I havent changed the bearings yet on my bike but a friend did his (Kawi) and said the barrel or cylinder bearings are the best. Stronger and last longer than the traditional ball bearings. So what do we have in ours, the round ball style?
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Soon to be seen...unveiling in march!!!!
got my suspension refresh all lined up. thanks tommy! still need to figure out what i'm going to do with the head bearing. :| kinda intimidated - even though i'm great with a wrench.
and changing my fuel management setup - i think. doing the ecu flash paired with the annitori RL qs. IF my bazzaz zfi-qs setup sells.
Replacing the bearings is all straight forward until its time to remove the lower bearing race. The manual advocates the use of "specialty" tool in the form of a hammer and a chisel Theres simply no room to pry it out without chipping your steering stem. Some people prefer to cut it with a power tool.
Installation of the lower bearing race can be done with a press. Removing and replacing the upper bearing is simple.
Randomly found the pics I took while replacing my steering head bearing last season.. Dunno if these will be any help to you or not. They basically outlined the steps I went through for the installation... The first few pics are just of the bolts you need to loosen, etc.
Trick to make your life easier-- when you cut off the old bearing, keep it around to use while pounding the new bearing into place (to even out the applied force). Also, put your new bearing under a heat lamp and throw your lower triples in the freezer for an hour. Thank me later. This was not the most fun thing in the world, but it wasn't THAT bad either.
First off, never "pound" the bearing races in...
2) freezer is a waste of time...
3) pop the bearing in the oven at 350-400 for 20 minutes and it will fall into place on the stem...same works for the races.
First off, never "pound" the bearing races in...
2) freezer is a waste of time...
3) pop the bearing in the oven at 350-400 for 20 minutes and it will fall into place on the stem...same works for the races.
Maybe I should've said "tap" instead of "pound".. 2)fair enough. 3) Good call!
Randomly found the pics I took while replacing my steering head bearing last season.. Dunno if these will be any help to you or not. They basically outlined the steps I went through for the installation... The first few pics are just of the bolts you need to loosen, etc.
That's an awesome idea for holding up the bike. I think I'll steal that! hhaha
Theres simply no room to pry it out without chipping your steering stem. Some people prefer to cut it with a power tool.
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