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OEM or third party bearings?

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victorn

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May 1, 2013
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so the time has come when both jackshaft and drive shaft bearings (clutch side) have failed on me and i am in front of dilemma, should i go with OEM or third party brand for replacement bearings.
given the fact that i had to pull chaincase apart and i would not like to do it again in very immediate future i'd like an educated opinion to which bearings should i be purchasing.
i am a type of person who believes in "you get what you pay for" however i don't like being hosed - so please share your opinion :)
 

People complain about all balls kits but I have had good luck with them. Most of the chain case bearings are pilot bearings for transport clutches on an rx. You also can take it apart and go to a bearing supply store and buy the bearings.
 
I would not use All Balls in anything even if they were given to me for free. 3000 miles ago before the season I changed out all of my chaincase bearings "just because"...I'm anal about having my sled run and not break down during the season. I do lots of offseason PM.

Well money was a bit tight at the time so I decided to cut a few corners. One of them using a All Balls kit to replace the drive and jackshaft bearings on both sides. I researched the hell out of the subject and saw all the negative reports. I said "what the heck I'll give them a try".

Well right after Xmas this year it cost me valuable riding time with my son who was home on leave. BOTH chaincase side jackshaft bearings had failed and wore out the seal. The chaincase was puking gearlube to the tune of 8 oz every 6 hours. When I took the c/case apart, the lower drive bearing was not in good shape either.

So I picked up new Yamaha branded (Toyo) bearings at my local dealer and had Port Yamaha next day air me (thanks PY!!!) the only c/case drive bearing that was available in the REGION!

Toyo bearings are high end bearings made in Japan. You can buy SKF or other high end bearings from a local bearing shop but expect to pay the same or even higher prices than the Toyo's.

Trying to save a few bucks cost me valuable riding time with my son who I get to see very little of. All Balls or any other cheap bearing for the jack or drive shafts = NEVER AGAIN!

Blast away!

p.s. I for one don't think you should have to change bearings every 4-5000km (3000 miles?).....if I did I'd be changing them every year!...no thanks!
 
Funny thing, when I bought a driveshaft speedo side bearing from Yamaha, it was an NTN with a Yamaha label on the box, and paid the price (~$45). Got me some NTN spares, ordered through Kimpex, and they were exactly the same but less than half the price. The only one I would buy from Yamaha is the chaincase one as there may be something with the seals on those.
 
Mooseman said:
Funny thing, when I bought a driveshaft speedo side bearing from Yamaha, it was an NTN with a Yamaha label on the box, and paid the price (~$45). Got me some NTN spares, ordered through Kimpex, and they were exactly the same but less than half the price. The only one I would buy from Yamaha is the chaincase one as there may be something with the seals on those.
Click to expand...

Something about Yamaha Canada maybe? The 2X I have changed bearings I have opened the Yamaha boxes and saw that they were Toyo's.
 
victorn said:
interesting, also, is it normal practice to change bearings on both sides? thanks !
Click to expand...

I do all 5 at the same time. Wonder what others do?
 
bearing BRAND means almost nothing. The exact same factory can turn out 10 different ranges of bearing quality, all with the same name on them. So just because yamaha spec'ed mfg X to supply a bearing doesn't mean every other bearing from the mfg is going to be the same quality.

(in other words, I've had NTN bearings last nearly forever, and others go way before their time.)
 
just replaced my driveshaft bearing $32.00 at the yamaha dealer
ordered 2 more online $6 each $16 with shipping (Timken yae25rr)
 
I guess it's the supplier of the day. Who knows tomorrow?
 
4strokeluvr111 said:
victorn said:
interesting, also, is it normal practice to change bearings on both sides? thanks !
Click to expand...

I do all 5 at the same time. Wonder what others do?
Click to expand...
Never had to replace any chain case bearings on any sled in fortyyears of riding, they are in gear lube and always have lube in them. Passenger cars and trucks have differental bearings that last hundereds of thousands of miles on them without going bad, AS LONG AS THERE IS SUFFICENT LUBE IN THE DIFFERENTAL, when a seal leaks and fluid level goes down then the bearing fails. Now the sealed bearings if seasonaly you remove seal and use a grease needle and pack sealed bearings, they will also last a looong time. IMHO I have not replaced a bearing in at least five years on my sleds, other then skid frame wheels of course.
:4STroke: :yam: :rocks: :sled1:
 
Don't be afraid to buy third party bearings. Just do your research first to get the right ones and give them a proper inspection and attention every year. Yamaha sources their bearings also, they just charge alot and tell you lies to keep their hand in your pocket. Oil filled bearings run smoother with less friction and than any greased bearing.
 
I bought the kit from Royal that has all the seals and Allballs bearings and no issues 2 or 3 years later.
 
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