Recommendation for head bearings?

[bigfootpete]

Sooo, seeing as my recent fender bender with the back with a Merc seems to have loosened the head bearings, and it's time they were replaced,
anyone got recommendations for replacement parts? is OEM the best bet or are there cheaper alternatives that do just as good a job or better?

[Hedgetrimmer]

Taper rollers. Last longer, cause less indentations in the races.

[garyb]

The head bearings on my blackbird needed replacing a while back and I replaced them not with OEM ball bearing races but with the tapered roller type which were very reasonable and apparently are supposed to be far superior.

[shrekster]

I'd go with tapered roller bearings every time, pack them well with grease and you'll probably never need touch them again. There is a supplier listed somewhere on this site, i've used them before and their service is first class. They also know exactly what bearings you will need and won't supply cheap cr*p.
The standard ball bearings need carefull torquing up to get the adjustment right whereas roller bearing are far easier as they can stand a fair bit of preload and still work ok.

Jim.

[shrekster]

http://fazerowners.yuku.com/topic/2765/Wheel-Bearing-Designators-for-Gen-1-Fazer-1000

This is the supplier i was talking about.

Jim.

[unfazed]

Are they notchy or loose. If loose they might just need to be retorqued properly. If notchy replace them as the previous Foccers said with the Tapered roller versions
Site is http://shop.marksman-ind.com/ great to deal with.

[bigfootpete]

Thanks for the replies, I'll check out the tapered ones :-)

[sadlonelygit]

i use a taper at the top and OE/equivalent for the bottom because it's so much easier fitting a loose race onto the steering stem. my local bearing suppliers charged £20 for both bearings, which is alot cheaper than yamaha but a bit more than ebay for a pair of chinese tapers.