Steering head bearing rant.

[Zombie Master]

While perusing Moores head bearing post, I once again find myself disgusted with the state of motorcycle design. Here we are still having to disassemble our front ends, due to the lack of a simple grease fitting with grease channel, that would all but eliminate this tedious time consuming procedure. This goes for swing arm, and linkages as well. Cheap bastards! When will riders rise up and demand machinery that lasts?

[Frog]

While this would help, they would probably still eventually get notched.

[robtg]

While perusing Moores head bearing post, I once again find myself disgusted with the state of motorcycle design. Here we are still having to disassemble our front ends, due to the lack of a simple grease fitting with grease channel, that would all but eliminate this tedious time consuming procedure. This goes for swing arm, and linkages as well. Cheap bastards! When will riders rise up and demand machinery that lasts?

Maybe a Toyota corrolla would be a better choice of vehicle for you. Can you imagine the steering head packed solid with freezing cold grease on a winter day? What about cheap grease on a hot day drooling down the front of your bike?
Most of the time when it is time to lube them it is really time to replace them.

[Chuey]

Swing arm bearings do have a simple grease injection method. It would be pretty simple to make steering bearings have the same thing but it is my experience with bicycles that leads me to address the issue this way: Steering bearings have a constant load on them. They do not spin and do not rely on lubrication very much. When they fail, it is because they succumb to pressure, and it is not because they have a need for more lubrication. Therefore, adjustment, and the toughness of the bearings, particularly, the bottom bearing, is what makes the most difference. Lubrication primarily prevents corrosion in those bearings.

Chuey

[Major Softie]

Agree with Chuey. Lubrication will not extend head bearing life (unless the alternative is ignoring them until they've dried out). Those bearings are designed for a turning load, and, instead, they get nothing but sudden impact thrust loads, and almost all in exactly the same orientation. The solution is not a zerk fitting, the solution is a complete re-engineering of the steering head: a different way to carry those loads. I don't know what exactly that solution would be, as, if it were simple, someone would have done it a long time ago.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

The solution is not a zerk fitting, the solution is a complete re-engineering of the steering head: a different way to carry those loads. I don't know what exactly that solution would be, as, if it were simple, someone would have done it a long time ago.

No doubt.

I'm thinking that the re-engineering might not involve a new design as much as an easier way to service the existing design, perhaps something like a remove and replace bearing assembly cassette. The cassette itself would be non-serviceable. The retail price for a new bearing assembly would be a little under $400.

Be careful what you wish for. . .

The good news is that some airhead type person would figure out a way to modify the cassette such that the bearings could now be individually replaced. The going rate for the machining would be slightly more than $400, but future bearing jobs would be much cheaper.


Ken

[ME 109]

Try owning an RS!

[Zombie Master]

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Maybe a Toyota corrolla would be a better choice of vehicle for you.

Well look what Duane ended up riding....a Toyata. Cuz he doesn't want to waist time fixing when he could be traveling.

The only reason I got into Beemers was for lower maintenance and better reliability. For me, I buy a bike 90% for these features.

[Zombie Master]

Try owning an RS!

I hear ya' Too much stuff to remove. Whether or not the bearings are worn, a responsible owner will still have to disassemble just to get some grease on them. Huge PIA!!!!!

[Zombie Master]

Agree with Chuey. Lubrication will not extend head bearing life (unless the alternative is ignoring them until they've dried out). Those bearings are designed for a turning load, and, instead, they get nothing but sudden impact thrust loads, and almost all in exactly the same orientation. The solution is not a zerk fitting, the solution is a complete re-engineering of the steering head: a different way to carry those loads. I don't know what exactly that solution would be, as, if it were simple, someone would have done it a long time ago.

The telelever does address some of these problems, by reducing the severity of impact load. Still it's difficult for me to believe, that well adjusted lubed tapers would not last a lot longer than ignored ones. Every time you tun the bars the ultra special synthetic miracle grease would get redistributed to the impact load area. They should make the races and bearing easily rotate-able.

They should do something for the owners.