FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

Has anyone had any experience replacing the steering head bearing? I just got the fizzer back from the local Yamaha shop (installed new rubber) and they had mentioned that it was pretty much toast. Do they have to be pressed out? Is this a common issue with the FZR? My bike has about 22K on it right now. My assumption is that it's going to be a bitch to do. Any further insight would be helpful.

all ballz makes a kit with dust seals...its a bitch to do it yourself if you dont have the tools.

The bearings are simple to swap out. The hard part are the races inside the steering head. It is about 30 minutes of work for a mechanic so it might be worth it to have it done by the shop if they will work with you on the price. 22k is not that much for the bearing to be toast IMO. How about just repacking them with grease? This needs to be done pretty often anyway (once a season IMO).

addendum:

It's worse then I thought. Long story, I'll try to make it short. I bought two rims' front and back (eBay) had them powder coated (white) here locally. Had the Yamaha shop mount the new rubber and bearings. The mechanic called me back and said that the front wheel bearing wasn't fitting right. We both thought that was strange, then we realized the front wheel was for a FZR 1000, the hub is noticeably bigger after comparing them both closely. So anyway, other than switching the whole front end out with some donor FZR1000 (if even possible), I'm now stuck with a "pretty gloss white" powder coated FZR 1000 front wheel with new bearings. Which then lead us to the steering head bearing, and fork seals being replaced whilst he was trying in vane to install the front wheel. So the verdict is that I have to wait a week for the parts from California, a week to get my original front rim powder coated to match the rear (now installed) remount the new tire, and $450.00 in labor I'll have a "like new" front end, with "pretty white wheels" to match. My theory is that (we) in New Hampshire have crappy roads, with pot holes the size of Volkswagens, so the poor bike had the crap kicked out of it by the previous owner(s), therefore destroying the suspension after 22K. The upside is that they are calling for rain all next week.

TomGun wrote:Has anyone had any experience replacing the steering head bearing? I just got the fizzer back from the local Yamaha shop (installed new rubber) and they had mentioned that it was pretty much toast. Do they have to be pressed out? Is this a common issue with the FZR? My bike has about 22K on it right now. My assumption is that it's going to be a b**ch to do. Any further insight would be helpful.

Hi 22K and rough treatment yes could be replaced.
I hate the naff ball system they use and tend to opt for angle roller bearings to use as replacements. Call a bearing house with th i/d that fits your stem and the o/d that fits the frame and get the thinnest avalable to reduce the height. Some bike outlets sell these as a mod. Never had a knock or clich east to grease since there are no balls to drop out as the rollers are caged <BG>