Steering Head Detented

[GaryZ]

My steering head has a center-detent that just gets worse as the miles pile on. Can I knock the bearing and race out, rotate and put it back in?

[Marcarl]

Nope, is the simple answer. First, once you remove a bearing and race you will change the alignment, and it will give more problems than you want to imagine, second, the bearings themselves have flat spots in them as well now, so they will rotate to the best seating place in the race and you have more problems.

Take them out and replace, and you'll not have to worry about them again.

[dingy]

Below is a link to a thread that goes into changing them a little.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41310&highlight=rsv+grease+steering

 

Gary

[dingy]

I just searched through the VMax forum for replacing these bearings.

 

This post seemed to have some positive follow up to it, indicating it was feasible. Not positive if it will work in the Venture.

 

 

Ground a recess above it with a Dremel wheel and punched it out with a drift.

Use 'drift' to describe a long punch. I guess the proper term is 'drift punch.'

 

This is one type http://cgi.ebay.com/Allen-25632-Long...item4ced0d3588

 

Start your groove 3/4" - 1" above the bottom race and grind deeper into the steering neck as you work down toward it. There is a shoulder milled in the neck above the race that you have to go through also.

Gary

[jasonm.]

I do not know what this Vmax forum is trying to say. Heck....you drive out the old races. Make sure you did not put any dings in the seating area from your removal. Carefully drive the new races in using a BRASS punch or other soft material. I used a 4 oz. brass weight I have lying around. It is flat and I could carefully get the race in. Then you use the old race that you sanded the sides down to finish the job to fully seat the new race. The biggest hasssle is removing the lower bearing from the steering staft. Trick to this is to Hit only the bearing area you can see. And it won't be much as you start. Do NOT attempt to use a chisel or wedge...you will damage the lower tree. You could carefully use a dremal cutter wheel and cut it off. I have also done it this way. You cut thru almost all the way. Then your hammering the bearing off will crack the bearing enough to allow it to come off a bit easier sometime. I also suggest removing as much plastic as possible...windshield, etc. This will allow you to work from many angles while reinstalling the races. AND while you have it apart. Drill and tap the neck on the frame for a grease fitting. The neck will hold better than half a tube of grease. But you'll now be sure the bearings won't be dry and surely keep the water out. FYI, water comes down from the top because the top has NO seal. Justa metal cap. ALL THIS TAKES PATIENCE. Something I have in limited supply. SO what I am reporting here is 1st hand from my own successes and mistakes.

[GaryZ]

Does the top or bottom bearing usually wear out?

[jasonm.]

Yes, they both wear out. I did mine 2 years ago. Unlike ball beariung types. These roller types. To the naked eye...you cannot see anything . Till you use a magnify-glass. And see lines where the bearings and races have made a microscopic dent. You remove the races. You cannot even feel the dents. The biggest reason they wear. 1st looseness...causes banging. And 2nd the lack of lube. Often due to water in the steering neck as I stated earlier. Lastly the wheel spends 99% of it's life pointed straight ahead, only moving a few degrees off center.

Edited March 9, 2011 by jasonm.

[dingy]

The problem getting the race out is there is not an exposed surface at the inner side of the race to get a punch or puller to bite into. The race pocket is machined into the neck of the frame and the race edge pushes up against this machined pocket, thus covering it.

 

The idea behind cutting the notch in the race is to give the drift punch a surface on the race to be driven against.

 

Another aproach is to cut two grooves close together in the race with a dremel, so a small sliver can be removed. This will allow the race to driven out easier.

 

Gary

[Squeeze]

Well, the Grinding Method on the Steering Head is a bad Idea in my Opinion. I'd never do such a Thing to a Part my Life depends on ....

 

For me, there are three different Option in removing the outer Races.

 

One -

Undo the Battery Cables, connect both Positive and negative Wires, break out your Welder and lay a nice Weld Seam on the available inside Part of the outer Race, wait a Minute and the the Race will fall out - for Guys who have a Welder available

 

second -

 

mount a thin but reinforced cutting Tool to your Dremel and cut the Race apart. Use a flat Angle in regard to the Race, so that you'll have to cut about one half of the Circumference to splitt the Race. watch the beginning of the Cut and the End, try to not hurt or cut the outer Parts of the Steering Part of the Frame. It not that hard to do, but needs some Time and several Cutting Discs. After your have ground the spiral-shaped Groove, take a small Chisel and splitt the Race off, it will fall out either in one or several Pieces. - for Guys who have no Welder, but a Dremel and the Nerves to put half an Hour into a brief Job without shedding too much Sweat

 

third, unfortunately only for me and some others here in Europe

 

break out a special Tool i got from a german Chassis and Suspension Specialist which is a Puller Tool made exactly for these 32006 Bearings. It works like a inside out Collet Chuck, clamps to the Bearing under Pressure of a Conus pushing the Tongues into the Gap between Frame and Bearing Race. Then you pull the Race out with a Puller Spindle leading the Race into a Tube which is set on the Frame.

[bongobobny]

Yah! I had a race that I had to make 2 cuts into so that it came out in 2 pieces. Once you get a wedge out of the race, it can be driven out a lot easier as the circumference colapses on itself...

[jasonm.]

No cuts needed if you have the correct tools. I used a hard faced piece of round steel 1/2" od. rod w/ 2lb. sledge. And there is just enough edge sticking out to get it out. Took no more than 5 hits. Maybe I have too many tools...

[GaryZ]

What do you brainiacs think of this bearing set from All Balls Racing?

 

https://www.allballsracing.com/22-1004.html

[Marcarl]

What do you brainiacs think of this bearing set from All Balls Racing?

 

https://www.allballsracing.com/22-1004.html

Looks good to me, price is right, and it's a bearing, even a new one,,,,,, bonus!!

