Steering head bearing and races.

[Chris Bohane]

My GS850 needs new bearings.

I have stripped the front end out and removed the bottom bearing and race, no problem.

I am unable to "get at" the top race as it seems to be sitting in a groove inside the headstock.
Do I attack it from the top or from the bottom, through the headstock?

What is the prefered method of removal?

On re-assembly do I install the race first then the taper bearing(from the bottom) or do I install the taper into the race and then press it all into the headstock.

Any advice appreciated as always.

Thanks,
Bozza

[t3rmin]

Cutting the races out with a dremel proved the least painful way when I did steering bearings on my 750. I banged in the new races with a rubber mallet, then installed the rest.

[fgh]

Never seen a top race that didn't come out the top. It'll have a ridge under it so that it stops in the correct position. You should be able to get something on the edge of the race that sticks out past the ridge and tap it out. Both races go in. Install the bottom bearing on the stem. Put the stem in drop in the top bearing and adjust. Did I say to pack the bearings first.

[tobiism]

If you have a MIG welder, clean up that race nice and shiny and weld a nice thick bead around the face of the race. When it cools, it will shrink the race and it will pop out very easy with a brass drift used from the underside.

[bonanzadave]

[Steveb64]

If you have a MIG welder, clean up that race nice and shiny and weld a nice thick bead around the face of the race. When it cools, it will shrink the race and it will pop out very easy with a brass drift used from the underside.

I've done a number of steering head bearings in a similar fashion - but just using a regular old stick welder. Wipe the grease off the inside of the bearing cone, then weld a bead around the inside of the bearing - make sure it stays ON the bearing (you don't want to weld the bearing into the steering head), and when it cools, often the bearing will just drop out. Doesn't matter if the weld is a bit blobby - gives something for a drift to get some purchase on if you need to push the bearing out... The main thing is to weld that bead so it goes ALL the way around. The explanation given to me at the time I learned this trick was that as the bead cooled, it shrunk, and as it shrunk, if it went all the way around the inside of the bearing, it would shrink the bearing outer shell too.

[posplayr]

Advanced new tool for lower race removal

I have the engine out of my 83 gs1100E and noticed that the steering seemed locked. I was fitting a fairing on so thought I had locked it that way. Fairing off it was stilll locked. Finally after checking pushed it hard enough so that it moved. After reading here decided to check out the bearings.

Got to the lower race and tried a couple of things. Finally arrived on the nice long bolt idea. Used the bench grinder to shape to fit the inside of thead and rest on the bearing race shoulder. Couple of knocks with the hammer with bolt in the vice bent it to get better fit against the sholder. Carefully worked my way around it it was out in about 10 minutes.



My puller is not long enough to pull that lower bearing, but with triple clamp in hand I can take it to a local shop;on the other hand harbor freight is only 30 minutes away..


Posplayr

[Steve]

I had to cut mine out with a cut-off wheel on a Dremel.

Posplayr, your bearing race looked just about as bad as the one I removed from my 650. :shock:


.

[posplayr]

Steve

Yes I saw your prior posts as well. While the race looks cleaner than mine, the groves are probably deeper. As noted after a bike cleaning and setting for a couple of weeks my head was virtually locked. I was worried about the PO or PO #2 not having addressed the head tube maintenace. I guess with new bearings all that poor legacy has no bearing (pun intended).

Since the top bearing came right out with some careful taps from my trusty size 18" screwdriver, I tried the same on the lower; no luck. I saw your post about needing 6 dremel bits to cut the race and the other posts about arc welding to the bearing. I was'nt in the mood for dremelling and I don't have a welder. At 11:00 pm I might have woke the neighbors with by beating the bolt in a vice. The first bolt I used was an old head bolt from a Datsun 2000 Roadster and it was really hard but just too short.

Any way I'm happy as I'm down to the lower bearing on the yoke which I can take to a local shop for removal.

Good Luck
Posplayr

P.S. for those that don't understand the problem see the picture. The lower bearing is much larger than the upper tube and so no straight drift can catch the lower bearing race shoulder.

[bonanzadave]

Any way I'm happy as I'm down to the lower bearing on the yoke which I can take to a local shop for removal.

P.S. for those that don't understand the problem see the picture. The lower bearing is much larger than the upper tube and so no straight drift can catch the lower bearing race shoulder.

Forgive me, did you say you didnt get the lwr race out ? That looks like it in the picture. I couldnt get mine out but it looked ok so I left it. Do you think thats a problem ? Edit: OK, I had to re-read it and see that you did get it off.

Heres a pic of mine with the new all balls parts on the stem and the old bearing (foreground) which I did like you and took it to a shop for removal.

I got the moving parts off it with caveman tools and then the local Yamadog guy beat (see old bearing in foreground) the pressed on part off. He wouldnt tell me how he did it but from the looks of it he went caveman too...:-D

[posplayr]

bonanzadave

OK, I probably was not clear.

a.) The upper roller bearing just pulls off by hand
b.) The upper race tapped out with a large screwdriver and hammer hitting from below through the head.
c.) The lower race shown in the forground of my picture needed that special long bolt tool with the "custom bend"
d.) My lower roller bearing assembly is still on the yoke and I'm going to find a shop to do that as my pullers are ust not that long.

So I think we are basically doing the same thing. I just ordered a new All ball steering kit last night. I'm crossing my fingers that the swing arm is is better shape. Given it is a little easier to do, I hope someone did it since 1983 as the head doesn't appear as anybody has touched it.

I have my engine out and as it looks now like I'm going to sand blast and paint my whole frame.

I started a new thread here.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?p=769327#post769327

Posplayr

[bonanzadave]

OK, I probably was not clear.

Not at all. Once I re read it. I got it. Pretty much like I did. The yamadog guy charged me $20 to get the old one off. I found an aluminum pipe just the right diameter to drive the all balls bearing on the stem. Its all back together but im still playing with the tourque on the big nut cause at 3 digits it still feels alittle shaky.

[posplayr]

An option for cutting off the lower race

I was trying to get my lower race off, and found this link about a super cutting bit to use to cut the lower race.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ad.php?t=97997


Bummer! I had the same thing happen to me while drilling out a broken exhaust bolt. The bit jammed and broke off. What saved the day for me was a special bit I bought from a company called true-bite http://www.truebite.com/.


Today I found yet another use for my carbide "true bite" cutting bit. I used it to cut through the lower steering stem race on my '79 GS850! Then just popped the race out easily. This race is notoriously difficult to remove because the stem flares around it making it darn near impossible to get a drift on it or even a puller. I cut the race parallel to the tube working from the top edge down (because it's thicker to wards the top). Only took a few minutes. That bit is great!

I've also been using the Dremel tool. The little abrasive discs do a pretty good job cutting the hardened race. I'm bing careful to not go too far ad doing a little banging at 12:30 am.
Good nite
Posplayr

Update:

After more research, I started using the dremel technique last nite. Making too much noise banging with the chisel so had to defer till today. Results are positive; "don't need no stinking dealer"

I cut across the bearing as close to the yoke as I dared. Then cut a double slot so I could know out the little sliver between (shown in foreground). With that out the race would move when hit. Once far enough away from the base I cut further and broke it with the chisel finally.

[posplayr]

Ping

just getting to the top of the list for edited updates

[SqDancerLynn1]

An impact chisle will knock it right off