Steering bearing

[duk2n]

Have a look at the steering bearing:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281019308750&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:ES:1123

I'm surprised, I was expecting something much better, even my 21 years old XT has a much more set. Those seems to be more for a bicycle than for a real 700cc bike

 

[Beemerphile]

The price is pretty bad as well. I often cross-reference from the sizes and get bearings from a local bearing house.

 

[Cutter J. Duke]

I guess the question I have on this thread is why are we looking at steering head bearings, duk2n are you replacing bearings already? or are you just looking to see what parts are out there?

 

[duk2n]

No, I don't need to replace them yet. Just I saw them being sold in eBay and I was surprised how bad they look

 

[michaelks]

I had this problem with the XR250, original bearings were reported to have failed in off-road use, so i replaced them with SKF conical. I had to have them machined to 22 mm inner diam from 20mm (if i well recall), though.

Old setup :

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/2967/dsc00187fw.jpg

And conical :

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3232/p1010001or.jpg

 

[duk2n]

No need to replace them yet, but for sure I will check with a local manufacturer to see if he can provide conical bearings replacement

 

[dduelin]

Honda likes to use caged ball bearings in the steering head. They last a very long time but are kind of fussy for the home DIY mechanic to get torqued properly and are more expensive than tapered roller bearings. In the long run Honda generally knows what works well. I did not have to replace the head stock bearings in my ST1300 until 96,000 miles and they were the same type. I believe the NC700X will have a similar life so what is a few bucks difference over the life of the motorcycle?

 

[Beemerphile]

Honda likes to use caged ball bearings in the steering head. They last a very long time but are kind of fussy for the home DIY mechanic to get torqued properly and are more expensive than tapered roller bearings. In the long run Honda generally knows what works well. I did not have to replace the head stock bearings in my ST1300 until 96,000 miles and they were the same type. I believe the NC700X will have a similar life so what is a few bucks difference over the life of the motorcycle?

With the older ST1100's there was a common steering shimmy that many thought was helped by beefing up the steering head bearings. Mine never had the shimmy so I never did anything about it. I plan to inspect mine on the NC every 8,000 miles for play and if it is ok, I'll leave it alone. It takes special tools to do the job correctly and quite a bit of disassembly. By the way, in the picture in the US maintenance manual on page 17-35 the bearings look more substantial than they do in the eBay ad. The problem with the eBay ad picture is there is nothing for size reference.

 

[duk2n]

The problem with the eBay ad picture is there is nothing for size reference.

The part number label could be used as size reference. I have no the labels anymore, but I would say the label in all the OEM items I have bought had the same size

 

[bo7o]

search revives another old thread!

in the owner's manual for the 600 mile service (coming soon for me, and I want to perform it) it states the steering bearing should be inspected. Well...how is this done? Put it on the centerstand, put weight on the rear and feel for play? Or look for loose hardware?