Springer forks steering head bearing

Springersoftinthehead

Springersoftinthehead

Club Member
Ok, so it looks like the Steering head bearings on my 2000 Heritage Springer are gone & need replacing. Not sure yet whether this is something I should attempt myself but reading through my Clymer manual when it comes to removing the old bearings from the Frame steering head it tells me that ' HD recommend to weld a bead around the inside of the race. When the weld & race cool the bead will shrink the race & then you can remove it'. This is all well & good but 1/ I don't got welding equipment handy, and more importantly, 2/ I cant weld :confused:

So, here's my questions for the truly learned among you:-

1/ Is this as complex as the manual makes it seem?
2/ What's the 2nd best way to remove the old bearings?
3/ Should I seek professional help, i.e. pay someone who actually knows what they're doing?

Thanks as always 👍
 
Hi Charles,
Does the manual say what size the bearings are?
We have tools that you can borrow (for the price of the postage) to remove old and fit new ones.
I just need to know the size to be able to send the correct tools.
 
Paul FXD said:
Hi Charles,
Does the manual say what size the bearings are?
We have tools that you can borrow (for the price of the postage) to remove old and fit new ones.
I just need to know the size to be able to send the correct tools.
Click to expand...
I used the tool from the Club to remove the Head Bearing Races. Dead easy. Used a block of wood to drift the new Races in. Not so easy. Top Race was ok as you are hitting down but the bottom one was a Barsteward. With hindsight I would have begged or borrowed the correct tool like this one: CLICK HERE to see.
Good luck. :encouragement:
 
I don't weld either but there is a cheapskate answer. It can take 30min, but I have successfully many times over the years used a Dremel and a top-quality cutting wheel to cut the lower bearing race off the steering head stem. Make extreme diagonal cuts that can ''meet'' so you are removing a triangular section that weakens the whole race. It's like removing a slice of pizza ... go careful and it never fails.

PS: do NOT forget to place the lower dust cap on the stem first BEFORE you put the new race and bearing in place. Assuming Springers also use those......
 
OK, thanks for the replies.

Firstly, no idea what size the bearings are but once I'm ready to go I'll purchase & measure then pester for the tool loan.

Next, I checked the link from 'Paul FXD' but apparently....
  • Works on most Harley Davidson Dyna’s, FXR’s and early model Baggers, will not work on most Softails and 2014 and up Baggers :confused:
Last of all..................... I don't got a Dremel either :rolleyes: (can probably get one though :)).

So the forecast for this Winter is........ Heavy outbreaks of swearing followed by prolonged bursts of bruised knuckles.
 
Get a Dremel. It pays for itself within weeks. Really.

And it has a million uses in and out of the garage. It's an essential.
 
I bought my Bearings and Races from Bearing King. Really helpful and very fast delivery. For the 2 Timken Bearings and Races it came to less than £20 including delivery. Just a word of advice, go for a well known make, i.e.: Timken or SKF. From my research All Balls are made in the Far East and apparently are not as good quality.
 
Springersoftinthehead said:
  • Works on most Harley Davidson Dyna’s, FXR’s and early model Baggers, will not work on most Softails and 2014 and up Baggers :confused:
Last of all..................... I don't got a Dremel either :rolleyes: (can probably get one though :)).

So the forecast for this Winter is........ Heavy outbreaks of swearing followed by prolonged bursts of bruised knuckles.
Click to expand...
I think you will find that it is saying it will work with Bikes before 2014.
 
Failing all else, no welder, no dremel, you could buy some freezing aerosol (this used to be available at Maplins electronics, but they're closed now - other electronics suppliers can probably help) and apply it to the race....the idea is to shrink the race marginally in the frame neck. A block of wood, a small hammer, and with the bike secured so it doesn't move unduly, hammer opposite sides of the race external face. This may be curved so you'll have to be patient, but it works, low tech style.
 
Thanks everyone, particularly like the idea of freezing the bearings to shrink them. Just a bit concerned that the underside bearing will be a right Mesherschmitt * to get to. ( * or should that be Fokker?)
 
So, all done. Ending up buying one of these
1673282615287.png
Worked a treat..........once a 2lb hammer was applied :rolleyes:
 
On the Rushmore Touring onwards models they provided internal reliefs in the headstock to drift them out with a punch. What I have done in the past with a Dremel was to grind two small reliefs enough to get a punch on for each cup before installing the new bearing cup & also stuck in a grease nipple on the bike if it will just fill the head stock on the years where they were not provided!
 
