Hayabusa steering head bearings adjusting - HELP!

[centaurus]

i've been trying to adjust the steering head bearings on my busa and for the life of me I can't get it right. Twice in the last year I've tried and twice, after days of fiddling and testing I ended up giving up and taking it to the shop.

I have adjusted head bearings before but on dirt bikes - that was as easy as on bicycles. On the Busa however, i can't find the sweet spot.

Even the manual is of not help. their method of measuring the drag (using a scales) is way too inaccurate. You can easily have it too tight or too loose and still get the scales measuring bang on the recommended value.

Anybody knows any tricks?

[Drew]

The trick is to adjust them a little loose, then when you clamp down the top triple let it pull down to set them right.

Are they taper rollers, or ball bearings?

[Drew]

Oh yeah, you HAVE to undo the top triple clamp at the forks too. Lift the clamp up a bit before you tighten the bearing adjustment nuts. Then do the middle nut up on the clamp before the forks.

That's all I got, good luck.

[Robert Taylor]

The trick is to adjust them a little loose, then when you clamp down the top triple let it pull down to set them right.

Are they taper rollers, or ball bearings?

Drew is partly right. The sweet spot is that when everything is torqued up and the wheel is hanging in the air the front end should not quite arc lock to lock under its own weight, there should be a very slight amount of drag.
Feeling for play is pretty much meaningless as it doesnt simulate the loads that happen when riding.

[DrunkenMistake]

Hayabusa?.. Sell it.
Problem solved.

[tigertim20]

i've been trying to adjust the steering head bearings on my busa and for the life of me I can't get it right. Twice in the last year I've tried and twice, after days of fiddling and testing I ended up giving up and taking it to the shop.
I have adjusted head bearings before but on dirt bikes - that was as easy as on bicycles. On the Busa however, i can't find the sweet spot.

Even the manual is of not help. their method of measuring the drag (using a scales) is way too inaccurate. You can easily have it too tight or too loose and still get the scales measuring bang on the recommended value.

Anybody knows any tricks?

so you have had to have the shop fix the steering head bearing TWICE in 12 months?
either find a new shop, or stop doing fucking wheelies and slamming them down!!!

[centaurus]

so you have had to have the shop fix the steering head bearing TWICE in 12 months?
either find a new shop, or stop doing fucking wheelies and slamming them down!!!

The steering head bearings themselves were ok but got loose (I put close to 30000km in 6 months ).

The trick is to adjust them a little loose, then when you clamp down the top triple let it pull down to set them right.

Are they taper rollers, or ball bearings?

They are rollers. I do loosen the top triple clamp and even lift it so I have room to manuever. The problem is I can never guess right when tightening them I either get them a bit too tight or a bit too loose and I have to keep adjusting and then putting everything back together and going for a ride to see if ti's right, for days in a row until I get fed up and take it to the shop.

I have more than 40000km on this bike so when riding I CAN tell if they are ok or not, but I can't seem to correctly judge this while the bike in parked and the front wheel off the ground.

[tigertim20]

The steering head bearings themselves were ok but got loose (I put close to 30000km in 6 months ).



.

Shit, I need a job that gives me as much leave as you get!!

[Paul in NZ]

The other possibility is that they are dry or need to be adjusted by replacing them...

[Katman]

They are rollers.

The original Suzuki bearings are the ball bearing type.

Someone must have replaced them with tapered rollers.

[centaurus]

The original Suzuki bearings are the ball bearing type.

Someone must have replaced them with tapered rollers.

Shortly after purchasing it I had to replace them because they were too worn (I ran out of adjusting space and they were still too lose).

[Crasherfromwayback]

Shortly after purchasing it I had to replace them because they were too worn (I ran out of adjusting space and they were still too lose).

I think you'd be better off going back to balls and races mate.

[centaurus]

I think you'd be better off going back to balls and races mate.

Can you explain why? I anways thought the roller ones are better - not so sensitive to shocks and pressure. The ball ones can be killed pretty easily if you overthighten by accident.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Can you explain why? I anways thought the roller ones are better - not so sensitive to shocks and pressure. The ball ones can be killed pretty easily if you overthighten by accident.

Just a nicer feel with less drag. There's a very good reason why true race bikes run them.

[Paul in NZ]

There is also a good chance that when they were installed the race wasnt located completely home. If installed a few in old pom bombs and in general the loosen up after a while because of that and need a re adjust.

Yes - trickier to adjust than a ball set up