Head Bearing Adjustment

[Timbo]

Hi All

Has anyone here had experience of head bearing adjustment on a Gen1 Fazer. It's low mileage 12000

I have stripped and cleaned mine (and have done the swinging arm bearings as well) and purchased the Yamaha adjustment tool.

My question is that having followed the setting procedure I feel that the steering is much looser than it was before. I have just had the bike MOT'd and ask specifically for their opinion on whether they were loose. The bike shop said the bearings were fine.

I am satisfied that they are not so loose that there is any play in the bearing but they do not feel the same as they were before. I have ridden it since and I don't feel that I could apply the same amount of counter steering input as I did before without getting a surprise reaction from the bike.

Is it the case that the head bearings were over tight from the factory? Has anyone else used the Yamaha C spanner for adjustment? The Haynes manual states that the torque wrench is used at 90° to the tool, the Yam manual states the same thing but illustrates the torque wrench in a normal position i.e 90° to the axis of the bearing. Do I just tweak them up a bit until they "feel right"?

Comments please

Thanks

Tim

[phil on a fazer]

i had the same with my Tenere.
 
What i normally do with head bearings is tighten them so they are a tad too loose...you can feel the play by rocking the forks. this lets you known that nearly all the play is taken up.
 
I then tighten them a bit more, check the play has gone and bobs your uncle.
 
But as you say they do feel loose, but i think this is down to freshley greased bearings 

[tommyteeman]

there does seem to be quite a big range where the bearings are fine, mine i like to do them tight, so the bars wont flop to one side when the front wheel is off the ground (on the stand). As long as theres no back/foward movement front the front end they'll pass themot but I always go for a tighter set up. If you try to set them without the front wheel in, the movement needs to be fairly stiff cause when the wheel goes back in adds a lot more weight. Used to set my supermotos so you could feel the notchiness of tight bearings then slacken by a 1/4 of a turn, spot on, cured a lot of bar flapping.

[Tmation]

Did you fit taper roller bearings or the standard ball?


I don't know what is says in the manual but for the last 40 odd years I have always seated the bearings by tightening up until the steering no longer moves or is tight then back off 1/4 of a turn (or a little more) until the steering moves easily with no notchiness or rocking movement.


Obviously check the manual as things change over the years.