I agree with you Gary on buying bearings with the removable side plates it’s the only way to really get them clean. I personally like doing maintenance on my kart I tare it down all the time just to get the frame clean and re-lock tite the bolts and I find the best way to do that is to pull the axle. My daughter drives and I just like to tinker with everything although I try not to do any maintenance at the track other then oiling everything. I also agree that the manufacturer puts the grease in for a reason and I believe that reason is for longevity of the bearings life, however I don’t care so much about how long it last I want it to spin with as little resistance as possible which gives me less rolling resistance and more speed. imo
Of course I am cheap and cant see spending $200 on a ceramic bearing when I think I can come close to the same results with a $20 bearing, but I will say I have friends that use ceramic bearings and without a chain on there axle they seem to spin forever. Time versus money I guess.
