Front bearing issue

[Romeo]

I recently had an “almost new” front bearing go bad on me. What we found when we pulled the wheel was two things. First of all,  the wheel wasn’t spinning freely once we removed the brakes.
Once we removed the bearings and replaced with new, we found the spacer inside the wheel was not reaching both bearings. They both appeared to be installed properly. Probably a little shy of 1/16” of end play. We surmised that is what caused the Bering fail, as well as why the wheel wouldn’t spin free.
Are we correct in assuming that the spacer should fit snugly between both bearings?
What we also found, is one bearing basically drops into its seat, almost no pressure to install it. How could that happen, unless the bearings were undersized? We had to drive the other bearing out, and it was on the other side from the one that failed. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Daniel Meyer]

Yes, the spacer should fit snugly. Could be the wrong spacer or damaged from a previous bearing failure, or both bearings weren't fully seated.

Bearings should need pressure to fit in the wheel (not drop in). Wheel could be damaged from previous bearing failure or you could have the incorrect bearings.

[Romeo]

Yes, the spacer should fit snugly. Could be the wrong spacer or damaged from a previous bearing failure, or both bearings weren't fully seated.

Bearings should need pressure to fit in the wheel (not drop in). Wheel could be damaged from previous bearing failure or you could have the incorrect bearings.

is the rear spacer shorter than the front one? Could I have gotten them switched up? I had both wheels powder coated recently. Allbearings and spacers were out at the time.

[Daniel Meyer]

Yes, the spacer should fit snugly. Could be the wrong spacer or damaged from a previous bearing failure, or both bearings weren't fully seated.

Bearings should need pressure to fit in the wheel (not drop in). Wheel could be damaged from previous bearing failure or you could have the incorrect bearings.

is the rear spacer shorter than the front one? Could I have gotten them switched up? I had both wheels powder coated recently. Allbearings and spacers were out at the time.

They ARE different...I don't recall which is shorter though...

[Romeo]

Yes, the spacer should fit snugly. Could be the wrong spacer or damaged from a previous bearing failure, or both bearings weren't fully seated.

Bearings should need pressure to fit in the wheel (not drop in). Wheel could be damaged from previous bearing failure or you could have the incorrect bearings.

is the rear spacer shorter than the front one? Could I have gotten them switched up? I had both wheels powder coated recently. Allbearings and spacers were out at the time.

They ARE different...I don't recall which is shorter though...

uhoh

[The emperor has no clothes]

Yes, the spacer should fit snugly. Could be the wrong spacer or damaged from a previous bearing failure, or both bearings weren't fully seated.

Bearings should need pressure to fit in the wheel (not drop in). Wheel could be damaged from previous bearing failure or you could have the incorrect bearings.

is the rear spacer shorter than the front one? Could I have gotten them switched up? I had both wheels powder coated recently. Allbearings and spacers were out at the time.

They ARE different...I don't recall which is shorter though...

uhoh

If the front spacer is longer than the rear and you accidentally switched them, wouldn't the rear not be able to install the bearings or install the wheel ? There is no powder coat in the bearing surfaces ?

[Tfrank59]

yeah, so depending on whether the front bearings were fully seated, the rear spacer is likely shorter (murphy's law, you mixed them up), so on the rear bearings they're likely not fully seated in the hub.  Not a good thing, but not as bad as having a spacer that's too short, causing excessive side pre-load on the bearings resulting in a failure.

[Pete]

The loose bearing may have seized in the wheel and spun the outer race, enlarging the outer bearing seat.

[Skinhead]

The bearings never seized or spun in the wheel, at least not after powder coating the wheel.  Romeo would have to sound off as to whether the bearing dropped in after powder coating.

[indybobm]

By chance, is your front wheel a 1997 wheel with the smaller bearings? The 97 bearings are a little thinner and requires an inner spacer that is a little longer. If so, maybe your inner spacer is from  98 and later. I think BonS posted about this years ago. '97 front wheels have a '1J' on the bearing hub. '98 and later have a '2J'.

[Romeo]

Thanks for the input, folks. First thing, the wheel is from an 01 Interstate. There is no powdercoating in the bearing cups.per the parts fence, the front spacer should measure 119 mm. The spacer in the wheel measures 118. The parts fence does not denote the length of the rear spacer. It would’ve been very easy for me to get them swapped when I had the wheels powdercoated. I have no recollection of the bearing just dropping in after I received the wheels back from the powedercoating facility. I will check the wheel for the 1J/2J designation.

[Romeo]

yeah, so depending on whether the front bearings were fully seated, the rear spacer is likely shorter (murphy's law, you mixed them up), so on the rear bearings they're likely not fully seated in the hub.  Not a good thing, but not as bad as having a spacer that's too short, causing excessive side pre-load on the bearings resulting in a failure.

this, seems to me like the most likely scenario. That , and the fact the bike is just mad at me for buying an Interstate to replace her. We are dealing with females here, right?

[indybobm]

Since your front wheel is off of a 2001 IS, then it is a different issue than I brought up.
But, the information in BonS's post is good to keep in mind.
Here is the post from BonS back in 2015:

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,78976.0.html