Wheel & Swingarm Bearing Maintenance

Everyone knows a notchy wheel means the bearings are on their way out. Fewer people realise the way they wash the bike is often what put them on that path in the first place.

How to check for play

• Wheels: with the wheel off the ground, grab it at the top and bottom and rock it side to side. Any noticeable play (not just tyre squish) points to worn wheel bearings.
• Swingarm: grab the rear of the swingarm and try to move it side to side while the shock is disconnected or the bike is supported — play here points to worn swingarm or linkage bearings.
• Steering head: with the front wheel off the ground, tap the forks — any clunk, or notchy resistance when turning the bars lock to lock, points to a worn steering head bearing.

Why water is the real enemy, not mileage

Bearing seals are built to keep grease in and dust out under normal riding — they're not built to withstand a direct high-pressure jet from a pressure washer. Force water past the seal and it displaces the grease, and standing water inside a bearing rusts the races from the inside within days, not months. That fine rust pitting is exactly what produces the notchy, gritty feeling you eventually notice — so a bike that's ridden hard but kept dry often outlasts a lightly-ridden bike that gets blasted clean with a pressure washer after every wash. If you do use one, keep it well back from wheel hubs, the swingarm pivot and the steering head, and re-grease anything you're not sure about afterward.

How often to check

There's no universal hour interval that fits every bike here — bearing life depends heavily on how wet, muddy or sandy your riding is, since contamination is what kills bearings faster than raw mileage. As a general habit:

• Quick play-check every few rides, more often after wet or muddy conditions.
• A proper inspection (removing the wheel, spinning the bearing by hand to feel for notchiness) once or twice a season for most riders.

Why it's worth catching early

A worn wheel or swingarm bearing left too long doesn't just get worse — it starts wearing the surrounding part it sits in (the hub or the swingarm/frame bore), turning a cheap bearing swap into a much more expensive repair.

The mistake that kills a brand-new bearing on install

Pressing a new bearing in by pushing on the wrong race transfers all that force through the balls and races instead of straight through the outer shell — it can leave microscopic dents (brinelling) that cause the exact same notchy feeling within a few rides, on a bearing that was never actually worn. Always press evenly on the outer race when seating a bearing into a hub, and on the inner race only when pressing it onto a shaft — never load the balls to drive it in.