tightening steering head

[soundbeltfarm]

i want to tighten my steeringnhead nuts on my bike to see if that helps stop the wobble when braking and ive looked on the fiche and it looks like just the 2 collars to tighten up
do i do this by putting a flat bladed screwdriver and tapping it with a mallet or is there a better way?
or should i not try it myself and get it looked at first before i use my bush mechanic skills?

[DingDong]

i want to tighten my steeringnhead nuts on my bike to see if that helps stop the wobble when braking and ive looked on the fiche and it looks like just the 2 collars to tighten up
do i do this by putting a flat bladed screwdriver and tapping it with a mallet or is there a better way?
or should i not try it myself and get it looked at first before i use my bush mechanic skills?

If it has play, tighten it... over tightening will damage the bearings

A screwdriver and mallet are fine because it shouldnt be all that tight... maybe you should take it to the shop and get a dampener installed.

[soundbeltfarm]

If it has play, tighten it... over tightening will damage the bearings

A screwdriver and mallet are fine because it shouldnt be all that tight... maybe you should take it to the shop and get a dampener installed.

it got a damper on it , a stock one i took it off to see how stiff it felt and crikey it hard to move through the motion i think it has 5W oil in it and on another web site they drain it out and put 2.5W - 3w in and reckon its a marked improvment on original.
better to get an ohlins put in but no money for that yet.

sensei thinks it prob from doing mono's and i tend to think he is right .

[DingDong]

it got a damper on it , a stock one i took it off to see how stiff it felt and crikey it hard to move through the motion i think it has 5W oil in it and on another web site they drain it out and put 2.5W - 3w in and reckon its a marked improvment on original.
better to get an ohlins put in but no money for that yet.

sensei thinks it prob from doing mono's and i tend to think he is right .
Lifting the wheel is Ok... putting it back down breaks bearings and seals, at the end of the day the minor repairs are well worth the thrills, good luck

[T.W.R]

to adjust the steering head bearings, unless you've got proper C spanner its a case of using an appropriate sized screw driver & hammer, you shouldn't have to adjust it much. just make sure the front wheel is off the deck & if you've got a damper disconnect it while doing the adjustment.

general rule of thumb is that there should be the slightest resistance as the bars are moved from lock to lock, it shouldn't drop freely to the left or right, ust a smooth slow drop. once you've got that set reconnect the damper & your away & racing.

[Jackrat]

Your really ment to use a C spanner but I just use the screwdriver an hammer method.I belive your also ment to tourqe them to a correct setting but I just lift the front wheel with a jack (no jokes here thanks)or lump of fire wood an tap em' up so when you let the bars go the front end will swing to one side or the other under it's own wheight with just a slight resistance being felt.
Steering dampers are worth their wheight in gold,IMHO.

[WINJA]

THERES A C SPANNER YOU USED TO BY FROM PUSH BIKE SHOPS FOR ABOUT $5 THAT FITS.
A GOOD WAY TO CHECK TIGHTNESS IS REMOVE STEERING DAMPER , BALANCE THE BIKE ON THE SIDE STAND AND BACK WHEEL, TURN THE HANDLE BARS HARD RIGHT LET THE BARS FLOP TO THE LEFT IT SHOULD FALL AND KISS THE LOCK STOP SOFTLY AND NOT BOUNCE IF IT BOUNCES UP AND DOWN TIGHTEN IT, BEWARE OVER TIGHTENING CAN CAUSE WEAVING AS THE RAKE CANT CENTRE THE BIKE PROPERLY

[Test Pilot]

THERES A C SPANNER YOU USED TO BY FROM PUSH BIKE SHOPS FOR ABOUT $5 THAT FITS.
A GOOD WAY TO CHECK TIGHTNESS IS REMOVE STEERING DAMPER , BALANCE THE BIKE ON THE SIDE STAND AND BACK WHEEL, TURN THE HANDLE BARS HARD RIGHT LET THE BARS FLOP TO THE LEFT IT SHOULD FALL AND KISS THE LOCK STOP SOFTLY AND NOT BOUNCE IF IT BOUNCES UP AND DOWN TIGHTEN IT, BEWARE OVER TIGHTENING CAN CAUSE WEAVING AS THE RAKE CANT CENTRE THE BIKE PROPERLY


Can you explain that weaving thing in a bit more detail. My CBR feels like it weaves and iv checked the adjustment 4 or 5 times, and i cant get it right. Gana replace the bearings this weekend but would be keen on sum more info

[T.W.R]

Can you explain that weaving thing in a bit more detail. My CBR feels like it weaves and iv checked the adjustment 4 or 5 times, and i cant get it right. Gana replace the bearings this weekend but would be keen on sum more info

the weaving effect is almost like a gentle rolling from side to side mmm semi oscillating in a way. sometimes if your back wheel isn't totally in line can cause the same effect to a point, tyres being under pressure can cause the effect also

