Headstock Bearings

[bazza696]

What you mean is a hammer and a brass drift

[tony.mon]

No, was just messing about.

My recommend is definitely the angle grinder method for disassembly, then freezer/oven and bloody big hammer, using the old bearing as a drift.

Leave the chrome stem nut in place on the thread to avoid damage.

For removing the old ball-type bearing races form the steering head, have a good look and find the indentations just on the inside, unseeable face of the bearing, you CAN then use a brass drift to hammer these out.

But then grind a little off the outside surface of the old bearing, and you can use the old race as a drift to drive in the new ones.

Easy.

[vtrbarmy]

OK , numbers as follows

the kit is HCH-903R [COL001]

the bearings should be
Bottom:- 30 inner Diam by 55 outer diam by 17deep [should be marked 32006] So that is the number that you quoted, so Bottom Bearing is OK.

Top;- 26 ID by 47 OD by 15 which is a special, and not in my normal bearing supplier hand book and I cant remember the number on the part.



The taper bearings have a different numbering system to the cup & cone so I think that is what is causing the confusion, hope that helps and you get them fitted OK.

Also note the setting process [torque preload] for tapers is not the same as for the std balls. The standard part requires a good preload torque [it is in the haynes manual, but I dont remember], but if you do that to tapers you will get a very strange low speed steering wobble, as they will have much too much force locked in. 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.

I do this with the wheel off the ground, and look at how easy the steering is to knock off center, and if the bars will fall to full lock under their own un ballanced forces. if you move the seeering off center and it wont fall to full lock [and it did before you thightened it] then you are too tight.

Also you will find when you tighten the steering stem nut, that will further preload the bearings, so you may have to slacken them off to compensate for this final assembled condition. Always do the final test with the top yoke fitted and the top nut torqued down, then you will have it correctly set.

Hope it makes sense

Wow am I glad you posted this - just replaced my head bearings with Wemoto taper rollers and torqued up to the 18 lb/ft they say in the workshop manual for the original bearings - and all notchy - freed off seemed ok but wasn't happy. Then searched here. Having read your tips above for how to set up taper rollers, I pulled mine down again and set up exactly as you suggest - and perfect. So note to self: Search the Workshop area BEFORE doing jobs and I might find it quicker and easier

Also in checking lock to lock found that previous owner had fitted the hose between both rads wrong - the stepped bit was facing forward rather than backward - so everytime the bottom yoke got near the stops, it was hitting the rad hose (well in advance of the stops) and putting pressure on the rad joints.

[cunningstunt]

Great post. I've just ordered my Tapered Headrace Bearings Set SSH903R Upper 47x26x15mm Lower 55x30x18mm + Seal kit from Wemoto so i will be printing this section off and having a go in the next few days.