Steering bearing race install | GTAMotorcycle.com

Steering bearing race install

Brian84

Brian84

Well-known member
So I'm putting my bike back together, and after getting the frame back from the powdercoater I hammered a new tapered bearing race in for the top bearing.

Turns out I was hammering on it too much, since I thought it wasn't seated yet. I seem to have damaged the lip of the race slightly.

2014-03-31 14.14.32.jpg

Is this going to totally screw up my steering and require a new bearing? Or am I just being a perfectionist and paranoid? I would really hate to have to hammer it out, wait for a new one and reinstall. These things are a pain in the *** to do without better tools.
 
drop the bearing in and see if you can feel any resistance, if yes it's toast for the most part, if no, your lucky, usually the bearing does not hit the top most and bottom most portion of the race, so you might get lucky, you can try and file it smooth as well, but only the part you hit don't file on the rest of the face.......

just my thoughts....

I am sure others will chime in as well.

.
 
"Should be" ok as it looks like the contact surface is OK...in the future place bearing race in the freezer prior to installation (internal seat)...on a "bearing on shaft" set-up, heat up bearing to expand.
 
Last edited:
It is hard to tell visually. Looks ok if you deburr it - it should be fine.
 
Sadz said:
"Should be" ok as it looks like the contact surface is OK...in the future place bearing race in the freezer prior to installation (internal seat)...on shaft heat up to expand.
Click to expand...

have you actually tried this? That frame will just suck all the heat up and wont hold in the neck. And how are you going to hold the bottom outer race in place until it sets?
 
frekeyguy said:
have you actually tried this? That frame will just suck all the heat up and wont hold in the neck. And how are you going to hold the bottom outer race in place until it sets?
Click to expand...

Yep...all the time at work (millwright).
As the temps equalize (room temp), the frame will brace the bearing race seated in position. Just hold in place for a minute or two and the race will expand to fill cavity.
 
Its the seat it will be fine I have seen them come from the factory with worse. Just be more careful next time
 
Ok, thanks for the help. I'm going to try installing the steering stem today, so we'll see if I have any problems; hopefully not. I've definitely learned my lesson for next time.

Any tips on cleaning out the head tube before installing the stem? I had to file down the edges of the bearing seat before installing the race, in order to be able to drive it out if I ever need to. So I have some metal dust in there. I've used compressed air, but is it worth trying to get the rest of the debris out? It's mostly stuck to whatever grease is in there on the sides of the tubes.
 
Sadz said:
Yep...all the time at work (millwright).
As the temps equalize (room temp), the frame will brace the bearing race seated in position. Just hold in place for a minute or two and the race will expand to fill cavity.
Click to expand...

When I've tried to do this. It burns the paint Around. Or the frame just sucks up the heat around the neck.

I've been very successful in installing bearings by heating / cooling parts - but not with head bearings though.
 
I've had the best results pulling the neck races in with threaded rod,washers and nuts.
 
Wingboy said:
I've had the best results pulling the neck races in with threaded rod,washers and nuts.
Click to expand...

This. It works like a charm.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Use a brass hammer next time :D
 
Iceman said:
This. It works like a charm.

I also put the races in the freezer for an hour or so first, helps shrink them. I don't heat the neck of the frame at all.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Dohhh! Hit the quote button instead of the edit...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Wingboy said:
I've had the best results pulling the neck races in with threaded rod,washers and nuts.
Click to expand...

I tried this, but after I had already damaged the race by hammering too hard with the old race. Whoops! It does seem like the best way to go though.

I coated the outside of the race with grease, but I think the damage came from hitting it hard while it was already fully seated.

I installed my forks, and the bearing feels ok to me, so far. More on my progress here: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?180260-1st-Gen-SV650-Build
 
Brian84 said:
I tried this, but after I had already damaged the race by hammering too hard with the old race. Whoops! It does seem like the best way to go though.

I coated the outside of the race with grease, but I think the damage came from hitting it hard while it was already fully seated.

I installed my forks, and the bearing feels ok to me, so far. More on my progress here: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?180260-1st-Gen-SV650-Build
Click to expand...

I wouldnt worry about it bearings dont normally contact the whole race, in your case with a tappered bearing the rollers usually dont contact the race for about 1mm from the edge...Also the ends of the rollers are rounded so again you have some clearance from the area you slightly damadged where
 
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