I'm getting a hum in my bars, when I'm anything but riding in a straight line. In other words, if i'm going straight (smooth), but if I just shift my weight, and lean the bike left or right while staying in my lane, I feel a hum in the grips. I don't really notice the hum in a full lean.

Tires have 3,500 miles on them, and seem smooth to me. The shop didn't replace the bearings when he installed the tires, but my tech is a good one, and I'm sure he inspected them at the time. When I lift the bike up, wheels seem to turn smooth, and I can't feel any play.

Early sign of wheel bearings?

Bike has 78,000 on it, and not sure of prior history, so I'm going to change them anyway, figured I'd go as high of quality as I can. Is there a best brand of bearing out there? Just go MoCo?

 

I went with All *****.

 

Mine did the same thing. It was the stock Dunlop D402 tires. Have someone check your bearings before condemning them.

 

I wouldn't claim all Harley sold bearings are bad, but they do seem to get them from someone with hit or miss quality control. I prefer American brand bearings, but those are getting harder to find. If you have abs, the only non Harley source I know of is AllBalls, and I'd get those over the Harley oem. I've opened a few AllBalls seals, and they were well greased with sturdy metal ball cages, something that's getting to be a problem with imports, especially Chinese made (although AllBalls are Chinese, too, and would be my first choice of Chinese made). Whatever you get, pop a seal and if they have a thin line of what looks like vaseline on just one side of the bearing, wipe it off and liberally grease with a premium synthetic brand. I've pulled too many burned bearings to think a "thin film" of grease is enough for a wheel bearing.

 

I got some Drag Specialty brand bearings, I have ABS. They seemed of high quality. I don't remember where they were made though.

 

with the wheel off you can usually feel if a bearing is as fault. Not gritty to the feel when you rotate the wheel slowly, and too loose either. At 78k I'd replace them anyway.

I think the main issue with the oem crappy Harley bearings came about when then moved to 25mm bearings (2008/9???).

Gonna get flamed for this but watch packing extra grease in sealed bearings, not all greases are compatable, and too much can expand with heat and pop a seal off. It's usually recommended to completely wash a bearing and refill with a wheel bearing grease.

The hum on bars when leaning over is usually a tyre cupping.

I have used All *****, and F.A.G. (Swedish) bearings, and would NEVER again use a 25mm oem one. Having the front one collapse at 80 mph tends to put you off using them. lol.

 

My understanding, btw, is that even when you buy a drag spec, or allballs bearing set for ABS. the abs bearing is sourced from Harley, and the other standard bearing is allball or drag.

There is a ceramic version of the abs bearing out there somewher(very expensive) but I think HD is the only supplier of the ABS item.

This in my case is not a big deal as it was always the oem standard 25mm bearing that failed. I've gone thru 3 of them!!

 

The '02 uses the 1" bearing. The factory Harley 9247 is as good as it gets made in Slovakia by a top mfr. Double sealed, some have gotten 100k on them.

 

Thanks for that - useful info!