[pauloh]

I have been wondering about this also (bearings, amount of wear). I was told (and the original tires confirmed) that my 2004 TM (bought last fall) sat in a yard more than it rolled down the highway. I believe I've read this can be hard on bearings, to just sit there under weight.

Today I finally got my new tires (Maxxis) put on the rims at a local shop, then mounted them myself onto the TM. First time I've had the wheels off the TM. While the wheels were off, I spun the hubs...they are of course heavy, but I'm a reasonably strong guy...giving them a good spin with one hand, I would say they make about 1/2 revolution before stopping. Smooth but not easy to spin. There IS a slight rubbing noise which I just read here (thanks, Bill) is probably OK (brakes adjusted properly, and this TM does have new brakes).

Both sides spun about the same, so am guessing I'm OK, but if someone feels otherwise please let me know. I will check that hub temperature once I get this on the road for a test drive (next project...weight distributing hitch) in a week or three. I'll attach a photo of one hub for what it's worth...some rust flaking off there but doesn't look too bad I hope.