aftermarket japanese bearings???

[thestuz]

hey all, im doing a rebuild of my cr500 engine.

there is a good deal on engine bearings on ebay. they are apparently made in japan (which usually means they are as good quality as oem).

i asked the seller and this is what he said "Hi, I sell Boss Bearing brand and we import from China, Romania and Japan. All our engine kits feature Japanese-made bearings."

what do you guys think, are these bearings worthy?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bottom-End-Engine-Bearings-Seals-Honda-CR500R-1988-2001-/370537457613?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item5645c0e7cd

Edited November 5, 2011 by thestuz

[KTM-548cc]

$150 seems alot for unknown junk. probly do a rebuild with genuine skf or koyo for the same price

[thestuz]

if they were japanese made, i thought they might be ok...

[adam728]

Even if they are Chinese made they might be just fine, contrary to popular "facts".

That does seem a bit steep for bearings with an unknown manufacturer. What's it cost to ala-cart everything together OEM? Last time I did my YZ it seems like every bearing and seal in the bottom end, minus mains, was around $100 from Yamaha.

[gravelfreak]

Why don't they tell what brand they are? For 150$ you could almost get skf (made in romania mostly I think) or something (considering they are just normal ball bearing, rollers would be much more).

Besides there are so many different tolerances between the same bearing size just "made in japan" doesn't meant they are even close to anything that can be used in an engine. Though they most likely are because they are sold as "engine kit".

[DHS_sponsored]

But once and buy genuine. I work for a bearing distributorship here in the UK, yet I buy mostly OEM bearings at stupid prices!!!

By buying genuine you know you are getting the correct clearance, and cage materials. Some bikes, ie, KTM, use some pressed steel cage bearings, and some fibre cage in the box.

If they can assure you they are Koyo, NTN, Nachi or similar genuine Japanese brands then maybe go for it, failing that if they are FAG or SKF they will be good too.

There is however a HUGE counterfeit market, the Chinese are making bearings, stamping FAG, SKF etc on them, replicating the boxes and packaging also.

[grayracer513]

The Chinese are in fact notorious counterfeiters, true. But where there is a direct cross reference to a standard cartridge ball bearing, one can usually get a higher than production OEM quality bearing from any one of a number of Japanese or European manufacturers, if he thinks it's necessary. You can certainly get the same quality for a lower price, IF it's a standard bearing.

My first experience with that was 'way back when I rebuilt my '72 CZ. The bike had 3 main bearings, and the dealer OEM price was pretty outrageous. I bought high quality replacements from a local supply house for 25 cents on the dollar and never had a problem.

There are cases, however, particularly with the Japanese, where the OEM bearings are in some way unique, and available only through the manufacturer. YZF main bearings and the balancer shaft bearings for the '06 YZ450 come to mind immediately, but I'm sure there are other examples. If the number on the bearing is non-standard and can't be directly crossed, you are better off to stop looking and just buy the good OEM stuff.

[timbuckets]

But once and buy genuine

Do yourself a favor and buy good bearings from a reputable shop, especially if you are keeping the bike for a while.

I just did all the bearings and seals in my TT600. Bought only premium SKF, NTN and F. A. G. 's (C3 & C4 class) with genuine Yamaha seals. I think the total was ~$250 Canadian. IF your buying individuals bearings go C4 for the crank - its worth the extra money.

[thestuz]

i just had a return email and apparently the bearings are "c3" rated nachi or koyo.

im not sure how well that stands against oem?

[grayracer513]

If that's true, they should be OK. Still seems like a lot, and I see at least two that you probably don't need (the shift cam bearings should last virtually forever, really), but at least it sounds like they are good quality.

[thestuz]

If that's true, they should be OK. Still seems like a lot, and I see at least two that you probably don't need (the shift cam bearings should last virtually forever, really), but at least it sounds like they are good quality.

well "apparently" wiseco, all balls get there engine bearings from the same factories that produce the oem stuff.

im not sure how true this is but it could be on the money.

i hope it is true because it makes bearing kits much more accessible.

[KTM-548cc]

still it seems suspect that ebay seller makes no mention in the ad what so ever of the manufacturer of the bearings.

[KTM-548cc]

If they can assure you they are Koyo, NTN, Nachi or similar genuine Japanese brands then maybe go for it, failing that if they are FAG or SKF they will be good too..

im certain the skf from europe are every bit as good as anything else out there

[DHS_sponsored]

im certain the skf from europe are every bit as good as anything else out there

Yer for sure, just the ebay seller was saying he did Japanese bearings, the European stuff is just as good. We sell far more SKF and FAG bearings than Jap stuff at our bearing shop in the UK.

[thestuz]

does anyone know what grade oem are, c3 or c4?

[Chuck.]

The bearing grades are radial clearance from C1 to C5, the C3-C4 are used where there are wide temperature variations during operation, I think either would work.

I checked TT parts and the CR500 main bearings are $29 each.

The shaft seals are 38x58 which doesn't match standard metric bearing sizes so the bearings may be unique Honda (not unusual). At those sizes popular standard metric bearings have bore IDs in 5mm increments.

[mynewcr250]

well "apparently" wiseco, all balls get there engine bearings from the same factories that produce the oem stuff.

im not sure how true this is but it could be on the money.

i hope it is true because it makes bearing kits much more accessible.

yes, last wiseco sets ive used were Koyo branded, made in japan, and are the OEM bearing mfg.

what i find funny though, is when i did my linkage recently, i wanted to use OEM seals because they would be made in japan. unfortunately when i got the honda packaged seals they say made in china right on the packaging

[thestuz]

yes, last wiseco sets ive used were Koyo branded, made in japan, and are the OEM bearing mfg.

what i find funny though, is when i did my linkage recently, i wanted to use OEM seals because they would be made in japan. unfortunately when i got the honda packaged seals they say made in china right on the packaging

yeah, it gets me thinking oem aint what it used to be lol.

[grayracer513]

The shaft seals are 38x58 which doesn't match standard metric bearing sizes

It's also not unusual for the seal pocket to be larger than the bearing bore, and for the seal to run on a smaller diameter shaft section than the bearing does.

[Chuck.]

Didn't know if that was the case on the CR500 engine. Here is a link to standard metric bearing sizes:

Popular_Metric_Bearings.htm