K11 Owners Group

jhinds · Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 2:27 pm Post subject: Steering Head Bearings

I have a definite notch in there at dead center. You can feel it distinctly with the front wheel jacked up when you turn the handle bar. It makes the bike track funny at low speeds, like your wheels are in a groove.

So I have been reading here about replacing these and at first thought it seems a little more than I want to tackle but then I can't ride anyhow cause I am waiting on parts for my windscreen repair project (relays on order from Drake). Some say you have to use heat to get the bearing races out. I don't want to have to do that. Clymer manual indicates they can just be tapped out with a hardwood dowel. I have done stuff like this before on other vehicles (four wheelers). Clymer also says that you have to heat the steering stem to get the lower bearings off and that you need a press. So, I am thinking I could take that to a shop to have done. I don't know for sure but I think the biggest challenge aside from these is getting the forks back on and properly aligned. Is that true?

I read on another site, http://microverse.on.ca/cd175/k1100lt.htm, that one could remove the offending bearing, rotate it, say 90 degrees, reinstall, and the notch would no longer be a problem. You could do this three times I guess assuming the bearings are not otherwise damaged. With 94 thousand miles on the bike I am on my second set of head bearings. Anyone want to weigh in on this method of approach? Any other thoughts would also be appreciated, for instance what does galling of bearings look like? When you guys change these out do you just do the races, or what?

I'd use the dealer but they tend to screw things up too often. I'd use another mechanic in the Austin area but I don't know anyone that works on K bikes. So, I am soliciting for referrals too.

Thanks.
_________________
John
'76 BMW R90/6 >150K miles
'93 K1100LT >120K miles

Flying Duck · Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 5:17 pm Post subject:

I've never messed with bearings but I have installed triple trees and here's how I do it:

Install the fork trees. Then use one of the following flat items to make sure they're on the same plane before tightening the triple tree clamps down:

a) a pane of glass (make sure it's farily new as glass is technically a liquid and glass can deform over several years)

b) a piece of finished marble or granite - they are finished to pretty fine specs so you're sure you have a FLAT object to verify if the forks are on the same plane

The latter is "better" but the glass will work. Hold that against the upper fork trees to make sure they're on the same plane before tightening the triple tree clamps.

Then ionstall the wheel and axle before installing the fork bridge and tightening down it's bolts.

Like I said, I've never swapped bearings but I've seen a lot of posts here and there to indicate that putting them in the freezer ahead of time (to shirnk them) will make installation easier.
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jhinds · Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 5:32 pm Post subject:

Drake, that helps me understand the concept(s) involved in fork alignment. Thanks.
_________________
John
'76 BMW R90/6 >150K miles
'93 K1100LT >120K miles

Shoganai · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 12:42 pm Post subject:

Here's my SHB replacement pics. Hope it helps.

http://k11og.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4078&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
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jhinds · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 1:07 pm Post subject:

Hi Shoganai, I saw your threads. In fact I spent a good deal of yesterday looking at them. Thanks. I came down with the flu or something last night so I'll be postponing starting this new phase of my project a day or so. I am inspired to put some pics up myself. We'll see. I was supposed to be headed north this week or next but this steering head bearing issue put a stop to that for awhile.
_________________
John
'76 BMW R90/6 >150K miles
'93 K1100LT >120K miles

Shoganai · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 1:16 pm Post subject:

jhinds · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 1:35 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I agree. I have ridden it before with that damn notch in there but I don't like it. It's not the risk so much as it just ain't right feelin, you know.

Thanks for your kind words....and, I used to live in Leesburg. If my memory serves that is not too far from Culpeper. Nice country except for the close proximity of DC. The speed traps, etc., are a real bother though. They got me in March. Profiled me in my pickup. Texas plates, you know, cause I was not speeding though others were. And, you could tell he was in some kind of task force (drug interdiction?) or other cause he was in an "unmarked" car. Said my window tint was the reason for the stop. It's legal in Texas. So everytime I see a cop after that, in VA, I roll my windows down. Ha!
_________________
John
'76 BMW R90/6 >150K miles
'93 K1100LT >120K miles

Flying Duck · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 1:54 pm Post subject:

Shoganai · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 2:04 pm Post subject:

Technician · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 2:04 pm Post subject:

Did a set on a K100 last week, totally knackered grinding on lock to lock with a big dip in the middle and complaints of wobble at 60 plus mph. Took me about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish but i did have the advantage of the right tools for the job. Parks Tools make drifts for driving out the old races from the headstock which are the nuts 1 whack with the mallet and the race is on the floor. As for the inner race on the stem i used a Dremel [micro grinding wheel] to carefully cut through almost to the stem then split it with a hammer and chisel. There is a tool available for refitment but i'm still awaiting that so i used a length of tube to drive the new bearing onto the stem. When i took the forks out i put tape around the top just before the lower clamps then when refitting just pushed the forks up until they reached the tape. All went well.
The other trick in getting the races out of the headstock is the weld a couple of mounds in to the cup then use a long punch to drive them out.
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jhinds · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 8:10 am Post subject:

Thanks technician. My challenge, since I think the bearings/races are only faulty in one tiny spot, is to get everything apart and rotate elements 90 degrees on reinstall so that the fault is off to one side where it can't hurt anything. Some claim to have done this.

I see in my old R90/6 manual that they use the welding method and I am a welder but that seems to invite disaster as I am almost certain that I don't have enough recent practice to keep from welding the bearing to the frame.

If it comes to it I'll happily use the dremel/chisel method, or even heat, though I hate to take a cutting torch close to the bike. Somewhere I read that a hair dryer could be used for this and I do wonder what Shoganai used.

So anyhow, my I now have at hand the relays from Drake, so I'll be making my move shortly.
_________________
John
'76 BMW R90/6 >150K miles
'93 K1100LT >120K miles

jhinds · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:22 pm Post subject:

Well I hope the bearings are as easy as posting a pic.