Rear Wheel Bearing Failure

rocky17 said:
I used the picture resizer Mellow gave the link to & the attachment is what my bearing looked like.
Click to expand...

That bearing looks like it was installed backwards as the seals should face outwards keeping the grease in place.
The driven flange bearings also failed on my 05 and on inspection it seemed like there was insufficient grease in them. Even the new bearings from Honda had very little grease so I repacked them prior to install...I wonder if the mechanics are doing this or just using the bearings right out of the package.
 
Those two small ball bearings in the driven flange were intended to keep the driven flange rotating in the same plane as the driving splines. My old ST1100 suffered a total meltdown of the final drive at 30Kmi because the splines flexed under force and degraded to the point of making me a pedestrian. Since these bearings fail frequently it indicates the huge forces on those splines.
My approach is to plan on replacing those bearings when its time for a new tire.
Also, A possible cause of these bearings failing is that the space they are pressed into is too tight. I couldn't get mine out by pounding on them and had a shop with a bearing press force them in for me. When I examined the removed bearings they turned much more freely.
Has Honda fixed this yet??
 
So besides the bearing noise, excess play of the rear wheel if you have it on the center stand would be a good indicator of bad bearings, right???
 
kevinfromwebb said:
So besides the bearing noise, excess play of the rear wheel if you have it on the center stand would be a good indicator of bad bearings, right???
Click to expand...

There were no noticable signs of flange bearing failure when turning the wheel on the center stand. The only thing we noticed was a slight increase in vibration at the passenger pegs at hwy speeds.
The only way of checking the bearings is to remove the wheel and inspect them.
 
Here are some pics of my failure at 38,540 miles.

Went to change the tire today and got taken by surprise on the condition of the flange bearings.





IN this pic you can see how the rear axle got heated up from the bearing failing.

 
Greg, a thin film should suffice. Someone went overboard on all that grease! The moly is for the splines.

What kind of bearing will you be replacing the flange bearings with? There are options.
 
Dinkie Diesel said:
Greg, a thin film should suffice. Someone went overboard on all that grease! The moly is for the splines.
Click to expand...

Jeff,
This has not been touched since the factory, I bought the bike new and never have had the flange gear off until now. :confused:

There is quite a bit on the one Mellow took pics of once when he replaced his flange bearings. The pics are in one of his albums.

Greg C.
 
Here's the link that might add to your issue:

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70543

CBR Bearing can probably get it to you just as fast or even faster.

Two bearing style options there. OEM dual roller or Single width needle bearing.

I believe CBR's replacement OEM bearings will be dual sealed and of a different brand.

I have decided it is not that big of an issue as I once did. The bearings that failed you are not carrying much of a load and not likely to leave you on the side of the road. However, continued travel with a bad bearing might ruin some other expensive pawts. :D

I'd make sure, too, that the inner race turning on your axle shaft (shiney spot) didn't wear away too many thousandths of an inch or you'll be throwing good money to bad.
 
WeeSTer said:
That bearing looks like it was installed backwards as the seals should face outwards keeping the grease in place.
The driven flange bearings also failed on my 05 and on inspection it seemed like there was insufficient grease in them. Even the new bearings from Honda had very little grease so I repacked them prior to install...I wonder if the mechanics are doing this or just using the bearings right out of the package.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice, Chris. I don't think I've ever seen a bearing that had enough grease in it for my liking. I use the best wheel bearing or EP grease I can find, but not pure moly paste, I don't think it has enough flow properties in that application.

Single-sided swingarms work and they're stylish, but there is something to be said for having more than one bearing to rely on. I'd hate to have a single-sided swingarm bearing failure at the wrong moment, but most have been proven reliable.... it's just me. I had a GL too and was comfortable with it, so not a huge issue, but I've never complained about removing an axle shaft.

Lots of cheap bearings out there, has anyone dug into it and can recommend which brand are the best (or not the best).
 
I have about 2k on my ST. When I put it up on the center stand and let her idle in 1ST gear there is clunking noise coming from the final drive area. I think its only drive lash, but want to know if others do this.
 
Kind of annoying that older thread with a lot of great information for newbie ST1300 riders like me have dead links. Links to photos and other information seldom seem to work on this forum. Such a shame. Just cause the thread is old, doesn't mean it's no longer relevant. 2010 ST1300 owner and currently worried, but now informed about this bearing issue. Thanks.
 
effectspedals said:
Kind of annoying that older thread with a lot of great information for newbie ST1300 riders like me have dead links. Links to photos and other information seldom seem to work on this forum. Such a shame. Just cause the thread is old, doesn't mean it's no longer relevant. 2010 ST1300 owner and currently worried, but now informed about this bearing issue. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately many of the links to pictures were scrambled when the site was upgraded at the end of last year and not all of the links were repaired. I'm sure though that if you took a moment of time and use Google's search site feature that you would find more than enough information on this problem and most any other that you might have. There are always plenty of people around here willing to help when asked...
 
Has anyone measured the flange bore for taper or just how much interference there is to the bearing? There's a writeup on the VTX-1800 failures of this sort that mentions a lot of mechanical tolerance "issues":

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253058

not sure I buy the short shoulder issue, could be a problem if the stack puts side load on the balls but the tapered bore in the flange could certainly be a concern. Any data on the ST setup?

-Scot
 
Rear axle bearsings failed and replaced on the 04 - 124k on the 06 - 97k.
 

Attachments

  • 06_8-27-11a (2) B.jpg
    06_8-27-11a (2) B.jpg
    463.1 KB · Views: 60
  • 06_8-27-11b (2)C.jpg
    06_8-27-11b (2)C.jpg
    400.3 KB · Views: 57
mean13 said:
I have about 2k on my ST. When I put it up on the center stand and let her idle in 1ST gear there is clunking noise coming from the final drive area. I think its only drive lash, but want to know if others do this.
Click to expand...

Interestingly, I just had a new tire put on @6800 miles and by 7500'ish there's a horrible clunking noise that vibrates the entire bike ('10 ST1300, non-abs). Took it to the local shop and they can replicate it but have no ideas on causation. Bearings look/feel/sound smooth under zero load/torque, but when on the bike and torqued to spec the noise reappears.

Anyone got suggestions I can offer to the shop (Mission Motorsports in Irvine, CA)? Thank yoU!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom