in Japan.



Bert

[HondaMan]

Nachi-Fujikoshi corp . Anyone know these bearings? are they good?

They are made in Japan.



Bert

Yes, the Nachi bearings are decent. They are about the same as KML in tightness and metals. I've been using them in some tranny rebuilds this summer, and they have been much tighter than some others I have used before. The shifting is real smooth with them, which means they are holding a nice, straight line on the shafts.

[bert96]

Thanks Hondaman!



Bert