• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

Rear wheel bearing failure

  • Thread starter Deleted member 1183
  • Start date
Received new "generic" pair of rear wheel bearings from CBR Bearings, Los Angeles. Salesman mentioned the cush drive bearing and included the part number. I was not aware of this third bearing. It is a proprietary bearing, used only in the various NC/CTX model Hondas. Available only from Honda. Cost is nearly 3x the price of the other bearings. May order it prophylactically. Hate paying shipper, tho, for a small part. Might order from my local dealer, gotta see his price first. Partzilla wants $23 plus shipping.

My NC has 44,000 miles. Bearings felt fine last tire change but that was 33,000 miles ago. Front feels fine, just changed the front last month.

Comments welcome.
 
As I had mentioned in the “what do today” thread, I had a failed right rear wheel bearing on my NC700X at 57,700 miles. I replaced the rear wheel bearings, but did not replace the cush drive bearing as it seemed fine.

I am lucky to have just made it home from a long trip safely, but I am embarrassed that I allowed the bearing to reach such a bad condition. It had pretty much disintegrated. No moisture was found in the wheel hub, but evidence of corrosion exists on the center spacer tube. The left bearing looked fine, but was replaced anyway. Why is the rear wheel bearing a common failure on the NC? Some have reportedly failed at low mileage, as noted in this thread.

Why is any bearing failing on the NC and why not on my other bikes? The only other bike I own with higher mileage is shaft driven single sided swingarm with the rear bearings running in gear lube, which obviously should be more reliable. Other than that, I don’t know why the NC is a problem, but from reading this thread it seems to be a weakness in the NC.

I thought I was diligent and meticulous when it comes to maintenance. I always inspect the bearing seal and add bearing grease to the lip at wheel reinstallation. How did I miss this? I noted 7000 miles earlier a very slight wiggle present in the rear wheel, but I didn’t take it seriously. One excuse for not taking it seriously is that I have never had a bearing failure on any past motorcycle in over 40 years and nearly 300,000 miles of riding. This includes dirt bikes that are ridden through rivers, sand, and mud. Anyway, as a result of this experince I will be paying closer attention to play in wheel bearings that might indicate imminent failure.

Attached is a photo of the failed bearing.

EFD1F583-5A67-4767-9D8B-0F9939E78C04.jpeg
 
I replaced all the wheel bearings/seals in my ST 1300 at 100,000 miles just because. I have 63,000 on my CB 1100 and haven't noticed any issues. Not due for tires on it again for 5000 miles. Will inspect them then.
 
I replaced all the wheel bearings/seals in my ST 1300 at 100,000 miles just because. I have 63,000 on my CB 1100 and haven't noticed any issues. Not due for tires on it again for 5000 miles. Will inspect them then.
Sounds like you get good bearing life and have yet to have a failure on the mentioned bikes. It makes me wonder all the more why there are several examples in this thread of NC bearing failure at 10,500-14,000 miles
 
Sounds like you get good bearing life and have yet to have a failure on the mentioned bikes. It makes me wonder all the more why there are several examples in this thread of NC bearing failure at 10,500-14,000 miles
There are several guys on the ST forum that have replaced rear wheel bearings at 50,000 miles, but it's not a real common issue. There are guys over there that ride 40,000 miles a year. The top 4 guys on the mileage tracker for 2021 have over 30K miles (the top guy 38K with 2 months to go). Dduelin is 6th right behind them at 23K. I'm usually right there with them but I've had a bad year due to medical issues and will be lucky to make 16K this year. I normally average around 24K.

It's crazy for a bearing to last only 10-14,000 miles. I wonder if the guys that only got that mileage used a pressure washer on their bikes?
 
There are several guys on the ST forum that have replaced rear wheel bearings at 50,000 miles, but it's not a real common issue. There are guys over there that ride 40,000 miles a year. The top 4 guys on the mileage tracker for 2021 have over 30K miles (the top guy 38K with 2 months to go). Dduelin is 6th right behind them at 23K. I'm usually right there with them but I've had a bad year due to medical issues and will be lucky to make 16K this year. I normally average around 24K.

It's crazy for a bearing to last only 10-14,000 miles. I wonder if the guys that only got that mileage used a pressure washer on their bikes?
In 2011 the NC was innovative in power plant and layout but still built to a price point. I wonder if Honda spec’d a lower than normal cost bearing for this part.

In the last 15 years I’ve never had to replace a motorcycle wheel bearing in less than 100,000 miles. My 1992 Nighthawk 750 had a bad front one at 28,000. I don’t change my own tires but I do pull the wheel off for that and I always check each bearing for notchiness or roughness.
 
In 2011 the NC was innovative in power plant and layout but still built to a price point. I wonder if Honda spec’d a lower than normal cost bearing for this part.

In the last 15 years I’ve never had to replace a motorcycle wheel bearing in less than 100,000 miles. My 1992 Nighthawk 750 had a bad front one at 28,000. I don’t change my own tires but I do pull the wheel off for that and I always check each bearing for notchiness or roughness.
Maybe they went cheap on the NC. The OEM rear wheel bearings can be bought for US $9.64. I don’t know what a high quality bearing should cost, but $9.64 seems pretty cheap to me. The seal costs a few cents more than the bearing.
 
The seal costs a few cents more than the bearing.
How crazy is that?

