OK, I joined this unfortunate club. My bike has 17,200 miles on it. I had noticed a slight chirp at slow speed which sounded like it was under the bike. That has been going on for a couple of weeks. Friday, I took momma for a ride and noticed a different chirp emanating from the front wheel. So,, I decided to run the bike into the shop. It was past due for a 15k mile service.

I had the dealer do the 15k service, install new front and rear tires, and flush the brakes and clutch per the two year interval recommended by HD. I mentioned the wheel bearings need to be checked while the rubber was being changed. It turns out, I had badly worn front and rear bearings, with the rear being the worst. Now I seldom ride two up. I ride mostly highway miles and not overly aggressively.

Be aware. I had read numerous posts on this forum about front wheel bearings. I was paying attention to those warnings and got my bike in before the bearings collapsed or disintegrated. Holding them in my hand, I can tell you they were shot.

Do your maintenance.

 

Did the dealer give you your old bearings back? Just curious how "bad" they were. I changed mine, front & rear, at 42,000 miles. For peace of mind I always change wheel beariings at the 50K service but did it early this time because I needed tires as well. Afterwards a closer inspection of the bearings removed showed no problems. Just asking for informational purposes.

 

For years, the OEM bearings that come in these bikes have been cheap junk and prone to failure. Apparently, no QC whatsoever goes on at the manufacturer. 'Course, the MoCo doesn't give a **** whether they last or not or whether or not they end up crapping out and leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere. As long as they're cheap, that's ALL that counts.

All ***** brand top-quality bearings will be going into mine when the tires are replaced, regardless of the condition of the originals, just for the peace of mind and also to support a company that sells quality products and takes good care of their customers.

 

FYI, the dealer did return the old bearings. That's why I initially said I held them in my hand. There were evident metal shavings and case deformation.

 

The new 25 mm bearings are junk. Every once in awhile you will get some that last , But i change mine when ever a tire goes on.

 

I missed that in your original post, "Holding them in my hand,". Thanks for the reply. I replaced mine with the All-***** bearings. What bearings were installed in your wheels?

 

On your next tire change, you might have 'em install a set of All ***** and be done with it.

No reason to keep giving the MoCo your hard earned money for their cheap-assed-junk parts.

 

The dealer replaced the bearings with OEM bearings. I ride everyday and didn't have time to do enough homework to come up with a different solution. I'll probably go a different route next time.

 

Good man, and thank you for your service and sacrifices, Sir.

 

16000 on my 15 flhxs and had to replace rear tire. While the rear wheel was off the bike I replaced all bearing, not that they were bad, did it just cause i was there. Front bearings different story. They were pretty bad so I changwd them also.

Relpace tires and bearings is a good idea