Race head bearings help!

[dreadmanbastard]

hi chaps,
took the zed for mot today and straight away ive been sent home to replace my race head bearings.
How easy is this to do?
Ive got a doner set of zxr 750 forks but the guy who fitted em is out of business now so ive no idea if he used the steering stem of my z1000 forks or of the zxr 750. i tried to get a top yoke nut once and it arrived about 5mm too big so somethings not right. if i strip em do you think there with be some sort of identification on them so as i can replace em???

also, just to have a moan, i bought some kinda (clearly now) cheap front 7" light and upon riding out today the bulb melted the inside reflective part and smoke was pouring out of the light. what a load of shit! suppose i got what i paid for.

[kev edwards]

Hi Dreadman, sounds like you need to take the bearing races out , there should be numbers on them , which will enable you to get the right ones for your bike , good luck.

[KWACKERZ1]

Take them out and take them to a industrial bearing supplier they will match them up easily, dont bother with bike shops as they only have packages sets and will not have a clue.
There are also loads of sistes on the web that will give you dimensions and a breakdown but like the previous post says theer will be a beraing code stamped on the hard faces of the bearing shells.

Note that you need to take both out as the bottom will be different to the top one.
So take them both with you, for the dimensions you need inner face outer face and depth.

[dreadmanbastard]

thanks guys, im wondering though whether he was just tring to get rid of me. he wasnt willing to do any tuneing whatsoever and seem to think the whole bike would be a headache. he totally said it was going to be a nightmare so i think he was making it up cause i cant feel any play in the headstock myself.
saying that im newish at this maintenance lark.
whats the procedure to check for sure?
on a push bike its hold the front brake and rock the bike, its very obvious if there is play but thats a push bike not a 200kg bike. can i jack up the front and wobble the fork to check for sure, listen to them? isit just front and back wobble or grinding im looking for??????? could it be very small amout of play? that im just not noticing, like a 1 mm. the top race is complety still when rocked

[KWACKERZ1]

Generally if they are loose then rolling forward at walking pace, when you apply the brake quite harsh you may hear them knock. You can do this by bouncing it on the brake when walking it forward.

To check the tighteness when fitting or adjusting them, put the bike on the center stand with the front wheel clear of the ground, Get the bars central and let the bars drop to the left or right, they should hit the lock stops but not hard enough to bounce back of them just come to a controlled stop on each side. (if they are to tight they may stop before reaching the full arc)
Whilst in the air you could pull on the fork legs and see if you can feel any free play but I normally cannot as I have never had any that bad.

The first method is generally the best.

In your case I think I would tighten them down by a quarter turn on the c spanner adjuster, as if someone has fitted zxr forks to a z1 then they probably fitted new bearings at the time and they may have just settled a bit and need a tighten.

Hope this helps.

[chrisu]

what exactly did the MOT guy say ?

Replace the head bearing, they're loose, wobbling, notchy, too tight ???

Sounds like they need checking but thats pretty easy to do.

you will need the front end up.

If you're not sure of the state of them I'd remove front wheel, forks and the drop the stem to check them.

If they're taper rollers they may need a clean/grease/refit. If cup & cone (unlikely) then I personally would bin them.

Clean cages and rotate - don't spin them. Smooth or graunchy ?

If smooth regrease and refit. If graunchy/rusty - replace.

You want them nipped up and free to rotate but with no side or up and down movement. don't overtighten them.

[dreadmanbastard]

ive been tring to find some play but just cant.

I took it today to have
indicators fitted
mot
and a tune up if possible

the guy was saying tuning was out of my budget cause he'd have to do compression, timing, etc work his way throught it. i think it was out of his league to be honest.
but then got all funny about the mot saying the bike was a nightmare and looking it over, cheacking wheel bearing and suspension. the he gave it a few shoves with the front brake on and went oh there your see, front race is gone, failed already, gonna be really expenisve to do that, you can do it yourself. im glad in a way, i didnt like him and his attitude.
im gonna take it somewhere else just for an mot, nothing else and hopefully wont have any grief.

[Pigford]

The bloke just don't wanna know.... or just doesn't know

http://simplybearings.co.uk/ these guys have a useful section & tips on bearings.....

If you measure the frame & spindle dimensions, ( diameter int & ext & bearing width) you'll find sumink to suit. The bearings should have a ref code, but if ball & race, not so sure

[Steve Cooke]

They would have to be pretty knackered or completely loose to feel forward/backward movement, usually the first sign of wear is a little grinding when turned side to side with wheel off the ground. Last year I took a bike for MOT that I had fitted new steering head bearings to and the tester failed it on them, he said look you can feel them binding a bit, so I tried them and couldn't feel anything wrong with them but he was adamant there was, he let me take the bike away to sort it without charge so I took it home for an hour did absolutely nothing to the bike and took it back to him, he tried it and pronounced ''there you go isn't that a lot better'' I thought yeah right you dick, but never said anything as I wanted the MOT, that guy does sound a bit of an arse.

[floydsz1]

I agree with you mr cooke, i had simular problem many years ago with an mot bloke. All they really did was cars/vans and didnt really have an interest in bikes, oh and i was a bike mechanic at the time,
The guys who do my bikes now are mates off mine and just look and fiddle with my bike to make it look like they are testing it, then give me a certificate because they trust me. they are bikers so they understand about bikes etc.
I once took an old vintage bike for an mot, brakes were like pushbike ones. It didnt brake, it rather reduced speed gradually they were that usless, but it was how they were at the time it was built, the mot guy put it on the brake roller and it passed no problem. i wouldnt like to ride it very far though. While it didnt have any forward momentum to stop they worked fine.

[hillbilly]

i bet if you take it elsewere for mot,it would pass as it is,try telling him you have replaced them,and i bet he passes it. i had something like this happen to me umpteen year ago.just told him i had replaced them.

[chrisu]

ive been tring to find some play but just cant.

I took it today to have
indicators fitted
mot
and a tune up if possible

the guy was saying tuning was out of my budget cause he'd have to do compression, timing, etc work his way throught it. i think it was out of his league to be honest.
but then got all funny about the mot saying the bike was a nightmare and looking it over, cheacking wheel bearing and suspension. the he gave it a few shoves with the front brake on and went oh there your see, front race is gone, failed already, gonna be really expenisve to do that, you can do it yourself. im glad in a way, i didnt like him and his attitude.
im gonna take it somewhere else just for an mot, nothing else and hopefully wont have any grief.

sounds like a complete arse........ IMHO

[hillbilly]

can you not report him for not doing his job properly,like offtell,or offcom,offmot.

[mick znone]

yes bastard, id go else where, the guy sounds like he's a tosser, he sounds busy though so must be good at something

[tlc]

My MOT tester is a guy I have known for 30 years.

Last year he found that the bearings were a little tight. "Try it and you`ll feel a notch near to dead ahead" he said.

Sure enough there was. He passed it, and I sorted it when I got home.

Top bloke, top bike shop Been at it since 1936 so they ought to know