Here is a thing…. When I was younger I heard that it’s “good practice” to add a little bit of extra grease into the wheel bearings as apparently manufacturers are not putting enough…
Well guess what? How stupid that was for me to even try that…
Let me tell you the story… once i was changing my wheel bearings, and i thought ill try that “tip”, even though my bearings lasted quite a bit anyway, i thought if i’ll get a few thousand miles extra – grease well spent then, right?
So peeled off the seal of the bearing, like a monkey packed it with grease – as much as you would normally use for headstock bearings pretty much…. Like, packed packed, if you know what i mean.. Fitted everything back on and off I went…
Literally only a few thousand miles later I had to change a tire I believe, or whatever it was but the wheel had to come off, and while I was at it I checked bearings, and guess what? Bearings were literally toasted! And I mean absolutely destroyed! Why?
Well, here’s what I think happened there…
Bearings do warm up when they are in use, sometimes quite a bit too… So when I packed the bearing with a grease, I literally left very little room for grease to expand (let me rephrase that – left No room at all), and so, as soon as I went for a ride, the bearings warmed up, the grease expanded and popped the seal! Since the seal was no longer protecting bearings internals, and I loved fording at that time, it was very likely that water and grit got into it, and… well, prematurely destroyed the bearing…
Moral of the story – be smart!
Oh and if you are wondering why suspension or headstock bearings and seals are not affected, well I am pretty sure it’s because they do not get that much of the abuse (and do not get as warm as wheel bearings).
So that’s about it – if this post will save a few bearings around the world I’ll be more than happy!
Explore More!
A list of posts about Bike Maintenance and General Modifications that might be Interesting to know!
General Modifications:
- Throttle Tamer Mods (4 ways to tame your horse!)
- Projector headlight conversion from right side road traffic to left and vice versa.
- How to make your own Exhaust or how to modify an existing one.
- Power Commander (PCV) and Thoughts on it.
- Brake Snake / Pedal Anchor – why and how!
- Lighter Clutch Mods:
- How to make motorcycles Cable Clutch lighter! (Part 1/3)
- Cheap ways to make your motorcycles clutch lighter! (Part 2/3)
- How to make a Hydraulic clutch lighter on your motorcycle! (Part 3/3)
- How to make Custom Clutch or Throttle Cables – Easier than you thought!
- How to make clutch lever lighter (Yamaha XT660Z Tenere Specific)
- Rear Suspension and Drive-Train:
- How to extend the life of Cush-Drive rubbers.
- The dangers of motorcycle lowering links, Important things to know!
- How to swap rear shock spring with no special tools!
- The Best Motorcycle chain lube!
- How to set motorcycle chain slack when suspension is not standard?
- How To Remove Stubborn And Hard To Reach Chain Adjuster Bolt
- The List of Most Useless Adventure Motorcycle Mods And Bling!
- Dangers of the lowering kits (things to know before Lowering your Bike!
Bike Maintenance:
- How to pass MOT the first time – every time!
- How to Maintain your motorcycle Locks (works with all locks!)
- Best Suspension Bearing Grease!
- What grease to use on your motorcycle?
- How to shorten Life of your wheel bearings! (Or what not to do to them!)
- Why should you grease your bolts! (And not only Bearings!)
- What is the best Chain Lube for your motorcycle?
- How to buy used Motorcycle – Free Guide.
