Worn Steering Head Bearings - Not causing wobbles?

[Glider]

I recently bought an '82 XZ550RJ with 17,800 miles on it and 6-month old front & rear tires on it.  The bike looks & runs pretty good; the brakes are much improved after replacing the brake fluid (The old stuff in the reservoir looked like turkey broth with little globules of fat floating in brownish goo!); and I replaced both of the rear brake-arm bolts, so I feel pretty safe hitting the brakes now compared to the nil braking I had before I did the fluid & bolts replacements. I also adjusted the clutch so it shifts more easily and changed the oil right away, even though the seller said he changed it early this spring. I am a bit disappointed to be getting only 30MPG -- my '95 CB1000 Honda gets 37MPG... but my Vision runs well enough, with just a hint of off-idle stumble, so I'm not going to mess with that until the riding season is over in November or December.

I do have an issue that has me puzzled.  The bike obviously needs new steering head bearings.  There is a 'straight ahead' detent that I don't really notice above 5-10MPH, but when I'm coming to a stoplight or stop sign, the thing wants to go whatever direction I have her pointed and takes a couple of pounds (??) of steering force to change direction... and when I do steer at that low speed, it wants to turn a degree or so more than I might have intended to.  It's not a big problem at that speed, but I'm thinking I should replace the steering head bearings to eliminate the issue. Seems like the tapered bearings would be a better solution than going with the OEM ball-bearing set; so if anyone has a current source for steering head bearings I would be appreciative.  (Actually I'd like to have a source for both tapered and ball bearing set options; I intend to read up on the subject some more before making my purchase).

What has me puzzled is that even though the head bearings are certainly badly in need of replacement, the bike does not behave at all badly at speed!  No wobbles, no handelbar shakes.  I admit I haven't tried any *really* agressive steering inputs while riding at speed along the curvy pavement near my home, but I have definately had to abruptly change lines a few times at 55 - 75MPH to avoid animals or garbage in the road... and the steering never seems to shake, wobble, or wallow; she just changes to the new line and I motor along with no drama!  If I'm going fairly fast around flowing turns (even with a fair amount of irregularities in the road), the bike never seems to mind, steering right where I point her and making me smile!

Any comments or ideas on why I'm not experiencing worse steering issues than I am?  How bad are these bearings, and do I need to replace them immediately, or can I put another 1000 miles or so on them and replace them at the end of the season when I'm going to be going after the carbs? (I really want to see 50MPG; that's half the reason I bought the bike! -- but that's an issue for a different thread).

Again, any *current* sources for both (or either!) the tapered and ball-bearing steering head bearing sets will be much appreciated. Smooth roads and sunny skies! -- Glider

[Craig B]

Hey my friend just did a set last week on one of my xz's, went straight to ebay for the parts as trying to find cheap parts in NZ is not an option. Any how yes do them straight away don't wait, if you can afford too get the best. I brought pyramid parts set, which being a engineer by trade,  ::) I'd have to say the casing is a little loose.(The case holds the cylindrical bearings in place) OK for steering at a pinch. There's a awesome write up by one of the dudes on this site somewhere, talking about the 10 main problems with these bikes, steering being one of them. Don't look for a source for the old oem ball race type cause once you go tapered you won't go back to stock. Any way the race that fits in the bottom of the neck of your steering,(tapered bearing I'm talking here) leaves no edge for you too punch back out. I had all sorts of fun trying to get a set out of a XV750 which by the way will fit your XZ. It's a simple enough job, though it does mean dismantling the whole front end. MY advice there, video the whole process. I can never get the wiring back into headlight as well as the person who originally did it.

[dpequip]

30 MPG on a Vision is pretty low something is definitely wrong.  With all the crap you have in the brake system I'd bet at a minimum the front brake caliper need rebuilt.  I picked up 5 MPG recently after I rebuilt the caliper.  Usually my Vision gets fuel mileage from 42-45 MPG but it had dropped into the upper 30s because of a dragging front brake caliper.  Yamaha sells a kit to rebuild the caliper that includes the piston so it's a little pricey.  If you just need the seals there are sellers in the UK on Ebay that have them that will ship to the states. 

Tapered steering head bearings are also available on Ebay or through some of the online motorcycle stores.  They are a definite improvement and highly recommended. I would not even consider putting new loose balls and races back in the Vision when tapered roller bearing bearings are available.  These are actually a pretty easy install that only takes a couple of hours. 

I kinda doubt you'll see 50 MPG out of the Vision.  Maybe on flat ground with a very easy throttle hand it might be possible but I don't think it is very likely.  The Vision has a very high volume accelerator pump (To prevent the stumbles) which cuts into fuel mileage.  I've got a Suzuki Bandit 1200 with almost twice the HP of the Vision and it consistently gets 3-4 MPG better than the Vision so the Vision is not the most fuel efficient engine in the world.   

Good Luck

[Craig B]

I remember now the info on steering is in an article or review on the improvements made to the 1983 model's we'll worth a read. In fact if you have the time, go through as much info here as you can cram. Will definitely help at later stage.

[Neil]

Other posters have it right, tapered rollers are the way to go and are pretty easy to find. I've used sets from "All Balls" on a few bikes without problems. That cured the front end wobble my wife's '82 Vision developed.

The straight ahead detent you have is a common wear issue with head bearings. Most riding is straight ahead, and the greatest braking loads are straight ahead. That's why those straight ahead detents develop.

When you remove the bearings, if you have to tap them out with a long punch or rod, go slowly, gently (tap, not hit or smash) and with great patience. Tap at 12 O'clock, 6 O'clock, 3 O'clock, and 9 O'clock repeatedly and GENTLY. Just get the bearing race to move a little bit with each tap, you MUST drive it straight out and not get it cocked in the frame tube. With patience and gentle taps it isn't very difficult. If you have the correct diameter driver, it is even easier. The race on the bottom triple clamp can be difficult to get under and move upward. Again, patience, little movements and a tool that fits under it are key. For installation, I like to put the bearing parts that go into the frame in the freezer for a while to get a bit of an advantage in getting them in place. Remember to take notes or pics of your cable and wiring routing as your take the front end apart.

[Rick G]

The only time I checked my milage , it was 59.05 mpg  . The ride was on the freeway at 65 mph with a bit of winding roads .

[George R. Young]

It sounds like you have a lot of friction in your current head bearings and this prevents the 45mph hands-off wobble.

The irony is that when you replace the grungy ball bearings with a nice tapered roller set, the friction will be lower and the wobble may return. Judicious adding of preload should get rid of it. Or a steering damper.

[Rikugun]

George, (or anyone else) do you know of anyone who has installed a steering damper or have a picture of one on a Vision?

[George R. Young]

I've installed one on a Concours:
http://web.ncf.ca/ag136/steeringDamper.htm

[Neil]

I installed two on my RZ 350 - one on each side. Drilled and tapped holes on the bottom triple clamp and welded brackets on the frame. Raced it for years in the 1980s and street riding since then with no wobbles.

[Glider]

Thanks All for the excellent info!  I was expecting dirty carbs were the cause of the low fuel economy -- I'll take a close look at the front caliper when I tear into the steering bearings project.  And the bike is sure a lot easier to ride with the clutch properly adjusted... downshifTing is much easier, and I can usually even find neutral after just a couple of tries!

Kind of scary that fixing the steering bearings might actually result in steering wobbles, but I know I'll feel better without the 'detent' when I'm negotiating traffic in town.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions.  -- Glider --

[QBS]

Good properly adjusted roller steering head bearings never cause wobbles as long as there is at least one hand on the handle bars.  An important safery tip.

[The Prophet of Doom]

I do like being able to hands-off so I can take photographs while I ride.

I found adding the fairing helped reduce that hands-off wobble, but now that I'm going nekkid again I might have to go for one of those steering dampers. 

[Rick G]

We discussed the hands off wobble some time in 2002 or 2003. All Visions do this when there are no hands on the bars . One hand will do . Its the nature of the beast and is not a defect. Take pics with caution using one hand , or, better yet stop and frame your pics , as I do.

[Rikugun]

I've installed one on a Concours:
http://web.ncf.ca/ag136/steeringDamper.htm

Thanks for the info George. I was hoping to find Vision specific references so I wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. I'd definitely consider using one to combat this very unfortunate Vision flaw.

I installed two on my RZ 350 - one on each side. Drilled and tapped holes on the bottom triple clamp and welded brackets on the frame. Raced it for years in the 1980s and street riding since then with no wobbles.

I'll bet that RZ would have been a handful without them!  :)

[Neil]

"A handfull without them."
Well, that's hard for me to know since I installed them early on. I've heard some stories that support your thought and did see one rider go into a nastly tank slapper at Road America one time.

[Rikugun]

Maybe my comment was a little harsh.  :) I raced against many RZ's and for the most part they seemed quite stable and were formidable adversaries.  :) I suppose any bike can suffer the effects with improper suspension or rider input.

[The Prophet of Doom]

I'll bet that RZ would have been a handful without them!  :)

I had a RZ350 after Vision #1 died.  No dampers.  It was twitchy as hell - especially at speed, but not in a tank slappery sort of way.

All Visions do this when there are no hands on the bars . One hand will do . Its the nature of the beast and is not a defect.

Not all XZs wobble when hands off.  Mine did, but after new steering and wheel bearings, and new balanced rubber it's as stable hands off as any other bike I've had.

[dingleberry]

Would the steering stem bolt be over tight? That could cause the slow speed problem but not bad at speed.

[Neil]

Not all XZs wobble when hands off.  Mine did, but after new steering and wheel bearings, and new balanced rubber it's as stable hands off as any other bike I've had.
[/quote]

Agreed. My wife's Vision (bought new & still ridden) was nice and stable for years, then developed a wobble that new tapered roller head bearings cured nicely.