thruster8999 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Wow this happen to me too. Both handguard bolt were really loose. Almost lost the one on the left side it was just hanging there. Tighten them back up and all is good for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 thruster8999 I would check the rest of the front end that the dealer puts together. I found quite a few bolts loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thruster8999 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thanks I will check it all out tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panooch Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 OMG, plastic race on the steering head bearing? Please be kidding me. When on earth did manufacturers start cutting that much? Seems liability wise they would never even consider something like that. I understand more plastic for weight and building expense reduction, but not on a critical bearing race. I don't think the FZ or FJ's would be holding up to the hooligan's doing wheelies I read about if that were the case. Must be other bikes. Everyday's a good day when your able to ride 15 FJ-09 - 2WDW ECU flash, Givi SV201, Nelson Rigg tail bag, OES sliders, Koubalink extenders, Ermax Sport, Vista Cruise, OEM seat mod, (smiles) 07 Honda ST1300A (sold) 06 Kawi KLR650 - Big Gun full exhaust, Corbin, Givi, PMR racks, carb mod (keeper) 97 Honda VFR750 - Traxxion Dynamics, Penske, Givi 3 piece, carbon exhaust (keeper?) 20+ years of snowmobiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member ULEWZ Posted March 25, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted March 25, 2015 Let us know what you find out. I went to pass a truck the other day and got some movement as I was accelerating around him at around 95-100 or so. Personally, putting a quality timken style steering bearing (Alls-balls) is high on my list of priorities for changing on the FJ. I'll bet most of the high speed instability comes from Yamaha going with a cheap, plastic race steering bearing. I am having a hard time believing this. Plastic, as you call it, would not stand up to the stresses. Maybe the dust cover? Please show me where you got your information (proof as the lawyers would say) as this is of concern to me if true. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Bikes: 2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket. 2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes) 2007 FJR1300 (Sold!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thruster8999 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Not sure where you guys are getting that yamaha is using plastic bearings for the steering. For what I get from the part number these are steel bearings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Let us know what you find out. I went to pass a truck the other day and got some movement as I was accelerating around him at around 95-100 or so. Personally, putting a quality timken style steering bearing (Alls-balls) is high on my list of priorities for changing on the FJ. I'll bet most of the high speed instability comes from Yamaha going with a cheap, plastic race steering bearing. I am having a hard time believing this. Plastic, as you call it, would not stand up to the stresses. Maybe the dust cover? Please show me where you got your information (proof as the lawyers would say) as this is of concern to me if true. Because I've had similar bearings apart before. The dust covers are all metal with a lip seal bonded to the edge which "hugs" the neck of the downtube part of the frame - and protects the bearing, by keeping out water, dirt, etc. The bearing itself shares the same part number as the FZ 09 and goes all the way back to the 02 and up V star 1100's. It may not be 100% plastic, but the cage in which the balls reside in- is NOT metal. My guess would be a composite plastic of some sort. I'm no engineer, but my personal opinion is that the tendency of both the FZ 09 and the FJ 09 to "wobble" a bit at high speed is 100% due to flex in the cage of the steering bearing. And this tendency is exacerbated by the rake/trail of the bike. Yes, the stock bearings could be tightened beyond spec, which is what another poster said a shop did to his bike - that they "tightened" it - which I am taking to mean they simply over torqued the stock bearings to get rid of that steering head shake complaint that he had. But over torquing the stock bearings isn't the right way to fix this characteristic. A better quality bearing for the steep price of $35 bucks retail is a way better fix. And cheaper than a steering stabilizer. When I pull the upper clamp to re torque the bearings, I'll snap a picture to show you what I'm talking about as far as the composition of the cage. Planning on doing that beginning of next week. It seems as if you have been around the forums for awhile. Curious if you know of any FZ 09 owners who have changed out the bearings? -skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Let us know what you find out. I went to pass a truck the other day and got some movement as I was accelerating around him at around 95-100 or so. Personally, putting a quality timken style steering bearing (Alls-balls) is high on my list of priorities for changing on the FJ. I'll bet most of the high speed instability comes from Yamaha going with a cheap, plastic race steering bearing. I am having a hard time believing this. Plastic, as you call it, would not stand up to the stresses. Maybe the dust cover? Please show me where you got your information (proof as the lawyers would say) as this is of concern to me if true. I have a really hard time believing that Yamaha uses plastic Bearings. Sorry, but until i see a pic of said plastic bearing, I do not beleive it. I have read alot of BS on forums, and seen people get all huffed up and rumors spread about bikes that are untrue. Pics or it never happened is the rule around here. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Not sure where you guys are getting that yamaha is using plastic bearings for the steering. For what I get from the part number these are steel bearings. You can't tell what they are made of from the part number. You CAN tell which models SHARE the same p/n. I've had V Star 1100s apart before. Same part number as our bikes. Just to clarify: the balls and the race are made of metal. The cage in which the balls reside...is not. I'll poke around online to see if I can find a pic of what I'm talking about. -skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I am having a hard time believing this. Plastic, as you call it, would not stand up to the stresses. Maybe the dust cover? Please show me where you got your information (proof as the lawyers would say) as this is of concern to me if true. I have a really hard time believing that Yamaha uses plastic Bearings. Sorry, but until i see a pic of said plastic bearing, I do not beleive it. I have read alot of BS on forums, and seen people get all huffed up and rumors spread about bikes that are untrue. Pics or it never happened is the rule around here. I hear you. Lot of misinformation on the web. But this is for real, trust me. Balls and race are metal, cage is not. Sure. Ill snap a pic but won't get to it for several days. This is getting interesting. And also off topic. Should we create a new thread? -S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Sorry if I sound mean, I certainly do not want to be mean or condescending. I appreciate you as a member very much. But yeah, some pics please. I do not want to log into another forum and see people posting that we said that Yamaha is using plastic bearings. the cage? Well, that may be another story. Not sure how stressed of a part the cage is, in the housing. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Sorry if I sound mean, I certainly do not want to be mean or condescending. I appreciate you as a member very much. But yeah, some pics please. I do not want to log into another forum and see people posting that we said that Yamaha is using plastic bearings. the cage? Well, that may be another story. Not sure how stressed of a part the cage is, in the housing. I understand, and no I'm not taking it the wrong way. Reminder: I AM talking about the CAGE. (NOT the ball bearings themselves.) In fact, I will go and edit my original comment to be sure this is clear. These are not the exact bearings, but the design is similar. FYI - the reason GL1800 Goldwings have deceleration wobble from 35-25mph is because of this style of steering stem bearing. -S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thruster8999 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I looked at the part closer online and see the plastic that holds the steel balls. Not sure why people think this is what causes the front end to wobble. In my opinion it is more because of the rake and due to the front end being light. I only get alittle shake when I am getting on the throttle but I am not worried about so far. It might be a different story when I add a passenger of weight in the rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I posted pics in another thread for those of you that are interested in the follow up. http://fj-09.org/thread/855/plastic-bearings-movement-speed-exploding -skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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