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Common Motorcycle Front Wheel Bearing Failure Symptoms – How To Diagnose

Front wheel bearings are an essential part of your motorcycle but they can be a source of trouble.

The front wheel bearings on most motorcycles wear out and need to be replaced at around 50,000 miles – depending on your riding style and motorcycle type.

Luckily, front wheel bearings fail gradually and give the rider plenty of warning signs before they fail completely.

In this article, we’ll give you the low-down on the most common motorcycle front wheel bearing failure symptoms, and hopefully help you catch the failing bearings early!

Why Do Motorcycle Front Wheel Bearings Fail?

Before we go any further, it’s very important to understand what causes front wheel bearing failures on motorcycles, what damages them, and how to prevent early failure.

Impact Damage

Let’s be honest here – we all love doing wheelies. And while we do wheelies to forget out feelies, we often forget that they’re actually pretty hard on the front wheel bearings.

motorcycle wheelie

Every time you pull a wheelie and set the front down, a force equivalent to or greater than the entire weight of your motorcycle comes crashing down on the front wheel, and all that force is transferred to the front wheel bearings.

Over time, this impact damage will cause the bearings to fail prematurely.

Obviously, if done properly, wheelies can be done gently and smoothly, but even then, wheelies subject the front wheel bearings to a lot of force. If you want to maximize the lifetime of your front wheel bearings, avoid wheelies as much as possible.

Apart from wheelies, large potholes are another common cause of impact damage to front wheel bearings.

So, if you live in an area with a lot of potholes, take extra care when riding over them. We recommend accelerating through potholes if avoiding them is impossible, in order to raise the front wheel.

Water, Dust & Mud

Motorcycle front wheel bearings are sealed to keep water, dust, and mud out.

These seals are designed to be tough, but they’re not impervious. Over time, they will develop leaks, allowing water, dust, and mud to enter the bearing.

Once these contaminants enter the bearing, they start to cause damage. The water will rust the bearings and mix with the grease, the dust will act like sandpaper, and the mud will clog up the bearing and prevent it from spinning freely.

motorcycle riding in dirt

All of this damage will eventually lead to bearing failure.

The best way to prevent water, dust, and mud from damaging your front wheel bearings is to keep them clean and dry. If possible, try to avoid riding over dusty trails and through muddy puddles.

Damage During Installation

We see this happen a lot – people buy new front wheel bearings and then damage them during installation.

Motorcycle front wheel bearings must be pressed in by their outer edge, otherwise, you will seriously damage them.

If you damage the bearing during installation, it will likely fail prematurely, therefore it’s extremely important to do the job properly.

Defective Front Wheel Bearings

Pretty uncommon, but it does happen from time to time, especially with cheap bearings.

This is why we always recommend buying bearings from a reputable brand.

If you do end up with a defective bearing, the best thing to do is to take it back and get a replacement.

The 3 Most Common Motorcycle Front Wheel Bearing Failure Symptoms

Now that you know what causes motorcycle front wheel bearings to fail, let’s take a look at the most common failure symptoms.

1. Humming Noise Coming From the Front Wheel

Definitely one of the most obvious and noticeable symptoms of a failing front wheel bearing.

If you hear a humming noise coming from the front wheel while riding and the noise does not change with the road surface, then it’s very likely that the bearings are starting to fail.

The noise is caused by the damaged bearings, which are not spinning as smoothly as they should.

Also, make sure to check your tire pressure, as it also can cause a humming noise.

2. Excessive Play in the Front Wheel

If your motorcycle has a center stand, then you can easily check for excessive play in the front wheel by lifting the motorcycle up and grabbing the front tire at 3 and 9 o’clock.

The wheel should have no side-to-side play at all, if there is play, then it’s almost certain that the bearings are starting to fail.

Another way to check for excessive play is by riding. You can actually feel it when the front wheel bearing is worn on some motorcycles. You can often feel the vibration through the handlebars, and sometimes the steering feels jump or just off.

3. Heat Around The Bearing

One of the easiest ways to tell whether a bearing is failing is simply by feeling the front wheel for heat after riding.

Since the heat from the front brake discs barely transfers to the front wheel, if the wheel is hot to the touch, then it’s most likely because of a failing bearing.

You can also compare the temperature of the front wheel with the rear wheel, and if the front wheel is significantly hotter, then that’s another sign that the bearings are on their way out.

motorcycle front wheel

If you’re feeling the front wheel and it’s not hot, but you’re still hearing a humming noise, then it’s possible that the bearings are starting to fail but haven’t reached the point where they’re generating enough heat to be noticeable.

In this case, it’s best to just replace the bearings before they cause any further damage.

How to Diagnose a Bad Motorcycle Front Wheel Bearing

The best way to diagnose a bad motorcycle front wheel bearing is by checking for the symptoms we listed above.

First of all, make sure that the tire pressure is correct before doing anything.

1. Check the Wheel Play

The first place to start is to check the front wheel play. If there is excessive play, then it’s almost certain that the bearings are starting to fail.

You can check the front wheel play by putting the motorcycle on a center stand, grabbing the wheel by the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, and trying to wiggle it from side to side. If there is any play, then the bearings need to be replaced.

2. Check for Heat Around the Bearing

Another way to tell if the front wheel bearings are bad is by checking for heat around the bearing.

After riding, touch the front wheel to see if it’s significantly hotter than the rear wheel. If it is, then it’s most likely because of a failing bearing.

3. Check for a Humming Noise

If you hear a humming or howling noise while riding, try to pull the clutch in and listen if the sound disappears. By doing this, we eliminate the possibility of the engine and the transmission causing the sound.

Try to do this on various road surfaces. A worn front wheel bearing will be audible even on gravel.

If the sound is still there, then it likely means that the bearings might be starting to fail.

Is It Dangerous to Ride With a Bad Front Wheel Bearing?

Riding with a failing front wheel bearing is most often not dangerous, but it’s certainly something that we advise against.

The reason for this is that a failing bearing can eventually lead to the wheel seizing up in rare cases, which can cause you to lose control of the motorcycle.

It’s much better to just replace the bearings before they cause any further damage.

What Is the Average Motorcycle Wheel Bearing Replacement Cost?

Replacing the front wheel bearings on a motorcycle is a very easy job to do and it requires only a few basic tools that you most likely already have in your garage.

However, if you plan on taking your motorcycle to a mechanic, then the average motorcycle wheel bearing replacement cost will be between $120 and $160.

This price includes both the labor and the parts, but it doesn’t include any other potential fees that the mechanic might charge.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we went over some of the most common motorcycle front wheel bearing failure symptoms.

If you notice any of these symptoms, then it’s important to replace the bearings as soon as possible.

Riding with a failing bearing is definitely not something that you’d want to do, as in some rare cases, the wheel can seize up, which can lead to losing control of the motorcycle.

If you plan on replacing the bearings yourself, then it’s a very easy job to do and it requires only a few basic tools.

However, if you plan on taking your motorcycle to a mechanic, then the average motorcycle wheel bearing replacement cost will be between $120 and $160.

We hope that this article was helpful and that you now know more about motorcycle front wheel bearing failure symptoms.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them down below. As always, ride safe!

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