I'm looking for some new head bearings for the firestorm and would like to buy them from a bearing shop rather than a honda dealer because of price. I was wondering if anyone knew the dimensions of both sets of bearings.
Here is the link for the site i've been looking at some of you might be interested
http://www.eabs.co.uk/catalog/index.php ... b3420b838f
Head bearings
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Stormin Ben
- Posts: 1234
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 12:23 am
- Location: Birmingham
A couple of weeks ago I looked for places to get replacement wheel and headstock bearings coz I thought David Silver was expensive for these
Boy was I right!!
Found Wemoto ( http://shop.wemoto.com/index.dyn?oid=5834065 )
David silver front wheel bearing - £12.93 each
Wemoto £4 for a pair
David Silver headstock set £34.08
Wemoto £26.50
David Silver p&p £2
Wemoto £3
Well you can’t have everything!!
Ben
Boy was I right!!
Found Wemoto ( http://shop.wemoto.com/index.dyn?oid=5834065 )
David silver front wheel bearing - £12.93 each
Wemoto £4 for a pair
David Silver headstock set £34.08
Wemoto £26.50
David Silver p&p £2
Wemoto £3
Well you can’t have everything!!
Ben
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andrewlondon
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:44 am
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cunningstunt
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 3:33 pm
- Location: Norwich
Re: Head bearings
That's a great link. I am about to order the headstock bearing kit and oil filter. Cheapest i've seen the bearings anywhere 
would make more use of a set of butt sliders these days
Re: Head bearings
just to prove i have been trying to find relevant links im post here lol
i want to tighten up my stearing bearing [head , race? bearing]
what tools do i need do i need a torque socket set and is it easy to do as local shops want 20 quid just to turn an adjuster for 2 mins
something id like to learn and do myself
advice and pics plz
i want to tighten up my stearing bearing [head , race? bearing]
what tools do i need do i need a torque socket set and is it easy to do as local shops want 20 quid just to turn an adjuster for 2 mins
something id like to learn and do myself
advice and pics plz
east london/essex [leyton ]
Re: Head bearings
You will need enough tools to remove the clip ons, a large socket for the headstock nut and two C spanners for the adjusters. Oh, ad a method of getting the front of the bike off the ground, like a trolley jack. If you don't have all that then you won't buy them for less than £20 and if anyone can do the job in 2 minutes I'll give £20 to charity!
It isn't a hard job but can be infuriating when you think they are tight enough then you torque down the head nut and they are too stiff. Tapered replacements are much better in all respects, but to fit them is more involved.
It isn't a hard job but can be infuriating when you think they are tight enough then you torque down the head nut and they are too stiff. Tapered replacements are much better in all respects, but to fit them is more involved.
Two bikes, still only four cylinders!
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benny hedges
- Posts: 6110
- Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:09 pm
- Location: Warrington
Re: Head bearings
what do you need c spanners for??? whats up with a screwy & hammer?
always been good enough for me!
if you are changing the bearings for tapered you will also need a dremel & some cut off discs to get the lower race off the yoke.
easy enough to do.
just remember you will have to retighten them after a few 100 mile.
if you are just tightening them, you can get away with sliping the bars off the forks & take the centre nut off the top yoke & lift it just enough to get at the locknuts.
always been good enough for me!
if you are changing the bearings for tapered you will also need a dremel & some cut off discs to get the lower race off the yoke.
easy enough to do.
just remember you will have to retighten them after a few 100 mile.
if you are just tightening them, you can get away with sliping the bars off the forks & take the centre nut off the top yoke & lift it just enough to get at the locknuts.
You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when posting something which you later rely on in quote. Anything you do say may be ripped to sh*t.
Re: Head bearings
+1 on Benny's post, it's exactly what I do. 
Leave the locknuts fixed together, but just tap them round- usually about 1/6th of a turn is enough.
Although I find an angle grinder is easier than a dremel for grinding through the bottom race.
Same result, but better sparks.
Leave the locknuts fixed together, but just tap them round- usually about 1/6th of a turn is enough.
Although I find an angle grinder is easier than a dremel for grinding through the bottom race.
Same result, but better sparks.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Head bearings
played with my head again today
nothing new except this one is on my bike
got some tools out
i removed the plastic dust cover thing and the big nut in the center
including two little split ring things i assume is there to stop your handles falling off
you can see where they go on the top of the forks
with the clip ons off and the center nut removed i loosed the nuts on the top yolk is it?
