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Steering head bearings

jsandidge

jsandidge

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
Does anyone know of a good tutorial or thread on replacing steering head bearings? Also, are the tapered bearings a better option?
 
Not sure if BassCliff has any bearing tutorials on his "little" website, but it's worth a try.

In my opinion, tapered rollers are better than balls.

.
 
checked there

checked there

Yeah, went to BassCliff's site. Didn't see anything there. Lot's of vids on youtube, but none are GS's. Should be pretty much the same I guess. I'll be finding out!
 
If you have a race that is stuck in the frame, use a Dremel tool with a large cut-off wheel to cut into it twice, about 1/4" from each other.
That will take all the pressure off and it will likely just drop out.

Don't worry too much about nicking into the metal on the frame, that won't affect how well the new bearing performs.

IMG_3025.jpg


Even though tapered bearings are better, they are still not perfect.
Here is why I had to change this bearing:

IMG_3024.jpg


.
 
Thumbs up on the dremel cut method. You don't need to cut though, just get it close then use a sharp chisel to catch the cut edge and wack it with a hammer. The race will crack allowing easy removal. Pound in the new races with a piece of PVC pipe. As for the parts, All Ball's makes nice kits.
 
You '82 should already have tapered roller bearings. Just go to the local bearing supply shop and get the same ones.
 
job done!

job done!

Steve said:
Even though tapered bearings are better, they are still not perfect.
Here is why I had to change this bearing:

IMG_3024.jpg


.
Click to expand...

My lower race on the steering stem looked just like this one. I did use the dremel and chisel, wasn't too hard.

The races in the frame were easy enough to knock out. The lower one was a little tough to get a purchase on since the tube flares out at the bottom. I had a tire lever with a hook on the end which worked perfectly to catch the edge. Lowered the lever in from the top, gave it a few good whacks all the way around, and it popped right out.

I ordered new ones from Z1. They turned out to be the All's Balls kit, which I was happy to see.

Everything went together easily, and now the steering is smoooooth. What a difference!
 
Yep, my lower bearing race looked just like the ones in the picture. I got tired of the detente feeling in the steering, so I decided to do the steering head bearing replacement. So far it's going pretty good. The races in the frame tapped out fairly easy. The lower race required my special curved punch. I'm going to take the lower triple tree to work tomorrow and just grind off the bearing. Also tomorrow I'm going to make a race installation tool(two pucks and some all thread). Sure is a lot of cleaning to do with the front end apart...

Growler, let me know when you're ready to do your steering head bearings. I'll give you tips, tools and pics.
 
jsandidge said:
My lower race on the steering stem looked just like this one. I did use the dremel and chisel, wasn't too hard.

The races in the frame were easy enough to knock out. The lower one was a little tough to get a purchase on since the tube flares out at the bottom. I had a tire lever with a hook on the end which worked perfectly to catch the edge. Lowered the lever in from the top, gave it a few good whacks all the way around, and it popped right out.

I ordered new ones from Z1. They turned out to be the All's Balls kit, which I was happy to see.

Everything went together easily, and now the steering is smoooooth. What a difference!
Click to expand...

When I was replacing my bottom race, I ran into the same problem. An old school bike mechanic friend of mine looked at it and made a punch like tool for the flair at the bottom. He took a 1/2 inch harden steel rod and managed to put a slight S bend in it to work inside that flair. Damn thing worked like a charm. It sucked because he wouldn't let me have the tool lol.
 
Bill, as long as your friend don't move, you know where to get the punch if needed again... I got my race installation tool and bearing driver made today so I'll be ready to put everything back together tomorrow. I'm going to a Phish concert tonight or I'd be working on the motorcycle tonight.
 

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The bearing races pulled in like a charm, the stem bearing tapped right on. If any upstanding GSR members would like to barrow my custom stem bearing tools let me know...
 

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mrbill5491 said:
When I was replacing my bottom race, I ran into the same problem. An old school bike mechanic friend of mine looked at it and made a punch like tool for the flair at the bottom. He took a 1/2 inch harden steel rod and managed to put a slight S bend in it to work inside that flair. Damn thing worked like a charm. It sucked because he wouldn't let me have the tool lol.
Click to expand...

