Steering bearing replacement

[Rasputin]

I never had much problem getting the races out of my steering head. Wipe the races clean with a rag so you can easily see the indents inside. A long sturdy punch and a fairly solid hammer ( 2 lbs or so) is about all I used. Set the punch in the indents and make sure you have good contact with the race. For the bottom race you put the punch in from the top, and for the top race you punch from the bottom. Dont Hammer the h#ll out of it but give it a solid whack, then do the opposite side. Alternate sides until the bearing race is free. Sometimes you will have to do the dremel or welding tricks if it is really locked in there. I have never had to use anything like that and I have changed 6 of them in my lifetime.

[fredintoon]

Phil,

Thank you for correcting my understanding. You saved me from having to redo things agan. The bearing - taking them out - race seems tricky. I have to decide if I should really do it myself...

Hi dont,
do not get ahead of yourself. FIRST check out the existing bearings like this:-
Put the bike on it's centrestand with a jack under the engine to lift the front wheel off the ground.
Squat down facing the front wheel, grab the fork legs at the axle and push back and forth.
Nothing should move as you push and pull.
If the fork lowers shake on the fork tubes you are into a fork rebuild and that's another topic.
If the steering head clunks and moves in the frame the headraces are loose.
There's two jamnuts under the upper tripletree that have notches in them, they get turned to tighten the races.
Tighten them so the steering head has zero shake but the bars just fall all the way to either side
under the fork's own weight when you nudge the end of the bar away from being centred.
Once the headraces are adjusted, turn the bars lock to lock and see if you can feel the bearings turn smoothly with no notchy feeling.
If the fork turning motion feels smooth the bearings are OK and all you need to do is tear the steering head down just enough to repack the bearings with grease.