03-03-17, 06:46 PM
(03-03-17, 04:51 PM)celticdog link Wrote: Well the old :faz has now reached the 40k milestone :eek and I'm thinking of replacing the head race bearings. There's nowt wrong with the steering at the moment- no freeplay or notching, everything ok. I hear that it's a bit of a ballache to do? Is it worth doing now or do I leave it a bit. At what milage did you replace yours if you have replaced? I know that all bearings have a limited life in service, I've had to replace the front wheel bearings aboot 6 months ago. All input is greatly appreciated dear foccers. Cheers . . .Will
I was in the same spot as you and I decided to replace the bearing. Getting the old bearing out is awkward but doable with the right tool. There's two notches in the frame around the lower bearing so the lower bearing comes out easily. There's no notches for the upper bearing and it's got a very small lip so getting a firm hit on it is difficult. You really need the right tool anything else will just bounce off. What worked for me after trying a million different things was a 6mm chisel with a bend in it. Another awkward part is seating the lower bearing. It seats inside the frame not just flush and you're doing it upside down so that is a bit awkward. I used some steel round stock. Overall if you've got the right tool to get that top bearing out it's not too bad a job. With the new bearing in the steering feels lighter and more sensitive. If you're going to keep the bike for a few years you might as well do it and have smooth steering