Something loose in front end???

[VEGASRIDER]

Well, if it ever loosen's up again, nextime, I will do it myself. The degree of difficulty doesn't look too hard. Especially with the right tool as shown. I just didn't want to deal with it for some reason, and $90 was within my budget.

I've logged about 18,000 miles on my bike, and so far, I've put about $400 into the bike in repairs, parts and labor at the local Yamaha dealership This included two brand new Pilot Power's installed. But it does not include the cost of oil and filters which I have done myself.

Next....new spark plugs. Just wonder how far I can go with my original plugs?

 

[rvbiker]

The less time you spend at the dealers the richer you will be and the better your bike will run. Look at it this way, The dealer charges $90 an hour for labor. You can buy that spanner wrench for $30 and take about an hour of your time. You have $60 left to buy more tools, bling for you bike, or beer for the neighbor. Either way you know the job was done right and you know your bike a little better.:rockon:

 

[MarinaFazer]

My bike is at the dealer RIGHT NOW with this problem. They tightened it once, but it took them 20 minutes. So they're going to remove the fork and check the bearings and what not...glad I'm not doing it and that it's under warranty! No fee for me luckily.

i had the same symptoms, but worse cuz in a turn I could feel the shudder over bumps...

hopefully this time they'll do it right since they said they're going to take off the wheel and maybe even the front fork to check it all.

 

[Lt_Red]

Ive had this problem also with an S2 model at 12k miles on the clock. Its getting progressively worse.

I have the bike booked into the stealership on Monday to replace BOTH bearings. I was told that bearings are considered perishable and therefore are not covered under warranty, but the dealer rang Yamaha-uk on my behalf and they agreed to do it under warranty! w0000t!

:cheer:

Will report back on bearing replacement on Monday night....

Red

 

[MarinaFazer]

Got the call back...They took off the front fork to look at everything. There was gunk buildup in the bearing and this resulted in pitting of the bearings. It got gunk in it from when it came loose. They're ordering replacements parts from Yamaha and will have it done next week.

In the meantime, they're putting it back together (since it's rideable and safe) so I can do my roadtrip this weekend.

I am starting to think about that extended warranty...

 

[The Rayman]

The Yamaha OEM bearings will continue to do this no matter how many times they change them. Switch to aftermarket tapered bearings (I went with All Balls) and you will never worry about this again. At least nowhere near as often. :thumbup:

 

[MarinaFazer]

well, as long as it's free I'll take what they give me OEM. I care more about why the whole steering head came loose in the first place! tsk tsk on Yamaha

 

[Nelly]

Re: Something loose in front end??? steering head bearings??

Did we ever get to the bottom of this? I have looked at my calipers and rotors and don't buy that excuse.

I have an '06. At one time I was experiencing a binding in the steering head while cornering, at that time the bike only had a couple thousand kms. Now with 10,000 kms, that has since subsided. Problem is, now I get that same clunking when I hit a bump. It is more noticable with a passenger on the back or under acceleration when there is less weight on the front end. So noticable that it seems to vibrate when accelerating at higher RPMs. Like the rest of them, I can't duplicate the noise when its on the center stand. I do think I can find a slight bit of play in the head bearings tho. Has the problem gone from being too tight to too loose?

Whats everyones thoughts?

Our 2006 bikes have a different caliper. I used to have twin pot floating calipers on a Kwak and it did the same.

Nelly

 

[Lt_Red]

I have just got a call from Yammy who have my '07 bike on the bench. They have confirmed that my problem is not the headrace bearings, rather it is a worn pin on the offside caliper causing the caliper to move under load. The entire caliper needs replacement.

 

[mstewar1]

Steering head bearings are, for the abuse that they take, not a very large set of bearings. And getting them correctly set is a job that should take about an hour, since you have to remove the front wheel in order to do it correctly.

As rvrider said, buy the correct tool like the one from graingers. Yes, you *can* get it adjusted with screwdriver and hammer but you won't get it adjusted with any precision. Steering head bearings (called a "headset" on a bicycle) have a sweet spot, where they're neither too loose nor too tight. And if they're left either loose or tight, you'll have problems.

Too tight and they wear out prematurely, taking the races in which they seat with them in the process. You'll essentially smash the bearing into the race face, causing a groove. From what I've come to understand, and I could be way off here, on any bearing assembly, one material -- either the bearing or the race in which they run -- is made intentionally softer than the other for this very reason. Typically it's the balls that are considered the *consumable* item.

Leave them too loose and you'll feel the clunk. Again, speaking from experience with bicycles (and it may not translate, I don't know), if you leave a head set too loose you run the risk of ovalizing the head tube. I'd imagine that this portion of our moto is relatively over-built to mitigate such damage but don't wanna find out. At the very least I'd speculate that a loose and ignored head set is bound to trash the races and bearings.

It's really not all that mysterious, it's just a bearing set. But it takes patience, a little time, the right tool, and good grease to get a head set adjusted correctly.

I have yet to work on my steering bearings but owing to a recent thread have just ordered a set of tapered bearings from Allballs racing. I'll let you all know what I find. I've got a little over 6k miles on my bike.

 

[dark_isz]

..........

