Hi all,

I changed my steering head [headrace] bearings for taper roller bearings at the weekend, and I thought you lot might be interested in seeing a quick report into how to do it and how it went. Some of the terminology used is different between the US and the UK, so as this board is US based, I'll use the US terminology, including the UK bits in square brackets - [].

First job is to remove the front wheel, brake calipers, mudguard, handlebars and forks. This is straighforward, although I did find that one of the lower tripple clamp [yoke] pinch bolts was loose! My manual recommends removing the gas [petrol] tank as well, but this is not necessary and only prevents you from damaging it when you drop things on it.

Taking the steering stem out is also simple. I don't have the proper tool to loosten the castellated nut, but I found a standard Honda C spanner fitted fine, and it came off really easily.

The outer bearing races (the ones in the actual frame) can be removed by tapping them out using a drift, although it is necessary to bend the end of the drift over to get to the top of the races. They come out pretty easily though, just take your time and try to ensure that they come out as straight as possible.

The lower inner bearing race on the steering stem was more tricky. According to my workshop manual, it's just a press fit, and should be removable by prying it up using a pair of screwdrivers. This did not work in my case, in fact the only way I could get it off was to grind it off. Be very careful if you do this because it's easy to grind away a chunk of the steering stem itself. Fitting the new one was quite hard work, and it needed to be hammered on. I've got a very large (about 3 inch) nut which I use as a hammer for things like this, and I used the old race as a driver, seeing as it's the same size as the new race.

Fitting the new outer races took a little time - again I used the old outer races as drivers, and tapped them home using a hammer. I really took my time over this because I wanted to make sure they were in straight.

Next, I attacked the new bearings with about a gallon of grease, then re-inserted the steering stem, sliding the top inner bearing race on, tighten the castellated nut (see your wrkshop manual for instructions on this as it's got to be tightened to a specific torque, which is difficult without the proper tool, but can be done a specific way, or PM/email me if you want me to type up the instructions), refit the top
tripple clamp [yoke], then refit the forks, wheel, brake calipers and mudguard.

All-in-all, changing the steering head [headrace] bearings is pretty straightforward, as long as you take your time over it. It took me about 4 hours in total. The steering is smoother and provides a lot more feel that before, so it's worth doing. The bearings cost me just under GBP30 (USD50?) and I didn't need to buy any tools specifically for the job. If anyone wants any more information or advice, feel free to email or PM me.

fozberry

 

Thanks for the info.
I'm curious to know if the whole tire, fork tubes, calipers....etc have to come appart for the job to take place.
My impression (not having done one) seems like you only need the handle bars off, disconnect the front brake line at any one strategic point and slide the fork tubes, wheel, calipers...etc all in one piece/unit.
Or is all of the above you mentioned is strictly necesary????
Wjo you got the stearing bearings from???
Thanks

 

Hi Red Barron,

I suppose it would be possible to remove the entire front fork assembly (after removing the brake calipers, brake hose connectors to the bottom tripple clamp and mudguard, and speedometer cable) without removing the front wheel, but you would need to have the front end of the bike raised about 2 feet (0.6m) off the floor to do it! It's probably quicker and easier to remove the front wheel first. It only takes about 20 minutes to do, so worth it in the end.

I got the bearings from a Worlds End Motorcycles here in the UK - http://www.wemoto.com . They provide an excellent service, and are a very reasonable price.

Hope that helps.

fozberry