Single pop in stearing head when braking hard

2000 VFR 800. Never had the head bearings checked. Whne I hit the front brakes hard I hear a single pop (click) and can feel it in the handle bars (slightly). When I stop and the forks decompress and I roll the bike back slightly the "pop" can be heard faintly but not felt. If I hit the brakes hard 2-4 times in a row without stopping to allow the forks to fully decompress I dont get the sound again.
Anyone ever had this problem or heard of it? I assume that its the stearing head bearings but wanted other opinions on what else it could be such as the caliper sliding or the linked breaking system functioning.
I'm just getting it broken in after 14 years of riding it, 44K miles and hearing new sounds every day.

 

get the front wheel off the ground for starters (key word is SAFELY) if you have a service stand for the rear this can help along with a scissor style jack under your exhaust pipe. Once you get the wheel off the ground you can see if it has play front to back, can also see/feel if it has that self centering characteristic of a worn steerin head. A well set up bike should flop to either side with aboot no help from your pinky finger, left or right. Truthfully, after 44,000 it would be prudent to change the races and bearings with OEM stuff. You could also take off your top triple tree cover and gently use a drift and hammer and tap the slotted collar to tighten it up a bit, Honda un-thoughtfully made a cosmetic cover that you have to remove to gain access to this collar. Thats aboot it...good luck, its a nice bang for the buck maintenance item. You will feel the difference with new ones right away...

 

^^ He has it covered !!


Usually, headset bearings on a VFR are worn and ready for replacement by about 35-40,000 miles, less if you wheelie or have alot of potholes in your roads.

 

My guess is your head bearings are shot. You could try adjusting them but they probably need replacement. Try this....on the centerstand lift the front wheel off the ground. An easy way to do this is, while it is on the centerstand, to have someone push down on the rear lifting the front wheel and slip some 2x4s or similar under the header pipes to keep the wheel off the ground. Now with the front wheel off the ground turn the handle bars left and right and feel for a notch at dead center. My guess is you will find a notch at the straight ahead position. If you do, it is time to replace the bearings and races. Good luck

 

Thanks guys, looks like I got my Saturday booked for maintenance. I was in Korea for 3 years and the only maintenance it had was oil changes and a new chain. I've already put new pads on it; now for the head bearings, new clutch, and new tires. She had her first good bath in 3 years yesterday. It was so nice having a place to wash it, I did it twice.