Rear wheel bearings shot warranty ???

[Steveg 1,022]

Hi 

 

Noticed play in rear wheel today while adjusting chain , just took up to honda dealer who said yep they were shot & not safe to ride  ...

 

2019 nc750x done 20k miles , still under warranty , have put in a warranty claim but dealer saying very unlikely Honda will do under warranty 

 

Never had less than apprpx 60k miles out of wheel bearings out of other bikes I've had 

 

Mechanic said that I had done well to get 20k out of a nc750 ...

 

Just wondering if anyone else has had success getting their wheel bearing done under warranty ?

 

Cheers Steve

[Tex 36,816]

Hmm, well, warranties exclude consumables like chains, brake pads and filters. But are wheel bearings a consumable? I would argue that they’re not. Be interesting to see what Honda says.. 

[Ciaran 6,880]

I am not of a mechanical mind but 20,000 miles seems extraordinarily low. Only bike I've had that needed new bearings was the XJ900 Diversion at very nearly 60,000 miles on it (not to mention being 11/12 years old when I bought it).

[Grumpy old man 4,670]

I had mine changed on warranty at 18000

[Andy m 23,473]

I don't expect them to pay. Warranty is what they say it is and 20000 miles would be 5 years worth for most bikes. You might be lucky, in which case accept the free stuff. 

 

Assuming they decline, don't let the dealer fit more of the same. There is a real difference between Swedish branded and no name or "OE spec" Chinese dross. If you are paying get the codes or actual parts down to the local distributor and unless you plan to sell the bike pay a bit extra. 

 

Andy

[Steveg 1,022]

Yep don't think they will fix under warranty but worth a try 

 

the mechanic seemed to think 20k was a really good life .... 

 

I said that other bikes I have had minimum 60k between changes , my sprint st was 88k on original wheel bearings 

 

Will have to wait @ see & let you know 

 

Trouble is a need bike to get 50 miles to work , glad the wheel bearing did not pop on the m5 so will count my blessing I noticed

check  bike weekly and no play last week so worth keeping an eye on 

 

Cheers Steve

Edited April 24, 2021 by Steveg

[Tex 36,816]

The problem may come in how the dealer approaches Honda. By the sound of it they’re going to say “You don’t really want to pay for these do you?”  

 

Back when I did the job I would have been saying “Look, you really need to pay for these..” They were always very fair - but that was back when God’s dog was a puppy! 

[Steveg 1,022]

normally buy used  , so  no experience of the warranty game 

 

I have a good relationship with my local dealer so hopefully that might help 

 

recently had a replacement swingarm & exhaust under warranty which I did not think they would do , not been really impressed with the build quality to be honest 

 

But really pleased with how useful the nc is for daily transport , excitement aside 

 

Cheers Steve 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2021 by Steveg

[Grumpy old man 4,670]

Worth a look

[Steveg 1,022]

Just got the ok warranty cover wheel bearings 

 

Top job Sutton Motorcycles Bromsgrove

 

Cheers Steveg

[Xactly 5,340]

It seems to me that rear wheel bearings are the main parts that wear abnormally early on these bikes. Apart from items that rust out and resetting DCTs, failed rear wheel bearings appears to crop up more than anything else, though it’s not exactly endemic. IMHO 20,000 miles is absurdly low for the life of a pair of wheel bearings, something I’ve replaced on one bike in 50-odd years and 30-odd bikes. Maybe they source them from where RE gets its main bearings.....

[Steveg 1,022]

Have had  rusty swingarm , exhaust @ rear wheel bearings got the whole lot 

 

I agree re poor mileage out of wheel bearings 

 

Hopefully will settle down now 

 

But I am looking at replacement bike

 

Cheers Steveg

Edited April 26, 2021 by Steveg

[rjp996 1,091]

Mine went at about 20K / 1 year from memory - dealer replaced them and they have done another 60k without issue - I purchased some spare as they are cheap with the expectation I will change them when I next change the rear tyre as 'preventative maint' as I use the bike daily  to get to work  (or did ****...). My front bearing went on one side were water got past the seal, but i fear that may have been my own fault with a pressure washer (lesson learnt)

[Tonyj 6,907]

Mine went at the same time and it was covered by warranty but I’ve read your post and it’s sorted . Did think I might have washed them to death : o ) haven’t been out on it for ages so better check it’s ok now

[Steveg 1,022]

I definitely did not wash them to death 😂

[Steveg 1,022]

Back on the road , after a week commuting in the wife's car have really missed  my nc 

 

mechanic showed me the bearings he removed they were stamped as NSK bearings ( not sure if NSK is a good make or not ?)

