Life Expectancy of Wheel and Steering Bearings/Seals

At 22,000 miles I checked my 2003 SWing front/rear wheel bearings/seals. They look great, turn fine, and seem to have no wiggles/wobbles - so I plan to leave them as is. Checked steering by turning and wiggling (not sure if this is the proper technical term) - although I did not see/touch them, they seem to be fine also.

I have a question on wheel/steering bearing/seal periodic replacement. Do I just wait for a problem - and when might that be? Or should I take some proactive approach and replace them at some (yet to be defined) interval (based on mileage and/or years of service). My SWing has only seen San Francisco Bay Area weather - not overly hot or cold - and rarely has been exposed to riding in the rain.

What do you think? What do you do? Thanks.

x

One of the most important things you can do is stay away from the wheel bearings with a power washer. I check them out when I replace the tires. Twice now in 34,00 miles. They are roller bearings(no pre-load adjustment).
You can take most of the weight off the front wheel if you raise the scooter on the center stand and then spin the front wheel by hand to listen for any roughness. I always hear some noise from the rear(when on the center stand) but I attribute this to the straight cut gears in the final drive.

Dimond, please stop looking for problems.

If a problem arises it WILL manifest itself. You do not have to magic problems just to invent a reason to strip down components.

Get on the bike and ride.

The Silver Wing likes the road and hates the garage.

Ride it-----it is 9 years old, just ride it....and wait for stuff to happen....just as it might in a 9 year old Japanese car.

Ride 40,000 a year and of course stuff needs work, but outside of rubber stuff/battery/tires aging, a SilverWing is a pretty good machine. AND stay away from power car washes. Sometimes you may have to fix stuff ham fisted mechs did to it over the years.

john grinsel wrote:

Ride it-----it is 9 years old, just ride it....and wait for stuff to happen....just as it might in a 9 year old Japanese car.

Ride 40,000 a year and of course stuff needs work, but outside of rubber stuff/battery/tires aging, a SilverWing is a pretty good machine. AND stay away from power car washes. Sometimes you may have to fix stuff ham fisted mechs did to it over the years.

+1 Agree John. Look and you shall find as they say.

On the other hand. Pour petrol in the tank and enjoy life. At my end of life it's for living not grovelling with spanners trying fix that which aint broke.

bigbird wrote:

Dimond wrote:

Do I just wait for a problem - and when might that be?

1) yes
2) ask a clairvoyant

This is what I think.

Waspie wrote:

Dimmond, please stop looking for problems.

If a problem arises it WILL manifest itself. You do not have to magic problems just to invent a reason to strip down components.

This is also what I think.

Waspie wrote:

Get on the bike and ride.

This is what I do.

Waspie wrote:

The Silver Wing likes the road and hates the garage.

You asked.

I have 84700 mi on my '04 and while I am a "worry wort" according to some tests I took in college, I haven't given as much concern about my scoot as you have. If you are afraid of the bike, sell it and do something else with your life. With my mileage I have had to replace two bulbs, two plugs and two belts plus troubleshoot some corrosion on some wiring following (by a year) a heavy rainstorm in Missouri. Change the oil, assure that you have coolant and brake fluid. The big test is if it will start. If it does, you are good to go.
So GO!

I had a front wheel bearing go bad on me around 28k. I didn't notice it when I was riding, but found it when I was putting a new tire on. The bearing still spun but it was very rough feeling. Figured it was a wear item and replaced it myself, I had to use my 'pilot bearing puller' to get it out, but otherwise was a very straightforward job. Keep an ear out for different sounds and just keep riding.

andyman, I think keeping an ear out is great advice. Carry a cell phone and invite someone with a good trailer over for BBQ every now and then.

Dimond.
I like your curiosity for how things work...

I have to say that I think Dimond's questions are really just 'conversation starters' - and I think he's been largely successfully in getting some good threads going. (I don't often add a lot to them, but I get a lot out of them.)

I replaced the steering head bearings on both my 1974 CT90's. Both were showing symptoms of drag etc. OMG they were actually ball-in-race units too! Replaced them with All-Balls roller bearings. Can you believe they only gave 36 years of service??? Junk. :lol!:

Hi,

I have a Silver Wing 400 is there anyway I can download a workshop manual and user manual. Appreciate your help.

Thank you.

Gobi