Steering head bearings preload

[bruceintucson]

Decided to check the steering head bearings and make sure there was no play and they were adjusted correctly. Got the front wheel off the ground; holy crap they were way tight! FJ now has ~ 700 miles on it and they should be seated by now. Texted a friend who was Service Manager for a large multi-line dealership in TN for 12 years about whether he had seen Yamaha's with too tight steering head bearings and how tight mine were. His comment "not surprised". There is no way a bike can handle properly with over tight steering head bearings.
if you've never done it it's hard to explain but there should be (obviously) an absence of play when you grab the forks at the axle & push back & forth. When you take the front wheel in your fingers at the front & move it side to side you should feel a[em] little[/em] drag; this is the preload on the bearings. I'm talking a little bit here.
The bearings can be adjusted with a punch & hammer (again the feel thing) without removing anything other than the top tank trim for access. Loosen the top triple clamp pinch bolts, remove the steering stem nut, remove the washer underneath it, lift the top triple clamp with the handlebars (and what I did), duct tape it as high as you can around the handlebars and over the windshield to hold it up out of the way. There is a tab which aligns the adjuster nut (bottom one) to the locking nut (upper one), just lift it out. With plenty of rags in place, take your punch I loosen the locking nut from the adjuster nut. There is an o-ring between then (like this in Yamaha's) and it will take (generally) a couple of good hits with the hammer/punch to break the lock nut loose. Adjust the adjuster nut either tighter or looser depending on what you discovered in your test with the fron wheel off the ground. I had to go almost 1/2 turn looser on the adjuster nut! Tighten the lock nut snugly against the o-ring until the tabs align, re-install the tab (lock & adjuster nut need to be aligned-makes sense when you see it), put the handlebars back on and check again for play & preload. It may take  couple of times. Re-install the washer, steering stem nut (80 ft/lbs), tighten the top triple clamp pinch bolts (19 ft/lbs), re-install the tank trim, remove protective rags and you're done. Enjoy the better handling!

[jsp]

Yesterday I changed my steering head bearings. My bike has about 3600 miles. The bearings were factory adjusted very tight, exactly the same as the first post. Now with the tapered bearings installed, things are super smooth and free. When I get a chance to road test the bike, it should be much better.
john

[bruceintucson]

A front wheel needs to be able to "oscillate" auto-correct a little while it's running down the road. That's the reason steering dampers don't begin to work for the first 5-10 degrees to each side from straight ahead. Too tight bearings will give all kinds of handling woes. Weaving in a straight line (front wheel can't correct so it sends it into the chassis), a hunting feeling and imprecision when cornering, inability to correct/center itself when it gets deflected by something in the road....you get the idea.Took the FJ out today to get the Penske dialed in (just a click or 2 from how it came from Traxxion) and took it down Aravaca Road south of Tucson. There are sections on this road that makes the bumpy sections of the Isle of Man course seem like a billiard table. Mary & I switched and I rode it part of the way back to Amado. The FJ was tracking perfectly, no weave, no headshake, no imprecision. It went exactly where it was pointed even over the nastiest stuff. There are a couple of rises then drop aways in corners where (depending on your speed) the front wheel or the whole bike will get airborne). FJ "landed" perfectly with nary a shake or wobble. On a stretch of straight road that runs parallel to I-19 Mary had it to indicated 122 with no issues whatsoever.The Penske is a wonderful (IMO necessary) piece of kit, but getting the steering head bearings re-set actually made more of a difference in ride & handling. If you're having less than stellar handling, check them out or have them checked out. Look on line for ways to check & adjust the bearings.

[bruceintucson]

Yesterday I changed my steering head bearings. My bike has about 3600 miles. The bearings were factory adjusted very tight, exactly the same as the first post. Now with the tapered bearings installed, things are super smooth and free. When I get a chance to road test the bike, it should be much better. john

Here's a video from [em]Motorcyclist-on-line[/em] on how to check & adjust your steering head bearings. Makes checking/adjusting simple.http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/how-to-check-and-adjust-your-motorcycle-steering-head-bearings-mc-garage-video?cmpid=enewsMCG071516&spPodID=030&spMailingID=25983142&spUserID=MTQ3OTM1OTQ0OTE5S0&spJobID=842070022&spReportId=ODQyMDcwMDIyS0 
 
 

[jsp]

My stock bearings were in fine condition, just adjusted too tight. I choose to change these to tapered roller bearings from All Balls Racing. They are much smoother under load in a corner. I usually wait until 20,000 miles or so to do this, but I had the front end off anyway so it was a perfect time. Cost is not to bad, under $30. If anybody tries this, I have some tips.
john