Front bearings failing....what are the symptoms?

[MZEMS2]

Wondering what people have encountered when their front bearings go out, or just before it. Reason I ask is that I've developed a very minor hum/howl when turning in either direction. Nothing feels wrong, but the howl is a little odd. It almost sounds like wind going through something. Along with the howl, there is an ever so slight vibration through the handlebars, but only when turning. There are only 15K miles on the bike. The tire is still in great shape. The front brake feels a little "mushy".
Bearings, wind, tire, brakes....?

Thoughts?
Rick

 

[Highrider]

Chances are it is your tires - what brand are you running?

 

[Scooter]

What kind of tires are you running? I finally had to replace my front wheel bearings back in June when I noticed one of the two was a little notchy when I tested them after a tire change. Had 105K miles on the bearings...

 

[Smallville]

Have pr2s on by chance. They are known for doing this. Either way my bet is tire noise.

 

[dduelin]

Bearings will feel notchy, gritty, or slightly rough when turned with a finger or thumb against the inner race. The wheel will be off the bike for this check. If they are really bad you might hear a rumble when the wheel is turning. At 15K I am with everyone else - it is probably tire noise and nothing to be alarmed about. I replaced my front bearings at 96,000 miles.

 

[MZEMS2]

Guys, the tire is a Michelin Radial Pilot Road 2, and it sure looks to be in pretty darn good shape, treadwise anyway. I can only assume these are the original tires..??..I'm the second owner.

 

[Kevin_56]

i have ran several sets of these tires and what you are hearing and feeling is the tire wear. They look great, but get noisy as they wear. THey never were original tires. Go ride.

Kevin

 

[sennister]

Yep PR2s are great tires but they are noisy in the corners. They remind me of truck tires.

 

[MZEMS2]

Thanks for the info on the tires. I'll just bump up the volume of the Ipod a bit more.......LOL....just kidding. I like listening to the low end torque too much to drown it out with tunes.

 

[BakerBoy]

+1 on the tires being the likely cause. Try a short ride at 36 psi, then a short ride at 45 psi ... it will help you diagnose the tire being the cause. FWIW, I've only found one notchy front bearing set over the years of changing ST13 tires...

 

[Tom Mac 04a]

My 020f in the front does the same thing... tire wears well, but after a bit the slight cupping can cause noise. Chk your bearing during tire changes ( unless something obv wrong ).

 

[Al Gully]

Original OEM tires where either Bridgestone or Dunlop.
Sounds like you are on your second tire.
I heard your tire will wear abnormally due to low pressures. I never run below 42 psi measured at 70 F for the front or rear. Also I installed a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that I can monitor my pressure and temperature daily on my dashboard.

 

[stgolfer]

My PR2's sound the same. Nothing to worry about. It's annoying, but not a problem.

 

[wjbertrand]

I've had a pair of front wheel bearings wear out before and they really didn't make any noise. My first clue was imprecise handling and upon further investigation I found the wheel could be wiggled a few degrees back and forth while holding the fork steady and I could see the movement of the wheel at the axle.

Bad wheel bearings in a car will cause a rumbling sound, a bike probably does the same, but I think it's only the car's structure and that you are inside away from the wind enabling you to hear it. I've never heard a bad wheel bearing howl.

 

[Digiamo]

I've had bad bearing manifest symptoms by feeling like I was riding on pavement with scattered pebbles on it. I would actually look to confirm there were no stones. Changed out maybe eight sets of bearings, most of them caught at tire change time but often they fail in between so be aware and as Jeff said, you can check them with the front wheel up and someone holding the forks or bars to one side. See if there is movement at the spindle. (axle).