Black Sheep
10-25-2005, 05:46 AM
I get a lot of questions about the differance in bearing carriers so i'll shed some light on the differances
stock carriers use 2 single ball bearings. these bearings are not really up to the job at task.
ball bearings are designed for forword and backword movement which is fine if you never turn. however most of us turn while riding. they cannot withstand the sideload stresss put on them from turning. this is why they never last long.
to cure this the aftermarket companies started to make dual row bearing carriers. they still use roller bearings. some have two single bearings side by side for a total of 4 bearings. some use 2 larger single bearings. however this does not really address the problem and you end up having to spend more money for the same results. thats why all the dual row carriers only have a 1 year warrenty. the average price is around 165.00
next came tappered needle bearing carriers. tappered needle bearings can handle the side to side stress loads. however they are a larger bearing and require more room in the carrier. since Honda carriers are a ecentric cam style (the carrier is round but the bearings are set offset so when you rotate the carrier thier location inside the swingarm moves this is done for chain adjustment. ) depending how the tappered carrier is made you can lose some chain adjustment. (ask the manufacturer if chain adjustment will be lost. i know RAD carrriers don't lose any adjustment.) however considering they will last a lot longer if you get the right one they are well worth it. the average price is around 225.00
a good example is this...
most two wheel drive cars use ball bearings inside the rear axels while using tappered needle bearings in the front wheels that turn. when you pitch your trike sideways stress is transmitted to the rear end just as in the front of a car. most tappered carriers use the exact same bearings as some cars. if those bearings can handle a 3000lb car a 300lb trike is no problem.
other benefits to tappered bearings...
as they wear you can tighten up your axel nut to take up the slack. whereas once ball bearings start to wear forget it there is no help for them.
to grease or lube roller bearings you have to remove the seals.
tappered needle bearings do not require seals other then the outer seals so greasing them is easier (with or without grease fittings)
if you've ever had to replace ball bearings you know what a pain in the arse they are. dual row are even worse
tappered are so easy they just "fall" out.
tappered needle bearings do not require the heavy "tube" the ball bearings have to use to prevent from crusing in the center race from tightening the axel nut. (50% of ball bearing failure is due to over tightening the axel nut)
so the next time you replace a bearing carrier and or bearings weigh your options and the pro's (better product) vs. the cons (more expensive.)
stock carriers use 2 single ball bearings. these bearings are not really up to the job at task.
ball bearings are designed for forword and backword movement which is fine if you never turn. however most of us turn while riding. they cannot withstand the sideload stresss put on them from turning. this is why they never last long.
to cure this the aftermarket companies started to make dual row bearing carriers. they still use roller bearings. some have two single bearings side by side for a total of 4 bearings. some use 2 larger single bearings. however this does not really address the problem and you end up having to spend more money for the same results. thats why all the dual row carriers only have a 1 year warrenty. the average price is around 165.00
next came tappered needle bearing carriers. tappered needle bearings can handle the side to side stress loads. however they are a larger bearing and require more room in the carrier. since Honda carriers are a ecentric cam style (the carrier is round but the bearings are set offset so when you rotate the carrier thier location inside the swingarm moves this is done for chain adjustment. ) depending how the tappered carrier is made you can lose some chain adjustment. (ask the manufacturer if chain adjustment will be lost. i know RAD carrriers don't lose any adjustment.) however considering they will last a lot longer if you get the right one they are well worth it. the average price is around 225.00
a good example is this...
most two wheel drive cars use ball bearings inside the rear axels while using tappered needle bearings in the front wheels that turn. when you pitch your trike sideways stress is transmitted to the rear end just as in the front of a car. most tappered carriers use the exact same bearings as some cars. if those bearings can handle a 3000lb car a 300lb trike is no problem.
other benefits to tappered bearings...
as they wear you can tighten up your axel nut to take up the slack. whereas once ball bearings start to wear forget it there is no help for them.
to grease or lube roller bearings you have to remove the seals.
tappered needle bearings do not require seals other then the outer seals so greasing them is easier (with or without grease fittings)
if you've ever had to replace ball bearings you know what a pain in the arse they are. dual row are even worse
tappered are so easy they just "fall" out.
tappered needle bearings do not require the heavy "tube" the ball bearings have to use to prevent from crusing in the center race from tightening the axel nut. (50% of ball bearing failure is due to over tightening the axel nut)
so the next time you replace a bearing carrier and or bearings weigh your options and the pro's (better product) vs. the cons (more expensive.)