I ride an Orange Five and the swing arm bearings do not last very long, one reason for this could be that they are only required to travel through about a max of 20 degrees rather than rotating. Are there any bearings that are meant to be used like this that I could try? The current ones are marked 6902 2RS.
Any thoughts gratefully received.

How much are you paying for the bearings?
I see they are available for £2.99, don't expect much for that!
SKF on fleabay about £11 a pop, they should have a better life. But many bearings are only smaller movement, yours may suffer with dirt etc too?

EDIT go to china and 10 bearings for a fiver! could explain a lot. Especially the £2.99 ones.

[Edited on 5/6/20 by cliftyhanger]

Just paid £25 for two Zen 6902 2RS bearings from Orange with new end caps and screws which I didn't need

I was able to put together replacement bearing kits for my old NRS2 frame for about ~£7 a set, the official pack was 50.

RBBs don't like oscillatory motion but that's compounded by the poor environment and likely heavy loading. This isn't a bearing quality issue, it's a bearing design use issue - it's a disposable part in this operation.

Technically bushes are better from a lifespan perspective, but higher friction.

Just find a cheap source of 2RS bearings and replace them often - no point paying for expensive bearings, or repacking them with grease, all a waste of time. Stick to a 6 month replacement schedule on cheapos and you'll be very happy.

Yours are currently 3.50+VAT each on simplybearings. Why waste more than that - you may get an extra 3months from set that cost twice as much, do you care?

I have the same issue with bottom bracket Bearings - if I'm lucky I get 12 months from an OEM set, I just bulk buy and replace more regularly.

[Edited on 5/6/20 by coyoteboy]

I used to ride a specialised FSR and was going through bearings every few months, the brand and packing them with grease made next to no difference in life.

I then changed the bike to a Merida which has caps over the top of the bearings and in 4 years of regular trail riding I've never replaced a bearing.

My conclusion is buy cheap bearings and replace them regularly.

Thanks for you thoughts.
I will look to get some sets of bearings for the swing arm and bottom bracket and replace them rather than buying from the bike manufacturer.