Bearing source

[jrnolan]

What is the best source to buy bearings for my '96 KDX, I need swingarm and links, all of them. Thank you for the help.

JR

 

[tommie d]

Your local bearing supplier is the first place I would start.

 

[pickelj]

In larger towns, you have industrial supply stores, such as Motion Industries or Bearings & Drives. They'll want to know I.D./O.D./and thickness measurements. Course the standard stuff like sealed or open, roller or needle, etc.. The upside is, you'll save a bunch, and you can always bring the old one in, they'll measure it up for ya!!!

 

[mideastrider]

Theres the kits you can buy from most cycle stores or online such as pivotworks, moose, allballs. These kits include bearings, bushings and seals. McMaster Carr is a good place to buy single bearings of any type if you can provide the number or size. (ID OD width). The problem with buying the needle bearings for the suspension from a bearing supply house is your not going to get the metal bushing. If your bearings are trashed the bushings need replaced also. Sometimes its best just to bite the bullet and go oem or aftermarket kit.

 

[julien_d]

Agree with mideastrider, for swingarm/shock bushings and bearings you're better off just buying the kit.

 

[jrnolan]

The kit is the answer I think, I am in the middle of West by God Virginia. Any preference of source or brand? Thank you very much. Reading this forum has been a huge help to me. The home made bearing press according to the directions found in a related thread worked great.

JR

 

[reepicheep]

I just bought a kit from Rocky Mountain. Or maybe Dennis Kirk, I forget. Be careful, the kit descriptions were misleading, and the first I got was incomplete. So if you find one $20 cheaper, it's not $20 cheaper, it's just missing a $20 set of bearings....

 

[tommie d]

Theres the kits you can buy from most cycle stores or online such as pivotworks, moose, allballs. These kits include bearings, bushings and seals. McMaster Carr is a good place to buy single bearings of any type if you can provide the number or size. (ID OD width). The problem with buying the needle bearings for the suspension from a bearing supply house is your not going to get the metal bushing. If your bearings are trashed the bushings need replaced also. Sometimes its best just to bite the bullet and go oem or aftermarket kit.

I tend to stay away from these kit's as the bearings are just ok quality but sorced are from foregin countries. They also cost more then just walking in to your local bearing supply house and buying HI Quality bearings.
just sayin

 

[domino dave]

Used these guys twice for kits ... no problems ... http://www.pivotworks.com/ ... Dave

 

[domino dave]

Oh yea , I freeze my bearings before I press them back in . Supposed to make them go in a little easier ??

 

[mudpack]

Mideastrider has given you the best advice so far.
If you think the vast majority of the bearings you buy from your local bearing supply house aren't "sourced from foreign countries", you have a wake-up call a'coming.

 

[reepicheep]

I rebuilt a 95 KDX soup to nuts, and used a local bearing store (a pretty good one) every time I needed a bearing...

In general, the local bearing shop was 1/2 to 1/4 the price of the Kawasaki price.

Maybe 15% of the time, the local bearing shop simply did not have the bearing I needed.

Maybe 5% of the time, the local bearing shop quoted a price 2x to 3x the Kawasaki price.

The "aftermarket kits" for suspension rebuilds (pivot works, all balls) were maybe 10% higher then the bearing house prices.

The local bearing houses didn't have all the spacers, pins, etc, that you sometimes need to replace along with the bearings.

So for me, if it's just a single bearing, I look up the Kawasaki price first, then run to the bearing shop, and generally buy it there.

If it is a total rebuild (i.e. linkage), I just go to the big mail order houses and order the "rebuild kit". Same for rebuilding the forks or rear shock. It's nice knowing I get all the right parts all at once in the bag, and that I can get them before I take anything apart.

If that fails, I order the Kawasaki parts.

YMMV. :)