Looks like the 2013 and 2021 use the same wheel bearings

(2) 91053-MGS-D31

and sprocket hub

(1) 91051-MGS-D31

also looks like the sprocket hub bearing costs 3X what the wheel bearings cost.

If some 2013 + owners have put 50-60K miles on their wheel bearings and some only got 10-14K I don't think the problem is with the bearings. Must be something else (wheel machining, customer using power spray washer or something?)
 
Last edited:
<snip> I wonder if the guys that only got that mileage used a pressure washer on their bikes?
This was my first thought also. Too many think pressure washers are great for everything. They can do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. I have never replaced a wheel bearing on a motorcycle in my entire life. This is really strange.
 
wow, i may just order a new set with the Cush bearing to keep on hand(you know, while we can still get those things). I will certainly be checking mine with more diligence when i change to the new 705's for the still hopeful Alaska trip early next summer. That is just crazy the NC has a noticeable/recurring issue with F/R wheel bearings. :{P
 
This was my first thought also. Too many think pressure washers are great for everything. They can do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. I have never replaced a wheel bearing on a motorcycle in my entire life. This is really strange.
A couple of weeks ago I used a pressure washer on the Goldwing at a commercial-type car wash while on a trip to the Smokies. It was the first time I used a pressure washer on a motorcycle in 50 years. Of course I kept my finger off the high pressure trigger and didn't point the spray at anything I didn't want to get water into. Common sense use.

Still, I felt naughty, like I was doing something I wasn't supposed to.
 
If they had bearings go bad in 10-14,000 miles, could they (or dealership) tighten the axle nuts too tight and cause the issue-dont know if over tighten would even cause a problem, or maybe too loose and had sloppiness causing undo wear????
The axle nut tightens all the collars, spacers, and bearing centers together. I don’t see how mild over tightening of the axle nut could damage a bearing.

I can see how damage could occur, if when the wheel was assembled at the factory, they failed to fully press the bearing outer races in place. Then, tightening the axle will want to force the bearings out of alignment as they try to squeeze against the center hub spacer sleeve.

The right bearing that seems to fail is the one most exposed to the elements. For the record, I have never used a pressure washer on the NC. I will admit that the last 6300 mile trip I took saw more rain, hard rain, than probably all other NC trips combined. Nonetheless, the NC should be designed to handle rain.
 
Axle over torque…….NO………on the bearing failure.

Running chain tension too tight……YES……known to trash the rear wheel and counter shaft bearing.

Not saying the experienced riders and technical knowledgeable members would run the chain too tight. But the NC has attracted many new riders and less savvy motorcycle maintenance minded.

As for other reasons for premature bearing failure……water/dirt intrusion is a prime suspect.
Gravel road riding has its problems…….dust intrusion.
Less than high quality bearing, less than adequate grease, low cost part ???

DIY prevent….some carefully pull the bearing seals and regrease the bearing during tire changes. Obviously damaging the seal could do more harm than good.

If the bearing fails its critical that the hub to bearing fit be checked. Bearing are a press fit in the hub. If the bearing spins in the hub the hub is damaged and should be replaced. If the bearings are removed from the hub …..they should be replaced. Removing the bearing requires driving the bearing out by hitting the inner race against the outer race.


Seal removal: Again with extreme caution*. Obviously if you see rust, corrosio, dirt or lack of grease…replace the bearing. 80’s and 90’s dirt bikes absolutely ate wheel bearing. I had several XR250 with less than 3000 miles…..dirt, water, mud the cause……with very frequent washing or over washing !!!!!!
6C157E61-58C3-474E-9108-926F766C4103.jpeg
89626446-83A5-4F4D-AB38-8C3A8A26B548.jpeg


From one reason or another…… years back Transalp had similar rear wheel and counter shaft bearing failures.
there were tight chain and the Transalp was “slightly” more dirt oriented.

Front wheel bearing on 80’s Goldwing were known to be replaced or serviced at 50k …..common water intrusion and rust.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MZ5
I have had a rear wheel bearing go as well. I had to look it up. Happened in 2018 at about 24k miles. In my case I am open to the factors of too much rain an not repacking the dust seals with enough grease on wheel assembly. I am pretty diligent with it now. Whenever the wheel is off the bearings are checked and put back together with good grease. Currently at 46k miles and still spinning well as of last check in September during tire replacement.
 
One way to explain early wheel bearing failure is QC problems (variability). As inexpensive as the Honda wheel bearings are in the first place, yet still very durable generally, it wouldn’t be surprising if the bad ones fail at 10k rather than the ‘normal’ 100-110k.
 
For the second time my bearings have begun to squeal and honk. Last time I replaced all of my bearings with Honda's OEM parts. With a sample size of two, my average bearing life is ~28k miles.

Since it has happened before I don't feel inclined to just use the expensive but seemingly inadequate official recommendation. I don't ride particularly hard. I normally forget about the NC's tendency to dive and squat because I'm gentle on the inputs. I have hit more potholes on pavement than dirt. I wash the bike with a hose once or twice a year. I keep it parked in a garage.

Is there such a thing as a better bearing available for the NC700? Alternatively, is there anything that can be done to extend the lifespan on the 'sealed' OEM bearings? I grease the axle whenever I remove it, but are there other spots which need grease that I'm missing? Short of repacking sealed bearings :D
 
Back
Top