Topic: Steering Stem Bearings and Race

[Burke]

I am stripping down my 750 frame to get it ready for blasting, should I remove the races?
If I dont should I put the old bearings in when I re-build it? (It only had 8000 miles on her) Or replace all? Or replace certain things?

I have read on these forums that folks some replace them with tapered bearings. Are these better and easier to replace that to use the OEM style?
If I should remove the race before I get it blasted, how do I remove them?

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

[ekim98]

If your going thru all that work to rebuild I would replace the stock bearings with tapered roller brgs. It's not that much $40 or so and there suppose to help. That's on my list of things to do on mine! If you don't replace them make sure you protect them good before sand blasting or better yet remove them.

[paulages]

you're wasting your time if you don't install tapered bearings.

[Gordon]

Agreed!  If you already have it stripped down, you'll be doing yourself a big favor in the future by replacing them with tapered roller bearings, and it will most likely be the last time they'll need to be replaced. 

[Burke]

Replacemnet it is.
So what is the trick to remove them races?

[jtb]

Beat them out with a long drift and big hammer.

[seaweb11]

Keep them, you can use then to tap in the new ones

[Gordon]

On one particularly stubborn lower bearing race, I cut through it about 3/4 of the way with a Dremmel cutting wheel, and then broke it off with a flat-head screwdriver.  The sound of it cracking was extremely satisfying, especially after several hours of wrestling with the thing unsuccessfully. 

[xtalon]

If you use All Balls tapered bearing kit, be sure to keep your old bearings/races because you will need to measure the stacked height to determine which washer to use for installation of the new bearings.  I don't know if all tapered bearing kits are the same in terms of this or not.

--xTalon

[Steve F]

Guys, when you purchased your tapered bearing sets, did any of you get a dust shield of any kind?  If I recall, I ended up making a rubber disc to cover the exposed side of the lower bearing, and it was a pain to figure out. 

[paulages]

Guys, when you purchased your tapered bearing sets, did any of you get a dust shield of any kind?  If I recall, I ended up making a rubber disc to cover the exposed side of the lower bearing, and it was a pain to figure out. 

i destroyed mine removing the stock lower/inner race the first time i did the conversion, and bought a new one from honda. the seal doesn't come with the bearings.