Changing head bearings?

[spinergy]

Ok so my new bike has a lovely notch in the steering that needs to get gone.
I'd like to save a few $ and change the bearings myself. It should be straight forward but I thought I would ask if there are any common traps you can fall into before I get busy.
Cheers.

[bogan]

The bottom bearing can often be very difficult to get off the stem. Make sure you get a new dust seal, because it's likely you will shred the old one getting the bottom race off. I just drifted mine out with a cold chisel, took a while, and had to be real careful no to nick the stem. Course mine was on there 22 years, so hopefully newer ones won't be as stuck.

[ducatilover]

Top is easy as mate.

For the bottom: As Bogan said, cold chisel.
When I did mine I had to use a bit of heat too.
I've also managed with two big flat blade screw drivers and levered the bearing up. Also involved heat.

[unstuck]

And do not ovetighten your new ones.:shutup:

[spinergy]

And do not ovetighten your new ones.:shutup:

Yea I've seen that done before, going to run with the torque wrench for that part me thinks.

[jellywrestler]

bottom one can be a bitch, ideally before using the other methods a puller but it's hard to get one that slots underneath the damn things otherwise get a mig welder and blob a bit of weld on it so the puller has something to bite on, the action of the welding often is also enough to braek any grip it has on the shaft too.
apply crc or similar to the shaft so as soon as there's movement some lube can find its way in and make it easier.
failing all this i'v e carefully got a disc grinder and cut the bearing vertically, don't usually need to go all the way before getting a cold chisel and splitting it
be careful as a previuos poster said not to nick the shaft

[nzspokes]

Go to a bicycle shop, they will be able to pull it with a crown race puller.

[Haggis2]

be careful as a previuos poster said not to nick the shaft

Hate it when ya shaft gets nicked :shit:

[gatch]

A dude said it up there. If you know anyone with a stick welder, get a few blobs of weld on there. When the bearing cools from the welding, it will shrink a few hundredths and will come out piece of cake. Might even fall out.

Just don't arc out onto your frame.

[F5 Dave]

he's talking about the one on the stem, but as you say the lower bearing for some dumb reason can be the same dia as the frame. Welding it is the only real option. Then grind a couple of reliefs so the next karn in there in 10 years time can use a drift.

[FROSTY]

Ok I'm probably just a lazy sod. Personally I'd strip out what you can and then front up to the bike shop with the stem when you go to pick up the new bearings. Most workshops will have a decent sized press. Basicly what takes them 2 minutes can end up taking you 2 hours

[actungbaby]

Ok so my new bike has a lovely notch in the steering that needs to get gone.
I'd like to save a few $ and change the bearings myself. It should be straight forward but I thought I would ask if there are any common traps you can fall into before I get busy.
Cheers.

I just been reading how when you torque them down that roller bearings have diffrent torque
to old stye ball bearings

Am thinking am going to have to learn alot about this as just brought accident damaged vfr 750
Thats got wreaked front end

[baffa]

Just got the Bike Dr to do mine.
After Spinergy and I saw the specialised tools required to adjust the head (think two torque wrenches that have to be really thin, and yet do up 2 inch+ diameter nuts), we figured it'd be cheaper to get someone else to do the job.

[SVboy]

Bit worried now..just stripped and cleaned my GSXR600 head bearings. Fitted the lock nuts by feel-so steering is nice and smooth-but no freeplay. Should I be worried?

[The Pastor]

Bit worried now..just stripped and cleaned my GSXR600 head bearings. Fitted the lock nuts by feel-so steering is nice and smooth-but no freeplay. Should I be worried?

no free play in your steering?

[SVboy]

no free play in your steering?

As in no travel fore or aft if the forks are rocked. No "notchyness" when the bars are turned. My concern has been my inability to torque the 2 locknuts to factory specs.

[The Pastor]

As in no travel fore or aft if the forks are rocked. No "notchyness" when the bars are turned. My concern has been my inability to torque the 2 locknuts to factory specs.

I dont quite understand what your talking about, but my understanding (which is limited) is that there should be no "freeplay" prob best to get a bike shop to check it.

[SVboy]

I have no concern as to the feel of the bearings-they are fine-all cleaned, greased, seated and moving freely. However, the manual called for the first locking ring to be set to an initial torque of 45 NM and the second locking ring to have a torque of 90NM. I have found this hard to approximate using a drift and hammer to lock them up. Does that make more sense?

[F5 Dave]

well weigh the hammer dummy. 3lb club should be the go. No more than 3 weetbix for breakfast & you're set.


Sheesh, kids these days,.

[imdying]

I have no concern as to the feel of the bearings-they are fine-all cleaned, greased, seated and moving freely. However, the manual called for the first locking ring to be set to an initial torque of 45 NM and the second locking ring to have a torque of 90NM. I have found this hard to approximate using a drift and hammer to lock them up. Does that make more sense?I think it was Shaun Harris that suggested setting the bars straight (wheel off the ground) and letting them drop. If they 'bounced' off the lock stop, they were too loose.

[gatch]

Old thread yes, but I just read again and you were meaning the race stuck on the stem. Piece of cake. Cut it and split the fuckin thing. Trying to lever/press them off can be bad news if you don't do it right.

I had a jaw type rock crusher at work. The ID of the bearing (double row, cylindrical roller, self aligning, with special brass cages, made specifically for crushers) on the eccentric shaft was 220mm or so ? the new ones only JUST fit onto the heater we hired from skf. After the bearing fit on the shaft was wrong and not rectified, the large and expensive bearing inner shell had rotated on the shaft and welded itself in place. Trying to gas cut that fucker off without nicking the shaft was an exercise in patience. Then there was the welding and re-machining of the taper on the other end of the shaft, where the lock washers hadn't been installed and it had spun up, this time cracking the tapered sleeve into three pieces. Making it a right mess.

Sorry about the rant. Moral of the story is DON'T FUCK UP YOUR BEARING INSTALLATION. Else some other incompetent fool like me is going to have to fix it for you and grumble heaps about doing so.

[F5 Dave]

wow & the interesting thing about that is :sleep::sleep::sleep:

[quote Bender]

[actungbaby]

yeah thats why didnt try tighten the steering on my lemon vt 250 mind you as engine is poked not real issue hehe
but before i used same method whay make the bolts that strange shape. i surpose tight is that , as long doesint work loose
and with the locking nut thats reason for it so should be sweet you here it anyway i walked the vt home and chould here click when went of bumps like metalic sound like suspesion was bottoming out but it wasint


I have no concern as to the feel of the bearings-they are fine-all cleaned, greased, seated and moving freely. However, the manual called for the first locking ring to be set to an initial torque of 45 NM and the second locking ring to have a torque of 90NM. I have found this hard to approximate using a drift and hammer to lock them up. Does that make more sense?

[unstuck]

yeah thats why didnt try tighten the steering on my lemon vt 250 mind you as engine is poked not real issue hehe
but before i used same method whay make the bolts that strange shape. i surpose tight is that , as long doesint work loose
and with the locking nut thats reason for it so should be sweet you here it anyway i walked the vt home and chould here click when went of bumps like metalic sound like suspesion was bottoming out but it wasint

Fuck man, I gotta stop smoking weed before reading your posts.:eek: