Steering stem bearings

[inanecathode]

Actually Inane, the center indention isn't caused by "pounding", but rather by the narrowly focused wear resulting from the virtually continuous micro steering corrections that are made to keep the bike travelling on a straight line. Think of it as continuous micro countersteering.

Meh, focused points of wear/pounding, either way theres indentations the balls sit in and it makes for a bad handling setup.

[RedRocket]

Haynes says tighten lower ring nut until snug but not binding when moving handle bars from side to side, another place says tighten until snug and backoff a little. Yamaha manual says tighten lower ring nut until tight but does not bind when moving forks from stop to stop.  Steerung stem bolt should be torqued to 94 ft-lbs  BDC

excuse me that spec is wrong...it's 34 ft/lbs

Heh.    The last bike I did this on was a Venture, and it was  85 ft/lbs, though it seems to be assembled in the opposite manner to this bike.

[Re-Vision]

Jason. I was definitely wrong about steering head bolt torque values because I read the values for a nut rather than a bolt. Where did you get the torque value of 34 ft/lbs. If I were to extrapolate from the table I was looking at, would expect a higher torque than 94 ft/lbs.   BDC

[jasonm.]

If you had a manual you would know. I suggest you get one. My Yamaha manual has saved me many times. STEERING stem bolt is actually 39 ft/lbs. This is a bolt. Not a nut. Thus torque figures are not the same as a bolt.

[Re-Vision]

I have a Yamaha and a Haynes manual and I gave the same amount of wrong answers that you did (One).   BDC

[jasonm.]

I have rarely found important specs far off in the OEM service manual. I have found in My Venture OEM manual. One place says to torque the front axle 2 ft/lbs more on one page vs. another. But that is nothing on something needing 75ft/lbs or so. Haynes and Clymers have more errors than Yamaha.

[The Prophet of Doom]

My front end feels fine.  I just rebuilt my forks though, and now I have a little click on hard braking.  Often that can be steering head, so I thought I clean grease and check it because I also have read about a Vision " front end click" so I'm not gonna go crazy over it.

The clicking could be your forks.  I thought is was my steering head bearings so replaced them.  Made the world of difference to handling - a highly recommended upgrade, but didn't cure the click.
There is a fix described here in German.  I am about to tear down my forks to install air caps from an XZ400, so will look at the circlip then.

http://www.xz550.de/tp3/fileadmin/xz-tipps/xz-das_knacken_in_der_gabel.pdf

[PeteXS/GS/CB/XZ]

Expect to have to tighten tapered roller-bearings in your steering neck every 300-400 miles.  I've had them already in or installed in four different bikes.  Only in a 1975 CB400F have they not needed retightening.  So I'm not sure they're worth the trouble.  Maybe you could just replace your present ball-bearing ones.  Also, the All Balls brand, made in China, have tolerances that are off so.  Expect to have to take some emery cloth to the steering neck to get them to fit or take them to a machine shop to have them turn down the neck.

[jasonm.]

Tapered bearings RARELY need tightening. I replaced mine in my 800# Venture after 70k miles. Put a couple thousand on last year. No tightening needed.Thus your 300-400 mile spec. means something is " a miss" on the cheap bearings being used .

[QBS]

Truth, Jason speaks.

[PeteXS/GS/CB/XZ]

I don't agree that tapered-rollers won't need tightening every 300-400 miles.  The stock ones did on my 1980 Suzuki GS550 and the aftermarket ones of excellent quality do on my 1980 XS650 as well.  The service mgr at the local Honda Yamaha dealer agrees with me because his experience has been the same.  Only on the 1975 CB400F have the bearings stayed tight, but Honda uses a different tightening mechanism.  It remains to be seen how they'll fare on my 1982 Vision, which isn't on the road yet.  I honestly can't say there has been any difference in steering, no matter what Joe Minton said in his famous "Minton Mods" to the XS650, or any other bike he has recommended upgrades to.  If you don't do wheelies, good old ball-bearings should be fine. 

[Tiger]

 :) I have had tapered steering head bearings in my Vision for several years which equals several thousand miles of riding and have found them to be a lot better than the oem stock ball bearings/races. They give me more feed back and the steering feels more precise. I have not found a need to re torque them as yet.
I have also used the same bearing supplier/bearings for ALL of my 19 Vision rebuilds and on other Vision's that needed them changed, with no negative feedback from the owners at all.

Oh, and I don't do wheelies   ;D 8)

            8).......TIGER....... 8)

[Rikugun]

Also, the All Balls brand, made in China, have tolerances that are off so.

I put these in my Vision this spring with no installation problems and a set in my GPz 500 last summer also with no problems. It's been my experience tapered neck bearings last longer and require less maintenance than balls.