canyncarvr
~SPONSOR~
- Oct 14, 1999
- 4,005
- 0
It's only been posted about a gazillion times...GREASE your bearings!!
But this may be a tad different..enough to save someone else some trouble.
I had NOT taken my steering stem apart for a grease job because I thought it was fine. With the front wheel off the ground, the whole mechanism would move freely from side to side..would 'drop' easily to lock if the frontend was at any sort of angle at all.
Still..was wondering what was causing my frontend to handle so poorly. Too easily knifed and cut..as if my forks were a couple inches up in the clamps.
Checked the bearings with the front wheel OFF..and it was a different story. The weight of the wheel was masking the 'tick' of a damaged bearing.
The lower bearing rollers showed contact wear on only one side..the rollers on the other side were pitted and oxidized. The 'grease' in the bearing looked like it had an oxide (red) base. The race showed corresponding marks where the rollers had failed.
Yep..should have taken it apart long ago..but the free movement of the steering led me to believe it was ok.
It wasn't.
Would be a good idea to check it..reGARDless of what it feels like.
And, yes...it handles MUCH better now..and that's just with a good grease job! Bearings on order............:(
But this may be a tad different..enough to save someone else some trouble.
I had NOT taken my steering stem apart for a grease job because I thought it was fine. With the front wheel off the ground, the whole mechanism would move freely from side to side..would 'drop' easily to lock if the frontend was at any sort of angle at all.
Still..was wondering what was causing my frontend to handle so poorly. Too easily knifed and cut..as if my forks were a couple inches up in the clamps.
Checked the bearings with the front wheel OFF..and it was a different story. The weight of the wheel was masking the 'tick' of a damaged bearing.
The lower bearing rollers showed contact wear on only one side..the rollers on the other side were pitted and oxidized. The 'grease' in the bearing looked like it had an oxide (red) base. The race showed corresponding marks where the rollers had failed.
Yep..should have taken it apart long ago..but the free movement of the steering led me to believe it was ok.
It wasn't.
Would be a good idea to check it..reGARDless of what it feels like.
And, yes...it handles MUCH better now..and that's just with a good grease job! Bearings on order............:(
