Thought I’d share some pix of my steering head bearing replacement project – I get a lot from this great site and hope this might be helpful to someone doing this for the first time (like me). I’m no bike tech or any kind of an expert and there are likely better ways than the way I did things here – but this is how it went for me. The original idea was to change the fork oil and repack the steering head bearings as part of my master winter service plan. However once the fork legs were off you could feel the bearings were extremely tight and had grooves in the straight-ahead position – like some highway autopilot to keep you going in a straight line. I had the bike hanging form the ceiling by chains with some of the weight on stands just to keep it from swinging around like a punching bag while being worked on. I went with aftermarket roller bearing replacements instead of the OE ball set up because I believe they are stronger and more durable due to increased bearing area. The AllBalls bearing kit came with the complete upper / lower bearing assemblies and upper / lower seals (same seal for upper and lower). One note though is that the upper seal isn’t the same type as the original (at least for the naked) and although it probably would work, it’s not nearly as good as the OE and the OE is readily reused. The lower seal will be destroyed when removing the lower bearing race and the seals in the kit seemed to fit well. After marring the pretty blue anodized front spring preload adjusters last year, I thought I’d try using masking tape on any shiny or soft nuts or bolts like the fork caps and steering head nut. And it worked quite well, leaving little blue marks where the wrench made contact but the marks come off.
Steering head bearing replacement
1 reading
Steve03
21 - 25 of 25 Posts
bringing this thread back up if all don't mind! I just completed putting the AllBalls tapered bearings into my SV last night. I used Steve03's excellent writeup and pictures to guide me along the way. Couple of things I would add:
1) It doesn't appear Steve03 put the dust cap from the AllBalls kit underneath the new bearing on the steering stem. This cap looks exactly the same as OEM. You will destroy the old one during removal and probably should replace it.
2) I must emphasize that getting the race on the bottom of the steering neck was a major PITA! Gotta be patient and work the bearing on carefully, this will take some time. The awkard nature you knock the bearing on makes this part doubly hard.
3) Freeze the races overnight. Before you begin installing them definitely heat up the frame. You can get a cheapo Harbor Freight heat gun for $20. This makes knocking in the races slightly easier. I prefer the heat gun to open flame around the engine and gas tank.
4) Get a corded dremel tool - I had a cordless model but ended up buying a corded one since the battery wouldn't last long enough. Make sure you have reinforced cut-off wheels for metal if you have to make your own modified adjuster nut tool and grinding stones for changing the diameter of the old races.
5) A vice for holding stuff as you cut and grind is highly recommended.
6) I had to buy a 12" long, 1-1/4" dia. galvanized steel plumbing pipe from Ace Hardware (or Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) to knock the new bearing onto the steering stem.
If you have this stuff beforehand things will go a little quicker. The write-up and pics were right on and made my job much easier, thanks!
1) It doesn't appear Steve03 put the dust cap from the AllBalls kit underneath the new bearing on the steering stem. This cap looks exactly the same as OEM. You will destroy the old one during removal and probably should replace it.
2) I must emphasize that getting the race on the bottom of the steering neck was a major PITA! Gotta be patient and work the bearing on carefully, this will take some time. The awkard nature you knock the bearing on makes this part doubly hard.
3) Freeze the races overnight. Before you begin installing them definitely heat up the frame. You can get a cheapo Harbor Freight heat gun for $20. This makes knocking in the races slightly easier. I prefer the heat gun to open flame around the engine and gas tank.
4) Get a corded dremel tool - I had a cordless model but ended up buying a corded one since the battery wouldn't last long enough. Make sure you have reinforced cut-off wheels for metal if you have to make your own modified adjuster nut tool and grinding stones for changing the diameter of the old races.
5) A vice for holding stuff as you cut and grind is highly recommended.
6) I had to buy a 12" long, 1-1/4" dia. galvanized steel plumbing pipe from Ace Hardware (or Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) to knock the new bearing onto the steering stem.
If you have this stuff beforehand things will go a little quicker. The write-up and pics were right on and made my job much easier, thanks!
Joined
·
17 Posts
Interesting link at the top of the page. I bought taper rollers from simply bearings beefore Xmas for my ZZR. Big improvement over standard ball races, which frankly wouldn't look out of place on a decent make BMX!
Joined
·
68 Posts
Resurrecting an old thread...
I'm installing an All Balls tapered steering bearing set on my SV right now. The All Balls do not fit as deep into the steering head as the stock bearings even with the [taller] races fully seated. This is especially true up top, where the inner race appears to rest just a hair higher than the rim of the steering head itself. The OEM top dust cover now rests against the bearing race rather than the steering head.
Because of this, I've found that using Suzuki's recommended torque figures for reinstallation results in WAY too much steering drag. So much drag that it almost locks the whole thing in place.
Has anyone else run into this? The part number on the package is correct for my application, but I suppose it's possible the wrong bearings were put into the package.
I don't think it should make a difference, but I'm running a 2006 GSX-R750 front end on my 2005 SV1000S (with a 2005 GSX-R600 top triple clamp).
Also:
I think it's better to leave out the All Balls seal, anyway. Using just the OEM cover lets you pack in more grease, and it makes a decent seal around the steering head if it's still in good condition.
I'm installing an All Balls tapered steering bearing set on my SV right now. The All Balls do not fit as deep into the steering head as the stock bearings even with the [taller] races fully seated. This is especially true up top, where the inner race appears to rest just a hair higher than the rim of the steering head itself. The OEM top dust cover now rests against the bearing race rather than the steering head.
Because of this, I've found that using Suzuki's recommended torque figures for reinstallation results in WAY too much steering drag. So much drag that it almost locks the whole thing in place.
Has anyone else run into this? The part number on the package is correct for my application, but I suppose it's possible the wrong bearings were put into the package.
I don't think it should make a difference, but I'm running a 2006 GSX-R750 front end on my 2005 SV1000S (with a 2005 GSX-R600 top triple clamp).
Also:
At first I tried to install the All Balls top dust cover under the larger OEM seal, too. It fits, but it also resulted in even more drag than I experience now. This may have been part of your problem.
I think it's better to leave out the All Balls seal, anyway. Using just the OEM cover lets you pack in more grease, and it makes a decent seal around the steering head if it's still in good condition.
21 - 25 of 25 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
