How long do rear wheel bearings last?

If you are sensible with your pressure washing and don't ride in overly aggressive and nasty conditions then they can last a very long time. But they wont last forever.

The best way to test for wear and function is just to stick a finger in the bearing when the wheels out and slowly rotate. If its quiet and completely smooth to turn then you're good to go. But if they sound dry or notch at all during the rotation then its time to swap them out

It really depends on the conditions.  Lots of mud and/or sand will kill them faster.  Bad pressure washing can also really hurt them.  I always put it on a stand and rock the wheel side to side, if there is play I replace them. 

You can look up the sizes, buy cheapo bearings on eBay and then just replace them faster.  I kinda like changing them more with a slightly-less good bearing. They really don't take long to replace and when you do just carefully tap them in and use plenty of good waterproof grease. 

The original ones that came in my Talon hubs lasted about two years/60-70 hours. They went out and I used a set of All balls in a pinch that were literally toast after a 2 hour harescramble. Took my originals to a local bearing house, old school guy runs the place and brought out three bearings and said I can sell you a $6 bearing, a $30 bearing, or a $60 bearing and they’ll all last the same amount of time if you’re not shielding it with a quality seal. Then he brought out a few different seals and showed me the difference in construction and quality of materials used. Went with the $6 bearings and the more expensive seals ($8-10 a piece maybe?) and haven’t touched them since. Been 5 years and 100+ hours and they still spin like new. 

Loaded question, lots of variables… I had to replace a set of oem honda rear wheel bearings once due to the previous owner felt he needed to tighten down the rear axle nut like it was on a  Mack truck…squished the distance tube & put too much pressure on the bearings….as others have stated, the pressure washer can do more damage than good when it comes to bearings….

Very good point, you gotta watch the torque spec on the axles, people tighten them down waaaay too far.

It’s super easy to replace the bearings on these bikes.  I would say that a wheel bearing should last 130 hours.  I think that’s a good number

I don’t believe you can overstate the issue Sandman and Cody observed. Every used bike I have restored has had this issue. That tube when compressed against both inner races dramatically affects those bearings in movement.

Anyone know how to change the rear bearing on a Faster USA Ktm hub?

What’s different about it?

2 bearings on drive side.  Stock is only 1.

On the stock Ktm….you can push the center spacer aside and hit the edge of the bearing to pop it out.  On the faster USA hub…..the spacer doesn’t move

Give Collin a call at Faster and he'll give you the straight info on how to deal with it.  Ideally you'd use a slide hammer bearing puller but he might be able to tell you some alternatives.

Heat and slide hammer sounds like the procedure, but call Faster anyway. They’re great and may have a secret method. 

I just replaced a set in my FasterUSA wheel last week, and that's exactly the process I used.  I'm guessing the tube is 'squished' a bit too much and it's difficult for you to push the spacer aside - a bit more elbow grease is what I'd suggest and replace the tube afterwards.  Alternatively, a blind bearing puller like this may help:

 

The bearings in my '06 YZ250 lasted from the day I bought the machine new until I sold it a month or 2 ago. So, that's 19 years and probably 1,000 hours. 

I pulled the dust seals off and added grease a few times, but that's it. Never point the power washer at the hub; only the tire/rim. I get in between the spokes with a sponge instead. 

Hey man……thanks guys!  Good info