Steering head bearings

[sparkypete]

Firstly, this is my 1st post so hello to you all, I have been trawling the forums for a while now and find all your help and advise to be second to none, and given in a friendly and helpfull manner, unlike some other forums I have visited.

Anyway I have a 04 Fazer 600 which I am currently changing the head bearings to taper type ( aquired from Wemoto in the UK) I have re-assembled the front end and I have tightened the locking nut up enough to eliminate any slop when the forks are pulled back and forth.
However when the bike is back on the floor and I rock the bike back and forth with the front brake, I can feel a knock being transfered through to the handle bars.
Any ideas ??

Thanks

Pete:uk:

 

[RJ2112]

I understand there to be two nuts involved in the adjustment.... the outer one is merely there to 'hold'/lock the torque applied to the inner one. Is that the method you applied?

 

[sparkypete]

I understand there to be two nuts involved in the adjustment.... the outer one is merely there to 'hold'/lock the torque applied to the inner one. Is that the method you applied?

Yeah, I tightned the inner lock nut then replace the top yolk and tighten the top chrome nut, check for slop, if any remove top yolk tighten the inner locknut some more than repeat the above until slop was removed. Once no play was detected I put the top locknut into position, fitted the lock tags then replaced the top yolk and torqued down the chrome nut,

 

[RJ2112]

If you are still getting some clunking, I have to think you aren't quite tight enough yet...... Sounds like your technique is correct. When you were checking for play, were you rotating the steering neck accross the full range side to side?

I have not done the steering bearings on a bike, mine aren't beat up. A number of sets of wheel bearings, though. Properly drifting in the races so they are 'true', then applying the right torque to the bearings was usually enough. Any slop is going to be much easier to detect with the meter + long lever that is the fork legs on there....

 

[sparkypete]

If you are still getting some clunking, I have to think you aren't quite tight enough yet...... Sounds like your technique is correct. When you were checking for play, were you rotating the steering neck accross the full range side to side?

I have not done the steering bearings on a bike, mine aren't beat up. A number of sets of wheel bearings, though. Properly drifting in the races so they are 'true', then applying the right torque to the bearings was usually enough. Any slop is going to be much easier to detect with the meter + long lever that is the fork legs on there....

Thanks for the replies mate, yeah I always checked the side to side motion as well as the back and forth when I was checking for play, the side to side is free and easy.
Maybe I will give the bearings another tweak tighter then back of slightly to see if it makes a difference, just worried that I may over tighten them.
I just wonder if the clunking when the front wheel is down could be due to another item??

Pete

 

[Cali rider]

It might be the floating of the front brake discs. Try pushing down on the handlebars with the front wheel in contact with a wall or similar unmovable object and see if the noise/clunk is gone.

 

[sparkypete]

It might be the floating of the front brake discs. Try pushing down on the handlebars with the front wheel in contact with a wall or similar unmovable object and see if the noise/clunk is gone.

Thanks for the thoughts, I will try what you suggest, can you tell me what is a floating disc.

Pete

 

[Cali rider]

Thanks for the thoughts, I will try what you suggest, can you tell me what is a floating disc.

Pete

Look at the attached image:

The black inner hub is mounted to the wheel. The gray disc is captured with the floating blue rivets, but is not a tight connection. The disc can expand and flex as needed without influence from the rigid inner hub.

Does it make sense?

 

[fazil]

Did you use a torque wrench for the chrome top nut?

Torque specification is 110Nm and that's a tight a really tight fit.

After i changed my steering head bearings with taper ones. I tightened it as 110 Nm. And for 5000 km's everthing looks perfect in the front.

 

[RJ2112]

Thanks for the replies mate, yeah I always checked the side to side motion as well as the back and forth when I was checking for play, the side to side is free and easy.
Maybe I will give the bearings another tweak tighter then back of slightly to see if it makes a difference, just worried that I may over tighten them.
I just wonder if the clunking when the front wheel is down could be due to another item??

Pete

Pete, I don't think you could damage the bearings by over tightening them. You'll feel the loss of freedom in the intended direction of motion as binding, before you'll ever manage to dent the races. The roller bearings themselves are nearly indestructible.

 

[Denver_FZ6]

Be sure to pre-torque the lower nut according to specs:

1. First, tighten the ring nut to approximately 52 Nm (5.2 m-kg, 38 ft-lb) with a torque wrench, then loosen the ring nut completely.
2. Retighten the lower ring nut 18 Nm (1.8 m-kg, 13 ft-lb).

 

[sparkypete]

Thanks for the replies, firstly the explanation about the floating disc was crystal clear thanks.

The top chrome nut was torque down to the correct value.

Unfortunatley I dont have Yamahas special C spanner to allow the lower head nut to be torqued down, and if I did I think that the settings as per the manual would be based upon the replacement of original spec bearings and not taper, so I have tightned them up by ensuring there is no play in the forks yet still allowing free movment left to right.

Pete