Original Steering Bearings or Tapered Roller Bearings?

Ball bearings or tapered rollers


  • Total voters
    12
I always fit taper rollers on any bike I work on. I remember when they first appeared on the scene and what an advance they were regarded as then ... I think they are just that bit better particularly at spreading the load.
 
Trying REALLY hard to make that early XS1 as correct as possible. It shows 4300 on the clock. When I cleaned half century old grease off the races and gave 'em a good 👁️
Tossed, and put in tapered rollers. :shrug:
 
I bought my first XS650 back in 1977, it was a ‘76 model. Back then I was a complete knucklehead kid, I was the dreaded previous owner, all I ever did was put gas in it. Anyways that bike used to have a front end shake , nothing scary, that would hit at 40 mph. I did try tightening the steering head nut, it didn’t help. I also put a new set of tires on it, it didn’t help either.
In retrospect , I’ll bet the steering head bearing races were brinneled.
A set of tapered bearings probably would’ve fixed it.
 
With the oem bearings I was getting a noticeable notch that you could feel in the middle so I installed tapered rollers. That was a long time and many miles ago. Never a problem or in need an adjustment since.
I would have thought that the knotch was due to the age and adjustment of the bearings and not that they were roller?
 
I wonder why Yamaha put loose bearings in the steering head. My 71 Triumph have tapered rollers, and tapered rollers were available for decades beforehand.
 
Weems put this David Mann replica chopper together for a charity auction. I'll spare you the watch. He installed ball bearing steering.

 
Miss November must be the exception. When I first took the bike apart, I assumed I would be fitting taper rollers. But I found the bike had been treated to new ball bearings in the very recent past - the races and balls looked new and the grease was clean. So I re-used them as it's not too hard to go back in there again if the bike shakes it's head. As no doubt some of you are. But, she handles just fine.
 
I put tapered in the old '83 and will install them in the '77 if and when the time comes. I WILL notch the steering head to be able to remove the tapered bearings......or whatever the process is to easily remove the tapered bearings and their race. Why? You never know, as I never imagined.......
 
I put tapered in the old '83 and will install them in the '77 if and when the time comes. I WILL notch the steering head to be able to remove the tapered bearings......or whatever the process is to easily remove the tapered bearings and their race. Why? You never know, as I never imagined.......
If using a punch is difficult or impossible, there is another fairly easy method: Using a stick or MIG welder, run a weld bead all around the inside of the old bearing race. Then have a cup of coffee or tea while everything cools down, and now the bottom race most likely falls out by itself, and the top race can be pulled out by hand
 
If using a punch is difficult or impossible, there is another fairly easy method: Using a stick or MIG welder, run a weld bead all around the inside of the old bearing race. Then have a cup of coffee or tea while everything cools down, and now the bottom race most likely falls out by itself, and the top race can be pulled out by hand
And if it doesn't, the built up bead will give enough purchase for a drift to tap it out.
 
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