 

[mstewar1]

The only reason that caliper replacement would come to my mind is if the hole through which the pin inserts got out of round/ovalized by a loose, skinny, or otherwise out of spec pin. But if I'm reading that picture correctly, that pin is the one that holds the pads. It's held in place by clips. If it were that loose it would seem to me that it may just as easily slip out of the caliper as sit and wobble. Beyond holding the pads in place, it doesn't appear to provide any structural support to the caliper.

There are some brakes in which the pads will wiggle, longitudinally, ever so slightly. If you can find someone whom you trust to hold your bike while you've got your head down near the brake, you might get down there and take a look at the pads in the caliper as your assistant holds the brake lever and rocks the bike fore and aft.

One way to check your steering head bearings is to put your front wheel up against a sturdy wall. Place a hand on the steering head bolt -- the one in the middle of upper clamp, under the bars -- and attempt to rock the bike against the wall. If there's play in the bearing set you'll feel it right away in your hand. If you don't feel play, then any noise you're hearing is located elsewhere.

Someone also mentioned feeling a sort of "gyroscopic" type of sensation in their front end. This is likely because the bearing set is too tight. What you're feeling is a tight spot in the bearing set that's grabbing and releasing as you turn the bars.

 

[Kamloops]

I would love more info on this. I recently noticed a clunk from my front end, and after extensive 'wiggle testing', it seems like the clunk is coming from the caliper. What I'm having trouble understanding is why the entire caliper needed replacement? The pin that holds the pads (part 12 & 22 below), which I assume is the one that wore down and is causing the noise, is easily replacable. Is there another pin in the caliper that can't be removed?

Its normal - mine does it they all do, I even went into the showroom and the sales guy showed me on a new bike

What it is, is
the brake rotors are what is called a full floater type disc. If you look
there are little buttons that hold the disc to the hub carrier what is
happening is with the load of the brakes being applied the disc is moving
on these buttons. Not Yamahas but on certain exotics you can actually grab
the disc and move it about two mils. This is normal, THEY use this
technology 'cause the components are thinner than automotive and it's one of
the tricks to keep the disc from warping. ( heat generated under heavy
braking is intense... enough for a burn to blister if touched ).
Hope this quells that uneasy feeling.

 

[Trouble]

I have yet to work on my steering bearings but owing to a recent thread have just ordered a set of tapered bearings from Allballs racing. I'll let you all know what I find. I've got a little over 6k miles on my bike.

Way big thumbs up on the AllBalls racing bearings. Instead of the stupid little round bearings they have long roller bearings. Way better contact area. They seem to roll easier too, making the bike respond more quickly.

I had a bear of a time replacing the races - see other threads on that. After replacing the bearings and races I found that I had to retighten the steering head bolt a few times after riding. I think I probably didn't seat the races properly. It's pretty obvious when it needs to be tightened - it becomes very easy to turn the handlebars.

 

[yamsgo]

The bike is fine, mine is a March 08 S2 fazer and does the same. When I first got the bike I mentioned it and was told they all do it. last week took my bike to a different dealer to have the forks made stiffer as the front end felt choppy and lifeless and asked them about the knocking and was told it was fine.
mod done, changed oil for 10 grade and spacers on top of springs.
phil:

 

[interactive3]

Re: Something loose in front end??? steering head bearings??

Did we ever get to the bottom of this? I have looked at my calipers and rotors and don't buy that excuse.

I have an '06. At one time I was experiencing a binding in the steering head while cornering, at that time the bike only had a couple thousand kms. Now with 10,000 kms, that has since subsided. Problem is, now I get that same clunking when I hit a bump. It is more noticable with a passenger on the back or under acceleration when there is less weight on the front end. So noticable that it seems to vibrate when accelerating at higher RPMs. Like the rest of them, I can't duplicate the noise when its on the center stand. I do think I can find a slight bit of play in the head bearings tho. Has the problem gone from being too tight to too loose?

Whats everyones thoughts?

My '06 has a similar clunk over bumps. I'll take a closer look. Things seems tight (now at ~6000 miles). I was wondering if it was something in the front fairing assembly. To be continued...

 

[Lt_Red]

Well, my Caliper has been replaced under warranty (thanks yamaha) the pin securing the pads had worn the securing holes in the caliper slightly. Brand new offside caliper, sqeeky clean.

BUT I can confirm that the clunk is still there.

So thats the caliper out of the question, and the mechanic confirmed there is nothing wrong with the headrace bearing(s).

I'm running out of ideas here...

 

[MarinaFazer]

I had my bearings, head, and everything replaced under warranty....there's a slight clunk when I push down on the forks, but that's normal they say....the wobble is gone and it's nice and tight on my end...

good luck with yours!

 

[REDHAWK22]

So how do you tighten the Steering head?

I had the same thing, it turned out the steering head bearing were loose.
Just 1 nut, took just under an hour for the job, fortunately i had a mechanic to help.
If you sit on the bike on the centre stand, and rock the bike forward you'd hear the clunk. Very uncomfortable to ride, although not unsafe as such. It does get worse though. This SHOULD fall under warranty / servicing ... as it is factory tightened, apparently a little too loose.

So how do you tighten the Steering head?

 

[FinalImpact]

So how do you tighten the Steering head?



So how do you tighten the Steering head?

That thread ended three years ago! :welcome:

OK - Do you have the PDF service manual? Its pretty easy with the right tools. Search for the manual and read up (Bonemans site has the manual).
Let us know if you have any questions. . .

Why do you suspect the steering head?