Topic: Tapered Steering Bearings Thread

[void909]

thanks hym im going to call them

[Gordon]

have you tried them or know anyone who has?

I've got them on my K1.

[Johnie]

I still love my balls...

[tomkimberly]

Any dealer who can order from the Sudco catalog can get you some.


Tom

[joeb]

Got all balls in my bike , no problems here, you can order from darn nere any bike shop.

[void909]

thanks fro your help guys

[bgfootball67]

Love my all balls!  Make sure you save the spacer and seal and bottom race and ball bearings so you can use them as a measurement for you new set.  The all balls set comes with two different sizes of spacer, using your previous set makes it super easy.  Use the search function and their are directions that are super useful....

[Muk]

do they make them for the 550

[HondaMan]

do they make them for the 550

They are the same as for the CB350T, CB350F, CB450T, CB500/550, and all the 750s. And more!

[shoemanII]

very happy w/the bearing set i ordered for my previous bike, a '78K, from partsnmore.com   just now ordered another set for my new ride, a '78F.  i checked prices from sudco ($54.60 plus shipping) and partsnmore ($45 including shipping anywhere in the US). 

the only downside is that i won't get the cool allballs decal.
bobp   

[void909]

all balls quoted me at $47.25 for our cb750s but i don't think that is shipped. also wheel bearings are $15.40

[gpdesign]

I got mine here:

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1503

[phactory]

I got a set of  these for my 71 CB750 and just opened them up yesterday in preparation for installation. Now I wish that I had read the directions before I removed the old "cup and cone" bearings from the bottom triple tree, as I need the height of the original stack to determine what spacers (if any) that I may need.

I did save all of the old parts so I hope that I can get a close enough approximation of the height to determine exactly what I need to install them.

I have installed tapered roller bearings like this on many of my pre-70 BMW's with great success!

Phil

[mystic_1]

If you don't mind maybe needing to take the lower bearing on and off a couple times, just install the races and do a test fit to see what spacing you need.  I posted the following over at hondachopper the other day to a guy who had forgotten to install a spacer under the bearing:

The washer under the bearing is there to establish clearance between the bottom triple tree and the bottom of the steering neck. There should also be a dust seal to keep the crap out of the bearing. Once the race is properly installed, test-fit the lower tree to see if you have enough clearance so that the tree isn't grinding against the frame. If not, you'll need to install the spacer.

Install both bearings, install the lower tree, and make sure you can fully thread the bearing retainer/adjuster ring thingy onto it's threads.  If it's happy, your upper tree and crown nut should be equally content.  IIRC there's two different spacers in the All Balls kit, plus you'll have the stock spacer and dust seal, go ahead and mix-and-match whatever makes up the correct height.

mystic_1

[Hush]

OK having read JohnK6's inspirational and at the end quite sad thread, I realised that I had learned so much from his great photos and basic descriptions of his valiant CB750 Resurrection.
In my own much more modest way I would like to share my battle with the dreaded "tapered steering bearings" which many of the old hands on here will have effortlessly fitted.
I picked up from some of the newer members of the forum that many of them were like myself going to soon attempt this stressful event.
Hope this helps you guys, the experts can go have a coffee about now.......
Right the bearings finally turned up and the shiny new parts are on the table, hopefully like me you beat your old ones into submission and you kept them and at least a few of the loose bearings.
The ALLBALLZ kit comes with nil instructions.....yup I can hear the tightening of sphincters around the world at that admission.
So being a practical sort of person you jump on the net and visit their site which is less than user friendly, if you actually find the Honda steering bearing area (yup it's there) you will read the same cryptic note your bearing kit came with.
Panic not I shall explain in words of few syllables.

[Hush]

Place your old lower bearing race on a flat surface, now using something sticky (cos like me I bet you cleaned all that yukky grease off everything) like jam or ketchup stick a few of the old ball bearings into the race.
Place the lower bearing collar (the bottom half of you old bearing set up) onto the ball bearings.
This is your old bearing height, you only need to do this exercise for the lower set.
Now next to this place the new set, the stack (which no one explains) goes in this order: largest oil seal, (the smaller one is for the top bearing) new bearing wide side down, new race.
Now using a flat object like a steel ruler (don't use the envelope your carb floats came in like me ) to see the difference between the old stack and the new stack....see simple eh!
The kit comes with 2 different sized spacers (washers), one about a millimetre thick and the other a stonking great 2 millimetres.
You may not need either or you may need to use one of these spacers, I'd say there was something seriously wrong if you thought you needed both!

