350x head/steerer tube bearings

[85Atc350x]

Its time to do the bearings in my steerer tube cause theres some decent play in them. Has anyone done this and how long has it taken, are any of the bearings pressed onto anything, or just sitting in the cups of the steerer tube? Any info is appreciated.


Justin

[Levi]

Yes, I'm in the process of doing the steering bearings on my '86.

If you just need to replace the bearings, it's really simple. But, if you have to replace the upper and lower ball and cone races, it get's to be a pain.

Driving the races into the steering headpipe isn't too bad, but you have to be really careful to drive them in straight, otherwise you'll have to chisel it out and buy a new one.

The real bitch is the lower cone race, it has to be chiseled off the steering stem carefully so you don't damamge the stem. The new race has to be pressed on, you can buy the $50 special tool, or you can use a piece of pipe like I did. If you be really careful, you can use a deadblow hammer instead of a press, but you take a pretty good chance of ruining the race due to the shock of the hammer compared to the steady pressure of a press.

[markb]

if it's like the 250r make sure you support the lower part of the stem when you push the race on,not the lower triple. it seems elementary now but the 250 has a raised area around the lower stem area and i didn't catch the stem exactly and what happens is you dislodge the stem a little bit. then you tighten everything up and go for a ride and the hammering pushes the stem back in and your bearings get real loose.
mark:doh: