Rear hub bearing failure

lloicles

New member
Next time you have your bags off take a look at your hub bearings, my 08 street glide developed a ginding sound today on the way home from work pucker factor was way up as I slowly made my way home about 10 miles. Here's a picture of what I found when I removed the saddelbags to take a look. Pretty hard to see but some of the ball bearings are actually missing.
 
My other bike is a Buell Ulysses. Somedays it seems like every other post on the Buell forum is about bearings. Last year Buell went to a different supplier on both the front and rear bearings. This year Buell changed the rear wheel. They added a third bearing, extra seals and increased the bearing size.

The four theories talked about the most before Buell made the last change were:

1. Chinese bearings = poor quality
2. Over torque when wheel was installed by owner or dealer
3. Owner washed the bike with a pressure washer or did many water crossings.
4. Drive belt too tight.

Do you guys think that any of these theories might apply here?
 
08 Ultra with about 10,000 miles, I found the grease used for the sealed bearing on the inside of the saddle bag, the bearing looked just like yours. I read the fine print on the extended warantee and the IDS (Isolastic Drive System) is (NOT) covered..21000 now and I hope it never goes out again, $300+ for the complete sproket and bearing...
 
I'm the other bearing failure,

1. bike is an 09 wheels have never been off
2. do not own a pressure washer and
3. no belt on the front wheel

Bike has almost 11k miles on it, Chinese bearings = poor quality is the only one that possibly works.

http://hdforums.com/forum/touring-models/392335-check-your-front-wheel-bearings-for-grease-marks.html
 
wow i thought i was the only one this ever happened to. now i dont feel so lonely. i lost a rear bearing this summer, but it was due to a undersized crush spacer. the bike starts to act really funny at 80mph when all the balls end up on one side of the races.
 
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