switching steering head bearings

Post by **Hooligan** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 10:15 pm

hi everyone,

has anyone here switched from the standard head bearings to the taper style bearings advertised on the net/ebay?

i pulled my triples today along with their related parts. i figured while they were out that maybe i should consider an upgrade to a better system.

so, any problems/difficulties with this swap? opinions?

Post by **FZRDude** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 12:56 am

I plan on watching this as well. Since I'm pulling front end off in a week or so, I'm in the same boat.

creed12r · Post by **creed12r** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 3:48 am

The standard steering stem bearings are taper roller bearings.

chris

Post by **FZRDude** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:41 am

On both the YZF and FZR?

SJTFZR1000 · Post by **SJTFZR1000** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:47 am

hey hooligan

I did my head stem bearings on my fzr1k 90 model a while ago and they were a tapered bearing top and bottom.mine was a bit stiff(bearing was pitted) as it had been sitting around for a couple of years with the previos owner.the bearing replacement made a huge improvement in handling and cornering.the first time i went to take a corner i nearly fell off because i was so used of leaning so hard. the whole job was not as hard as i thought.:cool :cool :cool

p.s.--- make sure you tighten the headstem bolt securely then go for a little ride and then recheck for freeplay in the bearing.i did this several times and each time i found freeplay in the headstem.

Post by **Hooligan** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 12:12 pm

i'm a little confused. is a tapered bearing flat bearings in a race that isn't loose?

the stock bearings on my yzf750 are loose round bearings floating in a layer of grease in the headstock. they are separate from their races.

the switch i am talking about is for the following "conversion kit":

my stock bearings look nothing like this.

wortdog · Post by **wortdog** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 2:48 pm

Tapered roller bearings have little cylinder chaped rollers that are set at an angle inside a keeper that matches the outside race's angle.

Every FZR600 and 1000 has tapered roller bearings stock, the 89 and later FZR 750's had standard ball bearings, don't know about the YZFs.

creed12r · Post by **creed12r** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 3:35 pm

Sorry about my confusion.

I've just had a look at the parts manual and

It would appear that the YZF 750 has a set of ball bearings in the steering stem.

All the EXUP's have taper roller bearings as standard and I assumed all the rest of the range would be the same.

chris.

Post by **Hooligan** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:03 pm

ok guys, thanks for the info. i thought i was losing my mind!

so, what do you think? should i swap out my OEM loose ball-bearings with the taper style bearings pictured in my previous post?

dragracer1951 · Post by **dragracer1951** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 9:03 pm

Tapered bearings will accept a larger load. Balls will have nicer feel
Your choice

Post by **Hooligan** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:29 am

jim, you raise a difficult question.

i don't want a "gritty" feeling in the bars when i turn side-to-side, and i try to keep my front wheel on the ground since it does help turn the bike, so my instinct is to stick with OEM ball-bearings.

hmm, i'll have to think about this one...

dragracer1951 · Post by **dragracer1951** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 10:04 am

Jason
Your comment strikes close to the point.
No one wants the heavy feel in their steering. No one wants to change bearings all the time. Tough situation. One thought though is that clean, well maintained bearings (Quality bearings that is...and you ain't going to find those on ebay) that are repacked with a high pressure quality grease, (Not the kind you get for a buck ninety eight at the local auto zone) will go a LONG way towards producing a consistantly good steering bike. The problem is, most people want the good results, but are not willing to put forth the effort to achieve it.
Oh Woe is us as a people.....