Wheel Bearings

[JSBail]

The aftermarket bearings being sealed on both sides, versus only one side with OEM is the only reason I chose not to go with bearings from Honda. I am a big fan of OEM parts, but in this case not so much.
Thanks

I've noticed that too on the original OEM wheel bearings and have yet to figure out why the OEM wheel bearings only had a seal on 1 side. I could see if the hub in between was packed with grease but it isn't. Anybody have an idea?

[CYBORG]

It seems to me you would want to seal the outside surface from dirt and water.

[JSBail]

It seems to me you would want to seal the outside surface from dirt and water.

I think that's pretty obvious, I'm referring to the lack of an inner seal on the wheel bearings on bikes that still have their original wheel bearings. Sorry for hijacking the thread but mmrabit's comment made me wonder about it.

[CYBORG]

: Can't really say I ever thought about it. When I replaced the ones in my 78, I just took the numbers off of the old ones, and went to a bearing house. Would have gone to Honda, but knew I would have to order them and had to leave on a trip the next day. Don't recall the name brand, but they have served me well to this day. DAMN....now I need to pull the wheels and check them

[Mike-C]

Folks;
As a fussy old (retired) engineer allow me to comment that Honda put single / double sealed bearings there for a reason. Don't say cost because the cost differential is minimal and any service failures would far out weigh any cost savings.
I always make sure that I put back what I take out.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)

[JSBail]

Folks;
As a fussy old (retired) engineer allow me to comment that Honda put single / double sealed bearings there for a reason. Don't say cost because the cost differential is minimal and any service failures would far out weigh any cost savings.
I always make sure that I put back what I take out.
Mike Coleman
'84 Wing-Lite (ex-Aspencade)
'84 un-Terstate
'84 Standard (as yet un-named)

Agreed. I tend to think Honda did it for a reason as well, I just can't think of why. It's no big deal but it is something that makes me wonder when ever I see it on old OEM wheel bearings.

[Shadowjack]

There's no inside seal on factory bearings because there's no dirt on the inside of the hub to get into the bearings. At the manufacturer level, a penny saved is a penny profit--times a million.

[gregforesi]

A quick refresher on bearings...
The numbering system was standardized years ago. A 6204 from one company will interchange with a 6204 from another company. The suffixes are not standardized. A 6204-bb from company "A" might be a 6204 bearing with steel shields on both sides while a 6204-bb from company "B" might have high speed seals on both sides. Other suffixes have to do with the factory lube used (as in "Food Service" quality, or plain ole' grease). If you order bearings from a non-motorcycle specific supplier, they will likely only stock High Speed seals.
Regarding the seals..."High Speed" seals are a looser fit so the lips don't burn up at 20k rpm on an electric motor. Unless you ride like Cyborg, your wheels only need the tighter fitting "Low Speed" seals (that's what you will get from Honda), but if you are price conscious, you can get the 6204's (or whatever) from a place like Grainger, but they will likely come with High Speed seals unless you special order. No problem, they will work fine.