Steering - Your Opinion Please

[Rumpole of the Bailey]

I have recently spent a couple of thousand miles on a heavy bike with a rake somewhat longer than the FZ6. Getting back on the Fizzer I am finding very light steering, lighter than I remember.
I know people have had trouble with bearings, does this make the steering heavier when they are corroding?
Can you tighten the steering bearings and at what Kms?
or
Is it my tyres at 11,000 km (BT21's and the front is looking sad)?

Any advice would be appreciated and if there are overseas riders willing to help, thanks as well.
Rumps

 

[Erci]

Do NOT tighten your bearings unless you're sure the assembly is loose. Have a friend stand over your bike for safety. Approach the bike from the front, grab the handlebar by the grips, using underhand grip. Squeeze the front brake lever with your left thumb (you basically want the front wheel to be locked up). Now give the bike a good tug toward yourself.. do this a couple of times. If there is any play, the bearings are loose or damaged. If there's no play and you can turn the bar smoothly side to side, leave them alone.

I can't comment on the feel of bearings going bad on FZ6 as mine are still in good shape, but as far as lighter steering goes.. of course FZ6 will take less effort to steer (if that's what you were referring to).

If the bike you were on had a slacker head angle, it almost certainly had a longer trail. The longer the trail, the more the bike wants to keep the front wheel pointing straight at speed and the more it will resist riders input to the handlebar. Great for touring.. less great for spirited cornering.

 

[muck_mahone]

I check my steering head bearing by grabing the very bottom of the fork stanchions and push/pull them back and forth, and slight knock points to bad steering head bearings. Riding with bad steering head bearings makes the steering feel vague, and or, resists turning. Another likely problem is incorrect tyre pressure, possibly too much air in the front or not enough in the rear.

 

[Kriswithak]

Its probably most likely you got used to another bike and coming back just feel the difference quite strongly.
Its also more possible there was something wrong with the other bike that may have been effecting the steering to make it worse than it should have been. Low tyre pressure makes turning harder.

The FZ6 is pretty light and nimble when she is moving really.

 

[Humperdinkel]

I changed the steering head bearing out on mine at 12000k's , was really suprised to fine dodgey ball bearings in there replaced them with roller bearings & the difference was night & day :thumbup: I highly recommend changing them straight away for that reason alone