The new OEM Harley bearings are nice - steel shields/seals. I would stay with them.

 

Why the dislike for the Harley bearing ?
All ***** part 20-1017-2rs, Dennis Kirk Drag part 25-1394. Both of them are KML bearings.

 

OK, just researched it for you in the Drag FatBook, you have 1" front and rear Axle. 2008 they went to the 25mm. Here they are on Bike Bandit : http://www.bikebandit.com/aftermarke...-kits?m=126214

 

Not a dislike just trying to explore all the options. Just priced them at the dealer and 32 dollars each seems a little high even with the "Harley Tax", but I might still go with them as I know they are the right ones?

 

There are viable options on E bay, give them a try. I can say I have not heard of any failures of them. I just saw some for $ 18 pr.

 

The reason i'm not a fan of the harley bearings ,if you google this you will find that nobody seems to know the kind of grease used in these bearings and if you look you will see its not like any normal looking grease.Yes all ***** are made by KML which is a korean company i think.but test and msds sheets show citgo grease in them,same grease type as kendall blue.This is exactly what one wants in there bearings.The fact that the grease is unknown may be why they sometimes fail early on.I don't want to discover that a harley bearing is failing in my bike while motoring down the highway.I have used all ***** in many things over the years and never had a problem. I wish timken made a 25mm bearing(the last time i checked they didn't)because they are at the top of there field This may seem like bull sh#t to some but its what allows me to sleep at night,knowing that the wife and i won't crash because of a failed bearing while traveling.

 

1340 has a point. The 25mm bearings used in the 2008 up have had issues failing because of grease and what not. Harley may have revised this. There are tons of replacements available as SKS, NACHI, KOYO. 6205 2rs is the number.
This post for the 2007 down uses a 1"id bearing which a proprietary bearing made for Harley by F.A.G.. It is a quality piece.

 

I have an 08 RKC and have had two different front sets fail. Luckily they were caught at tire changes before they became an issue. First the service writer felt them while pushing the bike into the shop. Fun watching the argument when a mechanic called BS on the service writer. Checked the bearings when they pulled the wheel off and sure enough they were going bad. Next tire change I just asked them to change them for piece of mine. The mechanic asked me after the fact, " How'd you know the bearings were going bad?" They were...

I have them changed every front tire change. The rear went 112,000 and were changed with the drive belt.

If you are going to change them with tires, the HD ones are fine. As mentioned before, you can take the originals to a bearing supply and they will match them with whatever you want.

 

I have 98000 miles on my 2007 with stock bearings...they still feel smooth as silk. I know about preventative maintenance but since they are still fine I hate to get rid of them...

 

www.worldwidebearings.com
They have the goods,but they are double the price of the HD parts,and worth it.
www.dragbike.com
Look at the tech article from The Horse Magazine in the tech section.