[Hush]

How the bearings fit onto the steering shaft can take a bit of grasping so here's a photo of the order they will end up in.
My finger is holding back the 1 mil spacer which I had to use from the set.

[Hush]

Not sure where the God like sun bursts came from in those photos but I'll take it as a good sign.
Ok so now you know how the new bearings fit in order and weather or not you need a spacer, so it's off to the shed to get greasy.
As before no instructions accompany ALLBALLZ tapered bearings about greasing them so I just gave it death, grease the lower set of bearings thoroughly, give them a spin and work the grease in some more.
Fit the lower rubber weather seal flat face down at the base of the steering shaft then slide the new bearing set fat side first down to meet it.
Ah now this is the part that will have our experts cringing so I hope they are still off drinking coffee, to get your bearing set down to the bottom all the way will take some exertion (unless you have the proper tools which I didn't) so here I would like to introduce special tool number 1, made from the old bottom race and a length of copper piping.
EDIT: If you put the races in the freezer and heat the stem (even with a hair dryer)  the job is much easier. (thanks to FLYIN_  for this tip)
Somehow you need to exert enough pressure on the centre (only the centre) of the new bearing set so I found a piece of old pipe gave me the even pressure and the old race a close size as a base.
Now if you have the proper tools, good on you, go onto the next section while I explain the finer points of beating your new bearings without killing them.
Even tapping will eventually provide the desired effect and your new bearings will sit flat upon the new rubber weather seal.
I am told that applying heat to the metal helps but hey who has all that flash gear eh?

[Hush]

Now we need to fit the new race into the steering head, check for burrs or uneven bits where the old race came out of, I found something akin to a railway track and had to attack it with a file but wet and dry paper would have worked just as well if I had a week spare.
OK using special tool number 2 which you will make out of a solid round of timber (hey it's what I had, an old thick porch umbrella middle) and the old top race (I broke the bottom one getting it out so if you have that one even better) you are going to gently tap the new race into place.
If when you measured the stacks at the beginning of this tragedy you found you needed a spacer, it goes in first.
So spacer then new race flange side down of course.
That's the bottom half done so onto the top.
My old upper bearing race etc nearly fell out so I'm guessing the top end doesn't take the hammering the lower one does.
So same as before but backwards, tap new upper race in flange side up this time, grease well the bearings and place in small side down, cap off with new weather seal.
This is where it got a bit weird, you see there is an old weather seal that you took off when you pulled your old steering gear apart, this no longer fits and is a discard (no one tells you these things eh!) see picture.
Right push steering shaft up through steering head and secure with large round nut thing.
Hope this helps.
No one was injured in the making of this public service demonstration, especially not my new ALLBALLZ tapered steering bearings which work wonderfully well.

[Muk]

thanks for the info i'm getting ready to do this on my 550

[Hush]

Damn scary eh, it's also probably in the archives here somewhere too but I always believe that more information is better than less.

[Helo229]

Awesome write up! I recently did this myself, and trust me, it seems alot scarier before you start the project. I imagined it a nightmare chore doing it by hand without a press so I put it off and put it off.. Truth be told, it's about 20x easier than wheel bearings. If you don't have a press, patience and a flat chisel will get the lower bearing off and on the fork mount easily. As for the steering head, I used a long 5/8" threaded rod, 2 large flat washers, some nuts, and 2x4" blocks with holes in the middle to get the new bearing housings in lickety-split.

Have no fear fellow newbies! This job is cake!

[goon 1492]

this is very insperational, my bearings are still good but this project is still on the table for me. Thanks for the great info and, should this be stickied or maybe FAQ'S.  Looks like a perfect canidate.

[fixahonda]

Nice writeup. I bought a set of the all ballz for my 550. When I saw the great instructions I tossed them into the bottom of my toolbox and there they still sit, years after the bike has been sold.
Thanks for trudging on and showing the way Hush!

[jgary]

Timing couldn't be better!  Thanks for the write-up!

J.