[GaryZ]

OK gents, I fought the forks and won the battle. My $3.45 tool to remove the damping rod worked like a charm. I figured since the forks were off and I was on a winning streak, I would tackle the steering head bearings. Reviewing this thread I almost decided to not try it.

 

The races came out with only a little work and imagination. I used my floor jack handle to remove the top race. A round steel tube that is slightly smaller than the hole. Sharpened the edge with file, a couple of solid whacks, and the sucker is out. The lower race has two notches on the inside for a special tool. I was able to stick a pry bar in there and alternate hits between the notches. Came right out.

 

I must say it was a bit of a disappointment.

The next hurtle is getting the lower bearing off of the stem. Does it need to be pressed off?

Edited April 19, 2012 by GaryZ

[bongobobny]

Yes it does! You can clamp the bearing in a vice and tap the stem out from it...

[GaryZ]

Yes it does! You can clamp the bearing in a vice and tap the stem out from it...

 

I can't get the vise to grip the bearing. A local bike mechanic says I can drive it off with my air hammer . . .

Edited April 19, 2012 by GaryZ

[GaryZ]

Air hammer worked like a charm. Used it to put on the new one. Put the old one on top and hammered on alternate sides.

Then hammered the old one back off. I love power tools.

Edited April 19, 2012 by GaryZ

[GaryZ]

OK gents, another front end issue has developed. My issue is that the front is not as stable or 'planted' as before replacing the bearing and seals. The front end seems to 'hunt' on bumpy corners and does not generate the confidence that it had before.

 

The forks seem to be operating normal. Troubleshooting includes loosening all forks parts and working the front end to align. I have Progressives, a mixture of 7 and 10 AWG fork oil, and no air in the forks. I have had to tighten the steering head 3 or 4 times since replacing the bearings. From what I have been told, this seems to be normal.

 

I welcome any thoughts from the VR brain trust . . .

[camos]

After reading your thread and seeing the forks could be removed without taking the fairing off, I decided to drop the forks to grease the bearings but I'm having some difficulty getting the right grill out. Pulled the two screws but the rear end of it does not seem to want to come out like it did on the left grill. Got some advice on how to do that?

 

[jasonm.]

OK gents, another front end issue has developed. My issue is that the front is not as stable or 'planted' as before replacing the bearing and seals. The front end seems to 'hunt' on bumpy corners and does not generate the confidence that it had before.

 

The forks seem to be operating normal. Troubleshooting includes loosening all forks parts and working the front end to align. I have Progressives, a mixture of 7 and 10 AWG fork oil, and no air in the forks. I have had to tighten the steering head 3 or 4 times since replacing the bearings. From what I have been told, this seems to be normal.

 

I welcome any thoughts from the VR brain trust . . .

Obviously...I hope this is not your issue. Gary, if your NEW bearings were not tight enough from the get go.....umm that's how they get hammered. FYI- I have a grease fitting in my steering neck. The whole thing is filled w/grease moly' type. I have not needed to tighten my bearings since replacement 2 years ago. This one thing I think , may explain my lack of need to tighten. And how the originals went 74k. Also, I have an electronic fish scale with a hook. Yamaha factory tech said this is the best way to confirm if bearings are loose. "Front wheel off the ground, Hook it on to the spoke pointed horizontally". Pull slowly, a 3 to 5 pound pull is the norm to move the steering off center. Mine has stayed 3.5 Also your fork oil is WAY too light. The OEM says 10W and most move up to 15w w/progressives.

Edited August 1, 2012 by jasonm.

[09RSTD]

Nope, is the simple answer. First, once you remove a bearing and race you will change the alignment, and it will give more problems than you want to imagine, second, the bearings themselves have flat spots in them as well now, so they will rotate to the best seating place in the race and you have more problems.

Take them out and replace, and you'll not have to worry about them again.

I completely agree with above statement. I also would like to add that once you have gone to all of the work of getting to the steering head bearings why wouldn't you replace them with new one and then not worry about them ever again. I know steering head bearings is a job that I don't ever want to do let alone do it more than once.

[Kirby]

I just searched through the VMax forum for replacing these bearings.

 

This post seemed to have some positive follow up to it, indicating it was feasible. Not positive if it will work in the Venture.

 

 

Ground a recess above it with a Dremel wheel and punched it out with a drift.

Use 'drift' to describe a long punch. I guess the proper term is 'drift punch.'

 

This is one type http://cgi.ebay.com/Allen-25632-Long...item4ced0d3588

 

Start your groove 3/4" - 1" above the bottom race and grind deeper into the steering neck as you work down toward it. There is a shoulder milled in the neck above the race that you have to go through also.

Gary

 

 

I used this technique about 4 years ago on my Vmax. Works like a charm and if it's ever to be done again all I'll have to do is knock them out.

[KIC]

Do you have an aftermarket front fork Brace ? After I put my Progressives in, my front felt a little loose and slightly non-responsive turning from left to right. After my heavy duty front fork brace it feels nice and tight.

 

 

Just a thought...

[GaryZ]

Do you have an aftermarket front fork Brace ? After I put my Progressives in, my front felt a little loose and slightly non-responsive turning from left to right. After my heavy duty front fork brace it feels nice and tight.

 

 

Just a thought...

 

Yes, I have a super-duper fork brace.

 

The Beast just feels loose when turning or changing lanes.

I can lean forward with my head almost over the steering head and it gets better.

It was good before all of the front end work . . .

[GaryZ]

I used this technique about 4 years ago on my Vmax. Works like a charm and if it's ever to be done again all I'll have to do is knock them out.

 

Kirb,

I changed the steering head bearings about a month ago without any problems.

You can read about it earlier in this thread . . .