and wiggled it up
as you can see from this last pic there's two large nuts with notches in them
using a hammer and a flat headed screwdriver i tapped them round about a full turn
i then moved the front wheel back and forth to try and feel if its stiffening up i couldn't tell to be honest
i also had the front of the bike of the floor with a jack placed on the bottom of the sump and a paddock stand at the rear
i stuck it all back together and had a little ride about it didnt feel nice at all
she wasn't keen on turning its hard to explain its like wrestling with a gyro if you know what i mean
i tried going past stationary cars filtering and it was uncomfortable the slower i went the more i didn't like it
so i got her back on the paddock stand and did it all again this time i didn't bother sticking her on the jack as i knew i was only going to undo the nuts about a third of a turn put it all back together again had another ride about and she felt fine
guys on the dyno said she was loose i don't think she was it must of been the crap front fork springs that made them think that
in the last pic u can see the two nuts and a funky washer in the middle that has little flanges that bend into corresponding notches as previously stated
anyway had a fun days tinkering felt Ive learnt something had a great sausage sarnie at the high beach biker t hut alas no other vtr's to be seen
and thought it was funny that the local robin that i usually feed bits of bread and cake to had a dump on some loud fella's spankingingly clean ferrari i doubt that has been out the garage since last summer lol
nothing new except this one is on my bike
got some tools out
i removed the plastic dust cover thing and the big nut in the center
including two little split ring things i assume is there to stop your handles falling off
you can see where they go on the top of the forks
with the clip ons off and the center nut removed i loosed the nuts on the top yolk is it?
and wiggled it up
as you can see from this last pic there's two large nuts with notches in them
using a hammer and a flat headed screwdriver i tapped them round about a full turn
i then moved the front wheel back and forth to try and feel if its stiffening up i couldn't tell to be honest
i also had the front of the bike of the floor with a jack placed on the bottom of the sump and a paddock stand at the rear
i stuck it all back together and had a little ride about it didnt feel nice at all
she wasn't keen on turning its hard to explain its like wrestling with a gyro if you know what i mean
i tried going past stationary cars filtering and it was uncomfortable the slower i went the more i didn't like it
so i got her back on the paddock stand and did it all again this time i didn't bother sticking her on the jack as i knew i was only going to undo the nuts about a third of a turn put it all back together again had another ride about and she felt fine
guys on the dyno said she was loose i don't think she was it must of been the crap front fork springs that made them think that
in the last pic u can see the two nuts and a funky washer in the middle that has little flanges that bend into corresponding notches as previously stated
anyway had a fun days tinkering felt Ive learnt something had a great sausage sarnie at the high beach biker t hut alas no other vtr's to be seen
and thought it was funny that the local robin that i usually feed bits of bread and cake to had a dump on some loud fella's spankingingly clean ferrari i doubt that has been out the garage since last summer lol
east london/essex [leyton ]
Re: Head bearings
Anyone tried the method in the manual about using a spring scale to measure how much force is needed to pull the steering of centre?
Im gonna replace mine tomorrow and to save pissing about Im gonna give it a bash using a fish weighing scale! lol
Although means in a few hundred miles I can test it again to see if they have slackened off any!
Im gonna replace mine tomorrow and to save pissing about Im gonna give it a bash using a fish weighing scale! lol
Although means in a few hundred miles I can test it again to see if they have slackened off any!
Re: Head bearings
Well done Amos, got it sorted.
Re scales, don't bother.
Just do what Amos did, get the front end jacked up, and you can easily feel whether the forks will flop to one side or the other.
If you're not sure, tighten them a bit more, then you WILL feel it being too tight. The loosen it until it's nice and free once more.
Ideally it needs to be just barely backed off until it's free, no more.
The "wandering" feeling that Darknomad felt is exactly what you'll get when it's too tight, because you turn the steering and then overcompensate all the time, and end up going in an "s" shaped course.
And if you've left it too long it will have notched the bearings, and will needs new ones, especially if you have ball type ones instead of rollers, which are infinitely better IMHO.
Re scales, don't bother.
Just do what Amos did, get the front end jacked up, and you can easily feel whether the forks will flop to one side or the other.
If you're not sure, tighten them a bit more, then you WILL feel it being too tight. The loosen it until it's nice and free once more.
Ideally it needs to be just barely backed off until it's free, no more.
The "wandering" feeling that Darknomad felt is exactly what you'll get when it's too tight, because you turn the steering and then overcompensate all the time, and end up going in an "s" shaped course.
And if you've left it too long it will have notched the bearings, and will needs new ones, especially if you have ball type ones instead of rollers, which are infinitely better IMHO.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Head bearings
So you reckon like a 1000 miles with the bearings too tight will have bollocked them, there tapered btw?
I got a new set along time ago and never used em as when I pulled the front end off for Roger they felt fine, and of course I was trying to avoid the crappy bedding in process of new'uns! lol
So, to change them or slacken them off, what ya reckon?
I got a new set along time ago and never used em as when I pulled the front end off for Roger they felt fine, and of course I was trying to avoid the crappy bedding in process of new'uns! lol
So, to change them or slacken them off, what ya reckon?
Re: Head bearings
Only change them if they feel notchy, otherwise leave well enough alone.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.