Paid a visit to the stealership today...

[ShirleySerious]

I finally found the time to take my bike in to the local dealership to look at my rear alignment problem. The mechanic took it for a ride and came to the conclusion that the problem I've been having is not in fact related to the rear end, but to the steering fork. More specifically, the steering races and bearings. He told me they were worn, and would have to get new ones. This is the reason my bike has been leaning, apparently.

He gave me the option to purchase the parts right there and then. I asked him for the part numbers, and he said they would come with the receipt. I didn't really want to get ripped off, so my motive was to look them up online to see if I could get a better deal. Basically he was pressuring me into getting the parts from there. This is understandable, since he wants to make money. I don't want to feel obligated to buy from there, but then again, they have done quite a bit for me, when I do take it in.

Related to this, he said I would need ball bearings for the steering fork. Are these special ball bearings or can I pick these up at a hardware store? In this economy, I'm trying to save here and there, I don't mean to come off as cheap.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. Shirley Serious,

I've bought a few parts from my local dealer. You don't have to pay shipping when the dealer gets your parts. So far, those prices haven't been totally out of line compared to the online prices+shipping. But their prices are higher. At least they know my face a little bit and I think that counts for something. They may be more willing to help me with a problem now that I'm not a total stranger.

You can always price the parts yourself, then compare the dealer's quote.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bonanzadave]

Do a search for Steering Bearings. Most people will tell you to get All Balls brand bearings but I did a search on the All Balls site and it said pre 79 bikes required a steering stem modification. Did the stealership give you a quote ? There is a fair amount of labor to do this project.

http://www.goallballs.com/Product_Lookup_results.asp

[ShirleySerious]

I looked up my model on All Balls and it said I get two bearings for $36.00. I'm not sure if there's races I need to buy too, but but it's less than the $73.15 he quoted me for parts, including a dust cap, races, and 36 ball bearings. Not sure what kind of modifications I'd have to make, but couldn't I do without it? I'm assuming labor will be at the standard rate. The mechanic said it was pretty straight forward, if not a little tedious. All in all he said it would take a couple hours.

[bonanzadave]

[bonanzadave]

"a little tedious" might be putting it lightly. If you had all the right tools it might not be too bad but remember the entire front end needs to come off the bike.

[ShirleySerious]

I don't have those special tools in the picture (do they still make them?), but if I got the All Balls bearings, would I need new races, or is the kit all inclusive?

[bonanzadave]

if I got the All Balls bearings, would I need new races, or is the kit all inclusive?

Mine came with everything. Top and bottom. Looks like Dennis Kirk has them for $34.00, but Im still not sure what All Balls is talking about with that modified steering stem or how you do that.

http://www.goallballs.com/pdf/Suzuki_Steering_Stem_Mod.pdf

[SqDancerLynn1]

You can sent your stem to All Balls & have them modify it if needed.... Vert worthwild upgrade.. From the balls to a set of tapered bearings

[ShirleySerious]

You can sent your stem to All Balls & have them modify it if needed.... Vert worthwild upgrade.. From the balls to a set of tapered bearings

It sounds worthwhile, but that sounds like a bit much to send it to them. Maybe it doesn't need modifying. Any alternatives?

[rudy]

I ordered a taper bearing set from Suzuki for my buddy's 77 750. That's pre-79. He took the old races off, put the new ones on and bolted it down. Done. No mods, no stealership shop rates. If I recall, these were just under $50 for the whole set. I bought a kit from Z1 for my 78 1000. Haven't gotten that far on the rebuild yet, but I don't expect any problems. Would this only be a modification you would have to do with the 550?

[simon kuether]

Are you sure you do in fact need new steering head bearings?? Why not try a second opinion ,not from a dealer, but from the local "1 man band" enthusiast mechanic.Or check yourself.If you've got a centre stand,put the bike on that,then use a car jack and piece of wood (under the engine) and lift the front wheel slightly off the ground.If no stand,get a friend to hold the bike steady while it's on the jack.Remember,we're only lifting the front wheel a fraction of an inch off the ground.Your forks should turn SMOOTHLY and FREELY from lock to lock.You should also have no movement ,back and forward,if you grab the bottom of the fork legsand push/pull.If you do have front/back movement,you could try tightening the nut at the top of the yoke slightly.If you have no back/forward movement but turning from lock to lock feels "notchy",then the bearings are probably shot.If this is all good,you can check your front wheel bearings by turning your front to lock and rocking the wheel against the steering lock.You should have no movement against the axle.It doesn't take long to do this,it's fairly easy and it's free.I don't trust dealers as I believe them to be bottom feeders who will shamelessly take advantage of any they can.OR,go to the local bloke.Goodluck.Cheers,Simon.

[TheCafeKid]

I ordered a taper bearing set from Suzuki for my buddy's 77 750. That's pre-79. He took the old races off, put the new ones on and bolted it down. Done. No mods, no stealership shop rates. If I recall, these were just under $50 for the whole set. I bought a kit from Z1 for my 78 1000. Haven't gotten that far on the rebuild yet, but I don't expect any problems. Would this only be a modification you would have to do with the 550?

Your buddies stem wasnt a true 77 then. Didnt his bike have dual front brakes? I thought i remembered that it did. There were ALOT of model year skewing issues going on before the early 80s. Talking to Jeff from Z1, I do believe he cleared a bit of this up for me by telling me that it was circa 83? that they finally got around to regulating the model years so that a 1984 bike was a 1984 bike, and not an early release of a 1985 model...Anyway, The pre 79 mod suggestion isnt exactly true, at least on the 750s. The 77 750 stem requires a relief cut in the stem itself to allow the tapered bearings to seat all the way down. The bearings from All Balls come with a small drawing that show what needs to be removed from where, but to be honest, unless you are a machinist, or an engineer perhaps, you not only cant do it yourself, you cant read the drawing...lol. You'd need a lathe to turn the stem down in a specific section of it. All Balls apparently will do it for you if you send them the stem. Thats a bit of a pain if you're waiting to get your bike going in the middle of the season. Best to do this over the winter, and simply use standard bearings untill then. I have found that the 78 and 79 750 stems ALREADY have this relief cut in the stem, and the tapered bearings are a direct replacement. I do believe, but could be wrong, that by 1980, they came with tapereds standard, at least the 80s parts bike i had, which i believed to be completely stock, had tapered bearings in it.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I would guess if you got a later GS550 triple tree, like 79-82 you could bolt it on without the mod.. Maybe a good time to get dual disks too if yours is not equiped. The bearing races in the steering neck tho can be a Betch to get out. Need a 12" long chisel, 5 lb hammer can be used in lew of the suzuki tool & a few choice words.. can use a dremmel too if you have one.. The modification (see above pdf) is very straight forward and any machinist could do it for you. The stem needs to be pressed out of the tripple & put in a lathe and trimed per the directions.
What ever you decide have the tapered bearings put in and you will never have to replace them again, it's kind of an upgrade. The all balls kit comes with everything you need

[ShirleySerious]

Well the guy at the dealership showed me after he rode it what he thought might happen. It was on the center stand and he pushed down on the back while I turned the handlebars. Turning from the center is not 100% smooth and it feels a bit notchy.

On All Balls, a search for a 77 750 turns up the same parts, which mentions the modification. I hope it's not completely necessary. I don't want to have to get the standard ball bearing kit, because it seems useless and a pain to pack.