Slow speed heavy steering

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cunningstunt
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Slow speed heavy steering

Post by cunningstunt »

My storm seems to have heavy steering at low speeds. When it's above 25-30 it's fine. It doesn't knock or clonk but still wondering if the head race bearings are on their way out? Anyone had this before?
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geodude
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by geodude »

cunningstunt wrote:My storm seems to have heavy steering at low speeds. When it's above 25-30 it's fine. It doesn't knock or clonk but still wondering if the head race bearings are on their way out? Anyone had this before?
Check rear tyre pressure.
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sirch345
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by sirch345 »

and front :)

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cunningstunt
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by cunningstunt »

It's just had a new set of BT014's on it and 36 psi front and 42 psi rear so tyres should be fine which makes me think head bearings :confused
Last edited by cunningstunt on Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sirch345
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by sirch345 »

I would suggest raising the front off the ground and checking for play by holding the fork legs just above the axel and trying to move them backwards and forwards, also check for notchy-ness as you turn the steering off center, there shouldn't be any.

I wonder if someone has tried to take the play out in the steering head bearing by tightening them up too tight. You can check that by turning the steering from lock to lock while the front is raised. Another possibility is new head bearings have been fitted and have been adjusted too tight,

Chris.
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cunningstunt
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by cunningstunt »

Cheers Chris. I will give that a go tomorrow. Is there a torque setting for the yoke nut so i can check to see if they have been wound tight?
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tony.mon
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by tony.mon »

I wouldn't worry about a torque setting for the top nut, because the tension is set by the two locking rings under the top yoke.

It's those you will need to adjust if the bearings are tight or loose or notchy.

They have a tabbed washer between them so that they don't loosen in normal riding, but I find that I can leave them locked together and just use a drift to tap them round to the required tightness- usually a 1/4 turn is enough.

So just remove the little circlips on top of the fork leg, lift off both clip-ons (tie them up with a piece of string across the screen so that air doesn't get into the reservoirs) and then lift the top yoke up enough so that you can see the two locking rings.

Once reassembled, the top yoke nut is tightened just enough to hold it in place, if you give it wellie with a breaker bar it over-tightens the locking rings and you're back to square one.

It's a ten minute job.

If you need to replace headstock bearings, I suggest taper rollers; they're about the same price and I find they last longer.
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cunningstunt
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by cunningstunt »

Headstock bearings are very sticky. Bars don't fall from side to side feely so slackened them off a touch but then they started to knock when braking hard so tapered set arrived this morning. Can't be arsed to do it myself after reading the freezer might be involved so booked in for Friday so it should be good to go ready for the weekend blast.
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sirch345
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by sirch345 »

cunningstunt wrote:Headstock bearings are very sticky. Bars don't fall from side to side feely so slackened them off a touch but then they started to knock when braking hard so tapered set arrived this morning. Can't be arsed to do it myself after reading the freezer might be involved so booked in for Friday so it should be good to go ready for the weekend blast.
Tapered head stock bearings are the way to go IMHO. Once they're set-up properly you'll be well away :thumbup:

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dookie
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by dookie »

If its only happened after the new tyres they could well be you prob , more rounded profile on the front tyre would give those syptoms if you had a pointy sports tyre on before :thumbup:
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by tony.mon »

One thought, a knock when braking could be slider bearings in the forks on their way out, also worth checking bolts and fastenings on the discs and calipers.

I've had this myself, fitted lovely new head bearings and the knock is still there.... :thumbdown:
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vtrbarmy
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by vtrbarmy »

Don't forget once you have fitted taper head bearings, the setup is totally different to the standard ball bearing type, none of this torquing down business, they just nip up. I did mine recently and in the end searched the forum here cos it was driving me nuts to find I was overtightening them (as the haynes manual suggests a shed load of torque).

For tapers what it said was:

"You should set tapers just above hand tight where there is no slack and a slight increase in the torque to turn the steering head."

Worked fine for me.

Actually doing your steering head bearings is a lot easier than I thought, even getting that cup off the bottom yoke......
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benny hedges
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by benny hedges »

vtrbarmy wrote:
Actually doing your steering head bearings is a lot easier than I thought, even getting that cup off the bottom yoke......
i just twatted mine out with 2 nuts & washer on a piece on m16 bar - took less than a hr to fit and feels loads better - good improvement even if your's aren't worn. :thumbup:
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cunningstunt
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by cunningstunt »

Just got mine back from the workshop in Norwich, B and N bike services, who did them for me and it so different it's unbeliievable. Tracks better, stays where it should and at slow speed steers true. Well worth getting them done. The guy showed me the old ones and they had been wound up so tight to take the play out that the bearings were actually making creases in the shells :eek2 I can't understand why people do it :thumbdown: It doesn't cost the earth to fix so why bodge it up to sell a bike knowing that it could result in a fatal crash is beyond my level of thinking :Ball Kick: Still it's done now so live and learn.
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Re: Slow speed heavy steering

Post by Stratman »

Aha, another Norwich Storm. Whereabouts? I'm in Taverham.
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