12" tyre lever can work, too. The kink in the end can just catch the lip of the race (and/or grind a suitable edge on the lever). Some steering heads have a notch exposing a section of the inner race, allowing a normal long punch to reach in from the top and easily tap the lower one out.
 
Just a follow up on my steering head bearing replacement:
WOW, what a difference the new bearings make! I should have done the job months ago. Not only does the motorcycle steer and handle better but the suspension feels a lot nicer. Now I can't wait to get the Sonic fork springs. One goof up I made was I forgot to put in place the chrome decorative plate that hides the lower triple tree. No big deal, I'll put it on when I do the front tire in a couple of weeks. Another note, I used the lower bearing seal that came with the "All Balls Bearing Kit" but for the upper bearing I used the factory Suzuki seal. It was bigger and covered the whole stem. One other suggestion I would make is, you might as well replace your front wheel bearings while you're at it... It's like changing your socks and underwear or (stockings and knickers) at the same time. :)
 
Last edited:
storm 64 said:
Bill, as long as your friend don't move, you know where to get the punch if needed again... I got my race installation tool and bearing driver made today so I'll be ready to put everything back together tomorrow. I'm going to a Phish concert tonight or I'd be working on the motorcycle tonight.
Click to expand...

Sadly he drank himself to death several years ago. Not sure what happened to his tools and his bikes. Think his so called friends raided his place when he died.
 
mrbill5491 said:
Sadly he drank himself to death several years ago. Not sure what happened to his tools and his bikes. Think his so called friends raided his place when he died.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that Bill. If you ever are in need of steering head tools just let me know and I'll ship them out to you...
 
Steve said:
If you have a race that is stuck in the frame, use a Dremel tool with a large cut-off wheel to cut into it twice, about 1/4" from each other.
That will take all the pressure off and it will likely just drop out.

Don't worry too much about nicking into the metal on the frame, that won't affect how well the new bearing performs.

IMG_3025.jpg


Even though tapered bearings are better, they are still not perfect.
Here is why I had to change this bearing:

IMG_3024.jpg


.
Click to expand...

I know the thread is older... But if you see this type of wear on a bearing race you have a few possible issues. Those indetations are generally only going to occur if the bearings are either too tight (top to bottom on the shaft) or the bearing itself hasn't seated to the shaft and isn't functioning properly. I'll spare the technical details (unless someone wants to hear that) but these bearing kits aren't as plug and play as the sellers would have you believe. Tapered roller bearings will always have a specific thrust load that they need to be within to function properly. Anyhow... When installing these bearings there is more to it than just slapping them in and bolitingthe front end back together.
 
VonYinzer said:
I know the thread is older... But if you see this type of wear on a bearing race you have a few possible issues. Those indetations are generally only going to occur if the bearings are either too tight (top to bottom on the shaft) or the bearing itself hasn't seated to the shaft and isn't functioning properly. I'll spare the technical details (unless someone wants to hear that) but these bearing kits aren't as plug and play as the sellers would have you believe. Tapered roller bearings will always have a specific thrust load that they need to be within to function properly. Anyhow... When installing these bearings there is more to it than just slapping them in and bolitingthe front end back together.
Click to expand...

Come on now, you're not going to leave us hanging are you?

I for one would like to hear more.
 
I'll stop back tomorrow. Time for dinner. Also... I'm not just blowing smoke. I'm a lead tech for one of the worlds largest gearbox manufacturers. Bearings are my every day.
 
Yeah, brother I'm all ears... I just changed my steering head bearings with 42,000 miles on the motorcycle. I figured with all the pounding the front suspension takes with the poor road conditions in north east Ohio, that's what caused the wear. I suppose I could have periodically(adjusted) tightened up the bearing and extended the life of the bearing. Once the wear started there was no return...
 
TThat's really the issue. Once it starts, it can only get worse. The real problem in these applications (according to the engineer I bugged today ;) ) is that these bearings are made to continually rotate and spread the wear evenly across the races. As far as setting them up right... I'll bug said engineer a bit more tomorrow and see if we can't figure something out.
 
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