Basic Dirtbike Maintenance 101 – Wheel Bearings

How to inspect, maintain, and replace wheel bearings
A well-greased bearing gathers no rust… OK that is a lame version of the “rolling stone” truism, but it is true nonetheless.  Another area that often gets neglected on bikes are the bearings.  Granted, it is no fun taking the linkages apart and dealing with those little rollers.  But once you let bearings get dry and start corroding, you are going to spend a good chunk of money and time replacing them.  Better to spend some time a few times a year to clean and grease the bearings, and you’ll get longer life out of them, not to mention better wheel/steering/suspension performance.

There are three sets of bearings to maintain on a typical dirtbike:  Wheel bearings, steering head bearings, and swingarm/linkage/shock bearings.  I’ll deal with them separately, with some info on maintenance, then replacement.  This article will show you how to inspect, clean, and replace the bearings if necessary.

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