Head Bearings

[carmanbikes]

I am changing the steering head bearings and just wondered what are the best ones is it the standard type or to go for the tapered roller type,

[Smokinjoe73]

I always go to tapered on all my bikes. Its a slight PIA job but unless you want to do it again soon, go to tapered. They are way stronger and stay smooth as the are the same as used in my van wheels.

You can do it by hand if you are really patient and use a million small hammer taps & a bunch of drifts, chisels and screwdrivers. Oh and this tool is worth getting (most are)

[8541Hawk]

Well your two choices are the stock set up, which gives the lightest steering "feel" but are easy to damage and have a relatively short service life.

The other option is tapered bearings, the steering "feel" will be a bit heavier but are almost indestructible and will last many years.

I went with tapered bearings......

[AMCQ46]

get a taper kit from WEMOTO it comes with the required bearings and seals.

look in the workshop section for my instructions on how to set the tension.......you dont follow the Haynes instructions as that is for the standard cup & cone brgs and if you did Tapers up to that torque you would get some very strange low speed weaves.

[VTRDark]

Plenty of tapered bearing kits on eBay, just make sire they come with new dust seals as well as your sure to butcher them removing the old ones.

Getting the old outer races from the headstock is relatively easy with a suitable drift and a hammer. I used an old 1/2 extension bar I have lying around for those purposes. Leave the new ones in the Freezer overnight as it helps with getting them in place. And don't hammer them directly in place, always use a block of wood or something between the hammer and them.

The worst part of the job is the lower race that sits around the steering stem on the forks. That needs plenty of heat to get it to slide off. I used an angle grinder to cut it off which also puts a bit of heat in to aid it off. Warm the new one up slightly with a blow torch or something as this helps with sliding it back on. It then needs to be tapped squarely on and back down the steering stem, a bit of tube about the same circumference is good for this.

(:-})

[MacV2]

Plenty of tapered bearing kits on eBay, just make sire they come with new dust seals as well as your sure to butcher them removing the old ones.

Getting the old outer races from the headstock is relatively easy with a suitable drift and a hammer. I used an old 1/2 extension bar I have lying around for those purposes. Leave the new ones in the Freezer overnight as it helps with getting them in place. And don't hammer them directly in place, always use a block of wood or something between the hammer and them.
http://crash.net/
The worst part of the job is the lower race that sits around the steering stem on the forks. That needs plenty of heat to get it to slide off. I used an angle grinder to cut it off which also puts a bit of heat in to aid it off. Warm the new one up slightly with a blow torch or something as this helps with sliding it back on. It then needs to be tapped squarely on and back down the steering stem, a bit of tube about the same circumference is good for this.

(:-})

ER ? OK Carl so I'm freezing them to make it easier to get them on them warming them up to help getting them on...

[VTRDark]

Yep freezing the outer races to shrink, so they fit easier to inside the frame. And heating the bottom bearing so it expands and is easier to slide down over the steering stem.

(:-})

[Smokinjoe73]

Carl a grinder? Was that a tool escalation episode? First be nice, pry a little, then more anger, then search the garage for something to really teach that race a lesson?

Good thing you dont have access to explosives or a plasma cutter.

[tony.mon]

A grinder is definitely best for the lower stem race.
They fit near flush with the lower yoke, so getting a puller underneath is difficult, so grind through and it pops off a treat.

The only thing with chilling or heating is that you have to knock it into place pretty quickly, so get the correct drifts and hammers ready to hand before gettign the bits out of the freezer or oven.

[VTRDark]

Good thing you dont have access to explosives or a plasma cutter.

Oor err you getting me excited now.



(:-})