steering bearings

[stein75]

hello all, been a while since i have posted anything. I have a 83' cb550sc honda night hawk. i have changed the fork seals, rebuilt the starter, rewired the ignition, put on new tires, now i want to change out my old steering bearings. i am not intimidated about doing the job my self, have a manual, and alot of tools. just want to know from the forum if there is anything need out of the ordinary(ie tools and such). and if there are any hints or tricks of the trade to the process?
thanks for reading
stein

[YamahaFan]

hmmm normally you only need to relube it, unless it's bad.

[stein75]

Yamahafan, my bike is quite old and i have noticable play in the steering head. a front to back motion and click when i brake or go over a really bad bump. from a couple of my ridin buddies i was told i should switch them out b/c adjusting them is more than likely not going to work. any suggestions?

[bdavison]

If they are all notchy, then they need to be replaced.

What happens is they stop rolling and start sliding instead. It wears a flat spot on the bearings, and once they are worn, they cant be fixed.

Once you get them replaced, then do as Yamahafan suggested and repack them with grease every once in a while. I think most manufacturers recommend every 2 years.

[YamahaFan]

yeah if it's been abused a lot then replace is probably best bet. After 13 years and my bike started to play a bit. I noticed the problem and fixed it in about 2 weeks. Don't know how long your problem is going on. If been too long ... heh, don't know, take it out and check it I guess? As for taking it out: I'm not sure if your bike is the same, but basically on my bike I'd need a hammer and a steel screwdriver (or the likes), and a lot of patience. Anyone else got other suggestions?

[stein75]

Thanks for the feedback fellas!
stein

[stein75]

just thought i would give an update. Did the bearing changeout yesterday. All is well, and i am VERY pleased with how much better the bike feels now going down the road.


Advice to anyone doing this yourself:
Pay close attention to the fheight of the bearings and races from old to new. I went from oem,(ie. loose balls), to aftermarket taper style type, and had to use both spacer washers to get the proper spacing, and correct tension.
Just saying to check the fit and distance before you try putting it all back together again, you would not want to try and remove you new ones, for fear of damage.

thanks for reading
Stein