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Question Rear wheel bearing (disc side) went bad at 54,000 mi. Going to replace all 3 bearings though, should I only buy bearings from Honda?

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I can order the bearings and bearing seals from Partzilla but it's going to take a while according to the shipping. I was thinking about maybe taking them to a local bearing place and seeing if they stock the same size bearing, though I don't know if this is advisable or not since the brand is unknown. I'm told that it's best to replace all 3 bearings when doing the rear wheel (drive side, disc side, and one more in the hub). But I also heard the bearing in the hub is a rare/odd size and that buying the Honda OEM part is pretty much my only option. Has anyone dealt with this dilemma?
 
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Pretty sure a decent bearing place will match it. Honda don't make bearings so buying them from a known manufacturer is not a problem. I bought some secondhand wheels and threw in SKF bearings (6204). I didn't need to change the sprocket carrier bearing however.
 
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Pretty sure a decent bearing place will match it. Honda don't make bearings so buying them from a known manufacturer is not a problem. I bought some secondhand wheels and threw in SKF bearings (6204). I didn't need to change the sprocket carrier bearing however.
The 6204s are pretty common and I can find those being sold, but the sprocket carrier bearing is the one I'm told is a bit of an odd size. The parts diagram says it's 22x50x15 and it has to be able to fit the metal spacer tube thing. My current bearing seems to be in good condition but I'm trying to replace all 3 at the same time since one failed.
 
I have two Honda OEM 6204 bearings sitting around that I did not end up needing, plus the dust seals. I can ship them to you USPS at cost if you are interested.

OIL SEAL (28X47.2X7). 91252-MC4-0132$6.26$12.52

BEARING, RADIAL BALL (6204) 91053-MGS-D312$9.18$18.36
 
If you know the sprocket carrier bearing is bad then fair enough, however over here in Europe wher the weather is rubbish (mostly) it is the wheel bearings that fail. The sprocket carrier bearing is better protected and seems to last much longer.
 
I just ordered a set of rear bearings from Bike Bandit. They had everything except a dust cover available. You may try there

If you're careful removing the old dust cover you can reuse it
 
Thanks for the responses. I think for now I'll just change out the wheel bearings and seal since they're easy to find. Later down the line I'll change the sprocket carrier bearing since my current one is working fine
 
To answer your OP, I’d be perfectly content to buy bearings from a local bearing house, so long as I knew the spec. There’s more to bearings than simply race diameters and widths. If the factory ones have the complete numbers on them still, you’re probably fine. A _good_ bearing house may be able to make some recommendations based on application.

OTOH, a pair of bearings and seals from halfSpinDoctor looks like a good value from where I sit.
 
When this has come up prior on the forum the bearing in the sprocket hub ref #20 in the diagram is proprietary* ( special size) and was not available at bearing supply houses. Note the ref # 20 does not have a bearing number just the size in mm.

* special does not mean Honda made the bearing it means it was a special size ( aka not normal size) Not a common bearing 22x50x15. When you Google that size it shows the Honda part. If you Google 6204 or another common bearing # you get the bearing supply houses and even Amazon parts.

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As another side note the parts diagram calls out an angular bearing sprocket hub vs radial bearing on wheel hub.
There is difference in the bearing and suspect that is part of the special size. Obviously the NC all bearing see the same RPM but likely different loads.

Link to the difference on bearing web site:

585739E7-A6A5-418F-A55C-BF6801636589.png
 
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That reminds me of a ‘special’ bearing in the rear wheel or hub assembly on Honda’s VTX1800. They quit offering the bearing as an individual item and for quite q while now will only sell the entire assembly. Dedicated people can often replace with alternatives, but not necessarily cost-effectively.
 
Just an update on this. I went with All Balls (25-1379) bearings from ebay. It came with two bearings and two dust seals, however the dust seal was the wrong size by a few MMs. The opening where you put the wheel spacer was tight and wouldn't allow the spacer to spin freely unless you force it. So to be on the safe side I just reused the OEM dust seal. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch or if the seals are normally that size.
 
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