 

He said that water had got in on one side ( the non sprocket size ) which had caused the failure 

 

Cheers Steveg

Edited April 30, 2021 by Steveg

[Andy m 23,473]

NSK is the largest manufacturer of bearings in the world, HQ in Japan. One imagines if you want a million parts they can offer you a selection at different prices and quality levels. 

 

If you buy from a distributor and get ones marked Made in Japan they are probably OK. Personally I'm used to SKF (mostly worked for European companies that have used them) and want them marked Made in Sweden or Germany. 

 

Andy

 

 

[Xactly 5,340]

4 hours ago, Andy m said:

NSK is the largest manufacturer of bearings in the world, HQ in Japan. One imagines if you want a million parts they can offer you a selection at different prices and quality levels. 

 

If you buy from a distributor and get ones marked Made in Japan they are probably OK. Personally I'm used to SKF (mostly worked for European companies that have used them) and want them marked Made in Sweden or Germany. 

 

Andy

 

 

My RE UCE failed timing side main bearing was an SKF. I believe it was made in downtown Mumbai by a bloke with some secondhand machine tools he bought from the old Ural factory. Still, he won the tender from RE ‘cos he was cheapest....

[Andy m 23,473]

All commodity items made by large corporations are graded. I'm lucky, the stuff I sell has a series of brands on the tyre manufacturers model. 

 

For example Continental, Uniroyal, Seperit, Barrum, General Tire, Viking, Mabor and Matador are all the same company. A Matador is probably an old design of Continental. Trouble is, I bet if you want 100000 a year you can also get the Matador factory to find the moulds with the Continental branding still on them. If you buy it from Honda you'll find out on the first wet day that it feels like 1973, while from a tyre shop they protect the premium brand and if it says Continental, that's what it is. 

 

SKF India is not SKF Germany or Sweden. 

 

Andy

Edited May 1, 2021 by Andy m

[Mrkitty2 15]

Greetings all, I know this has been mentioned elsewhere, but having suffered 4 sets of rear wheel bearings over 57k miles, I discovered that my rear axle spacer collar was too short, allowing lateral load on the bearings… I replaced it and have had no  problems since. Worth checking. I’m on a ‘16 750XA and using it for courier work. Check that when the bearings are seated there’s no gap between the spacer and the inner races. I’ve also got a CBF600SA that I did 194,000 miles on… Only one set of rear bearings required in all that time.

[Steveg 1,022]

Interesting about the spacer , my rear bearings failed @ 20k , issue was water had got in ( don't jet wash or ride through rivers )

 

cheers Steveg

[fj_stuart 4,741]

29 minutes ago, Steveg said:

Interesting about the spacer , my rear bearings failed @ 20k , issue was water had got in ( don't jet wash or ride through rivers )

 

Honda aren't above fitting crappy bearings. I had to replace the wheel and sprocket carrier bearings on my CBF250 at 30k. The bearings (as was the bike) were made in Brazil. My FJ1200's front wheel bearings lasted 90k. Because of the bike's mileage I bought the cheapest on fleabay - "Challenge" brand - £4.20 the pair, I think, China's finest (I also think) They lasted 20k so you see the kind of stuff Honda are using.

 

Also I think that jet washing will never get past the dust seal and rubber shield on the bearing. I might get an old bearing and blast it point blank with my jet washer for 10 minutes to see what happens.

Edited May 18, 2021 by fj_stuart

[outrunner 4,457]

1 hour ago, fj_stuart said:

Also I think that jet washing will never get past the dust seal and rubber shield on the bearing. I might get an old bearing and blast it point blank with my jet washer for 10 minutes to see what happens.

Your water bill will go up.

 

Andy.

[Steve Case 944]

On 4/30/2021 at 22:13, Xactly said:

My RE UCE failed timing side main bearing was an SKF. I believe it was made in downtown Mumbai by a bloke with some secondhand machine tools he bought from the old Ural factory. Still, he won the tender from RE ‘cos he was cheapest....

After my friends Himalayan needed the head replaced due to the cam chain sprockets being out of alignment I wouldn't lay the blame on the bearings.

 

[Xactly 5,340]

1 hour ago, Steve Case said:

After my friends Himalayan needed the head replaced due to the cam chain sprockets being out of alignment I wouldn't lay the blame on the bearings.

 

Maybe not in that case but the timing side main bearing on the UCE 500cc is a known weak spot, which is why Carberry produce a  - wait for it - vibration reduction plate, that provides additional support for the long overhang. That said, poor alignment could well be a contributory factor. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned if I ever but another RE it'll be one designed here and built on modern production lines not hand-assembled by unqualified blacksmiths.