Head bearings adjustment

[Pem Brooke]

Had an advisory that the steering head bearings need adjustment...not done this before so looking on the forum I found the usual great advice.
Question is, for adjustment only (not replacement), it looks like I just raise the clip ons and raise up the top yoke? I usually put blankets etc over the tank and fairings when I'm doing stuff on the bike...so would I need to take off the fairing?
Looks like the top yoke nut is a 30mm socket?? And what's the torque setting for repalcong the top nut?

Thanks for any advice...always welcome!!
Cheers.

[Stratman]

You don't need to remove the fairing. Its the castellated ring under the yoke that needs torqueing really though I've never worked out how to do that, so I just leave it with still a little play, then when tightening down the yoke top nut it seems to take up the play. I did replace mine with taper rollers many years ago and these need less adjustment than the OEMs.
The clip ons are sharp so you need to cover the top of the fairing where they would lay.
When I go back downstairs I'll look in the Haynes for the torque setting, but someone will probably beat me to it.

[AMCQ46]

main question will be are they std cup & cone head bearings or new taper roller bearings? this will change the process you need to follow,.

if cup & cone you set them with a torque preload on the castellated nut . if it is taper then you absolutely DONT WANT any preload on the bearings.

look here for more infotaper bearing setting

and as per above you don't need to take the fairing off

[KermitLeFrog]

Usually, if there is any play in the head bearings it means they are knackered. Tightening them up just hides the fact and makes the steering worse.

I've never heard of correctly installed head bearings (ball or roller) needed adjustment after the initial bedding in adjustment.

[Stratman]

Usually, if there is any play in the head bearings it means they are knackered. Tightening them up just hides the fact and makes the steering worse.

I've never heard of correctly installed head bearings (ball or roller) needed adjustment after the initial bedding in adjustment.

Well, you have now. Mine need adjustment from time to time over the last 17 years of ownership.

[sirch345]

It took three adjustments to get the right settings when I fitted taper roller steering head bearings to my Storm. According to the people in the know this is quite normal. My last adjustment was made at approximately after I'd done 500 miles since fitting them.

Yes just raise the clip-ons up on the fork stanchions and the top yoke as you suggested, that will give you enough access to make the adjustment.

Do you have taper roller bearing fitted
As already pointed out by KermitLeFrog, if they are the old ball bearing type they will probably need replacing, unless you have done that already,


Chris.

[KermitLeFrog]

I've never heard of correctly installed head bearings (ball or roller) needed adjustment after the initial bedding in adjustment.

Well, you have now. Mine need adjustment from time to time over the last 17 years of ownership.

Fair enough. The only time I've felt the need to adjust I've replaced instead. As Chris has said, with roller bearings it can be after some time (500 miles) but riding over some of the roads up here it's usually less. The last time I replaced them on the storm (roller bearings) a final adjustment was needed after 200 miles. This is a result of the races bedding into the seats. The distance (and therefore preload) between the races and the balls/rollers should never change unless there is damage to the races or balls/rollers.

[Pem Brooke]

Thanks all...I'll e mail the previous owner and ask if / what he did with the bearings up to now. Bike is at 30,000 miles and I have had them adjusted once in the four years I've owned it.
Good info, appreciated! I'll report back...

[Pem Brooke]

Forgot to say the garage that crated my bike up to ship it back from Canada adjusted them as a favour...hence why I didn't adjust them myself in the first place! But I like doing my own maintenance if poss...

[MacV2]

Yep you really need to know if they are tapper or still the old ball races...

IIRC the torque for the top nut on std ball races is something sillly like 125nm but wait for conformation on that !

DO NOT use the std torque settings on taper bearings it will be miles to tight...

To check if you have balls or tapers you will need to take off the top yoke & the two castelated nuts to have a peak at the top one...

TBH Pem if they are std ones they will need greasing up anyway, If they have play on them you may as well change them...

[Stratman]

76 lb ft is the torque for the stem top nut.

[Pem Brooke]

Thanks Mac, the previous owner has just e mailed me back and confirmed he DID replace them ...with tapers! He was a Canadian Honda motorcycle dealer and this was his personal bike for 13 years so no doubt he did a thorough job!
I guess it's just a case of lifting the top yoke, taking up the slack on the threads then check the steering for smooth lock to lock?
A regrease too,no doubt.....

Thanks Stratman, kust seen your message..appreciated!!
Cheers

[agentpineapple]

DO NOT use the std torque settings on taper bearings it will be miles to tight...

100% agree, I tried it last month, felt like riding in syrup, ended up backing it off a fair bit.
I can't remember what mine was in the end. but maybe start at 75nm and go from there

[KermitLeFrog]

This is worth a read

"BIG WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you preload tapered roller bearings to the typical amount associated with a specific bearing, and that bearing happens to be in a head set, you WILL have handling problems from excessive steering head stiffness.
Tapered rollers were historically swapped into flexiflyers of the 60s and 70s era, the era of 35 mm fork tubes and frames with hinges in the middle and head sets that had bearings nicely sized for a bicycle.
Tapered rollers have a much higher "bearing stiffness" than ball bearings, so they got put in to add some stiffness for the combined upper and lower bearing assembly. They also can handle much greater loads, so they were also put in to compensate for the weenie ball bearings of the day.
Any tapered setup installed needs to be done very carefully. Just remove the internal clearance, then add a hair more. Then check to see that you have the kind of head set drag that the manual calls for, or a bit less - never ever more ! Never do this check with the fork tubes in place ! Don't use a real heavy grease either, as there is so much contact area that thick greases will cause excessive drag on their own.
There is a reason why tapers have preloads specified. Tapered Rollers get their maximum SKF Method L10 Bearing Life in a preload condition. But L10 life is for bearings continually revolving. Steering head bearings are more a static bearing that gets continually repositioned, and L10 life is not directly applicable. The short story here is that a tapered roller properly set up for use in a steering head, is going to last at least as long as the original ball bearing would, while increasing the overall "bearing stiffness".
The reality is that today, the ball bearings used are pretty good, the situation simply is not what it was 40 years ago.
Another word of caution.
Some tapered kits use standard bearings with the races reduced by grinding to match the space in the head set. If that grinding is not done perfectly, you likely will not be able to get rid of all the bearing clearance without having to compensate by over preloading the bearing."

[sirch345]

It's a while since I did mine, but IIRC you can still use the recommended torque value for the top yoke steering stem nut, it's the castellated nuts under the top yoke that need less torque applied to them for tapered roller bearings. You should really have the front of the bike suspended so you can check the movement of the steering from left to right from the centre-line. You don't want the bars to suddenly drop fully left or right from centre, you need a little resistance when you do that check. You'll know right away if the bearings are done up too tight, as the bars when prompted to turn left or right from the centre-line will stop dead when you remove your hand(s).

Interesting about using thick grease Kermit, that hadn't occurred to me, but it makes sense,

Chris.