We do what we need for our own enjoyment or necessity but...

A rough calculation for my Sportster is it would require 105grams nearly 1/4lb of grease to ensure that the neck was full to get it to the top bearing. I can only guess that the grease will only pack into the top one once the neck is full of grease. What is going to happen to all of that grease and how do I know when I put more in that it is actually greasing the bearings?

I greased the bearings on my bike the other day as it happens. By removing the top yoke and undoing the pinch bolts of the lower yoke I pushed it down the fork tubes about 2 1/2", 65mm so I could grease the bottom bearing. The top one is easy as that just pops out. I was able to see what I was doing and know where the grease has gone.

This is the first time they have been done as per the HD schedule and I am not seeing a lot of evidence they had much grease on them when first installed.

Setting the loading on the bearings using the fall away is another topic on the Superlow.

Yes HD used to put a grease nipple in the neck but there must a reasonable explanation as to why they removed it.
 
Simple cost ! The time it takes to drill tap and screw a nipple in the neck per unit ran to a few quid and the bean counters worked out they would sell more of their horrendously priced neck bearings for more profit by not fitting them with_glasses
 
When you have a grease nipple fitted you grease the bearings by pumping the grease in until you get the grease coming out the top dust cap, then stop, it will tend to always to come out the bottom first!

The specified grease for all models used to be the same lithium wheel bearing grease, then for some reason H-D changed to using what it called special purpose grease on the Softail range, they now specify it for other models too. The issue, it's thinner and leaks out the bottom bearing when the ambient temperature gets hot and splatters everywhere! I suspect it being thinner penetrates the rollers easier, personally if I was starting from scratch with new bearings I would not use it and use the 'old' grease as this seems to have worked very well with the same bearings for over sixty years!
Also personally I wound/do not dismantle the front end just to grease the head bearings because I have done X number of miles or X time. (We are talking about no grease nipple here.)

I would only go in there if there was an issue and being looking to replace the bearings, remember this is for my bikes, I know and aware of what worn or loose bearing feel like and do.

The time and effort on something like a tourer is not worth the benefit in my opinion, if you are going in there you might as well change the bearings, they are cheap enough even for quality ones.

We have had previous posts regards adjusting the head bearings and using the H-D swing method and although still being somewhat sceptical, if done correctly I conclude it does actually work.

It is like the adjustment of any taper bearing, you do have to be somewhat astute and have the feel to get it right, it is not a precise and defined process like setting a fastener to a specific torque setting, too much or too little adjustment will cause your problems, minor at first then progressing slowly for the worse!
 
Last edited:
SJC69 said:
When you have a grease nipple fitted you grease the bearings by pumping the grease in until you get the grease coming out the top dust cap, then stop, it will tend to always tend to come out the bottom first!

The specified grease for all models used to be the same lithium wheel bearing grease, then for some reason H-D changed to using what it called special purpose grease on the Softail range, they now specify it for other models too. The issue, it's thinner and leaks out the bottom bearing when the ambient temperature gets hot and splatters everywhere! I suspect it being thinner penetrates the rollers easier, personally if I was starting from scratch with new bearings I would not use it and use the 'old' grease as this seems to have worked very well with the same bearings for over sixty years!
Also personally I wound/do not dismantle the front end just to grease the head bearings because I have done X number of miles or X time. (We are talking about no grease nipple here.)

I would only go in there if there was an issue and being looking to replace the bearings, remember this is for my bikes, I know and aware of what worn or loose bearing feel like and do.

The time and effort on something like a tourer is not worth the benefit in my opinion, if you are going in there you might as well change the bearings, they are cheap enough even for quality ones.

We have had previous posts regards adjusting the head bearings and using the H-D swing method and although still being somewhat sceptical, if done correctly I conclude it does actually work.

It is like the adjustment of any taper bearing, you do have to be somewhat astute and have the feel to get it right, it is not a precise and defined process like setting a fastener to a specific torque setting, too much or too little adjustment will cause your problems, minor at first then progressing slowing for the worse!
Click to expand...
Amen to that :encouragement:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top