[WINJA]

Can you explain that weaving thing in a bit more detail. My CBR feels like it weaves and iv checked the adjustment 4 or 5 times, and i cant get it right. Gana replace the bearings this weekend but would be keen on sum more info
THE BIKE WONT CENTRE THE STEARING PROPERLY SO ITS STARTS TO WEAVE AS THE STEERING MOVES OFF CENTRE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, IM REALLY BAD AT EXPLAINING MYSELF

[**R1**]

dont use a screw driver!!!
If you dont have the right tool(C spanner) use some slip jaw pliers with a rag wraped around the nut it, will work better than a screw driver, and it duznt fuck the nut....Plus im not sure how well you can fine tune something when hammers are involved...

[Sensei]

dont use a screw driver!!!
If you dont have the right tool(C spanner) use some slip jaw pliers with a rag wraped around the nut it, will work better than a screw driver, and it duznt fuck the nut....Plus im not sure how well you can fine tune something when hammers are involved...

Good call Aarron . Hammer & Performance Road bikes don't mix well !!!!

[Test Pilot]

the weaving effect is almost like a gentle rolling from side to side mmm semi oscillating in a way. sometimes if your back wheel isn't totally in line can cause the same effect to a point, tyres being under pressure can cause the effect also

This might sound stupied but what is a good way to make sure your rear wheel is straight? and if the bearing is to loose will it have the same effect(weaving) or will it have a different effect

[F5 Dave]

With this sort of bike likely the bearings are buggered & need replacement by now. They may feel fine but the way to check is jack the bike up as stated & take the wheel/forks off. The weight of the forks makes it hard to tell. Then move the triple clamp to see if it at all notchy. The slightest damage/wear of the bearings will bugger up the feel of the bike.

May as well try yanking/shaking the wheels to see if those bearings are sound.

Not a silly question Micgoo:
Yep I think the wheel adjustment is another likely problem. Many bikes are not straight wheeled from new & the odd crash tweeks them some more.
Don’t trust the swingarm marks until you have checked by other means.

I bought a long length of square section ally & double checked against a flat surface turning it on different faces. Saw the same thing at Bunnings for ~ $25. Don’t skimp on wobbly sizes. You hold the bar against the rear wheel (with help of a friend holding the bike or a race stand) & the front should pretty much line up with the front disc once the front wheel is parallel (I taped a another (1 foot long) bit of bar on one end to get it closer to the disc). Then swap it to the other side. It will become apparent pretty quick what is happening. I find this MUCH easier than the string method which always left me unsure.

PS tires worn or wrong size, esp rear don't help

[Test Pilot]

Cheers for that F5 Dave, gana replace the bearings this weekend then go threw the whole process

[vifferman]

I've experienced all three main causes of the slow weave thing in the last few weeks, and they're noticeably different.
When the front tyres too flat, the steerings feels sluggish, and the weaving is random, generally following the camber of the road or imperfections in the road surface. When I had that shitty BT020 on the front, it used to wander all over the place, particularly on coarse-chip surfaces.
My head bearings have settled in now, but when they were marginally too tight, the bike had a quite regular weave, regardless of the road surface.

To tighten then head bearings by other than feel, you can use a spring scale, like the ones used to weigh fish. With the front of the bike off the ground, hook it on to the end of the handlebars. It should take around 4 to 6 pounds of pull to move the handlebar.

One more thing - it's quite common for bikes to develop a notch in the head bearings around the straight-ahead position. You can feel this if you jack the front of the bike up, and move the wheel side to side. Mine was like this, and I didn't notice till I was riding it around waiting for the new bearings to arrive, and then it was quite apparent it had a slight reluctance just as I started to tip into a corner. I'd thought it was the tyres!
Now, with the Azaros on board, new head bearings, new brake pads, and a Power Commander on board (more on that later), it's great! Love it!

[F5 Dave]

The steering head bearings? I was suggestnig the TL would be a damn site harder on the st brgs than a CBR. But better to check all these things. Bent discs will bugger st brgs quick smart. Getting them out can be a drama but there are a few threads here to search on. Mig welder helps getting steering bearings out.

[vifferman]

Just don't do what a guy on one of the VR forums did - he'd read that you had to torque new bearings down to some astronomical figure to get them bedded, then back them off. Unfortunately, that was for steel frames, and while he was till torquing them down, he hard an ominous 'crack'.
Yup, he busted the seat in his headstock.:doh:

Luckily, he was an engineer, and he got a workmate to weld up the headstock, then he milled it with his own milling machine. Saved him several thousand for a new frame!
The bit I liked was the shot of his bike after disassembly. You'd think in terms of removing the engine and other bits from the frame, but due to the way the VFR800 is constructed, he removed the frame from the bike. It looked very strange, with the engine, swingarm, etc. sitting there on the ground, minus frame and front end.