Motorcycle wheel bearings, as most, require a slight preload so that more than one ball under the cone (inner race) will support its load. With proper preload, slight drag should be perceptible. Preload drag is small compared to drag caused by wheel loads, neither of which are significant regardless of adjustment. In contrast bearing life is affected by proper adjustment. Adjusting ball bearings to spin freely unloaded does not reduce operating friction because a bearing with proper preload has lower drag when loaded than one with clearance. For high quality bearings, preload should be just enough to cause light drag when rotating the axle between thumb and forefinger. Low grade bearings will feel slightly lumpy with proper preload.

This is later. "Motorcycle wheel bearings" come nicely snug into crowns these days, but sometimes you still find some that are just put loose in the wheel hub. To avoid all of them crashing to the ground with the possibility of vanishing for ever, grab the axle on the side that is still locked in place and point the end that you've just loosened,up. Now it is time to unscrew the locking nut almost completely off the axle. Next, unscrew the bearing cone to expose the wheel bearings to the light of day. Any grease in there? You'd be surprised on how often I open up brand new bikes and find almost nothing.

Motorcycle wheel bearings support the wheel hubs on the axles. Bearings require a certain amount of pressure, otherwise referred to as preload. The specific amount of preload determines the number of bearings that support the wheel hubs at any given time. Cone flats thread onto the axles and press bearing cones against the bearings. Adjusting bearing cone preload prolongs the life of the bearings. With proper preload, light drag should be noticed when spinning the wheels.Wheels with quick-release levers present a challenge. Closing the lever alters the preload. Adjusting fag bearings on wheels that have quick-release levers may take several attempts.

Motorcycle wheel bearings should last for years and provide you with thousands of miles of travel---but they won't last forever. In some cases they even fail completely if they haven't been maintained correctly. Part of a maintenance schedule should include replacement of wheel bearings before they fail. The procedure isn't that difficult if you have about an hour and a few small tools. Front and back wheels are similar in procedure to change bearings and only require slightly different tooling.

Take the wheels off the bicycle beef before greasing the motorcycle wheel bearings.A mixture of 50 percent white teflon bicycle grease and 50 percent green axle grease works well on  motorcycle wheel bearings.Don't make the bearing cone too tight when screwing it back into place. Bicycle motorcycle wheel timken bearings shouldn't have any play in them and need to roll smoothly.