5th gen Steering Stem Bearings Replacment the Joey_Dude method (read: cheap)

After looking at the service manual and nearly getting a heart attack on how much it would cost me
to do it the right "Honda" way, I decide that I got to keep this project on the cheap somehow. So I've done
research and gone through the process at a fraction of the cost. For everyone's benefit I'm going to illustrate
the great Joey_Dude method:

Required Tools/Parts

1. Front Fork Lift You can buy a cheap one from Motorcycle Front Wheel Stand
2. Replacement steering bearings duh, for this we'll use All-Balls tapered bearings Part #22-1020
3. Lock washer Honda Part # 90506-425-830
4. The following tools from the VFR toolbag
   
5. Some sort of prop that will hold the bike up while the forks and front wheel off. It can be
   concrete blocks, a pile of wood, your dead uncle, whatever that can provide a stationary
   reliable mount for the bike to rest on
6. 30 mm nut and socket wrench
7. Service manual at http://vfrworld.com/forums/specifications/3161-downloadable-parts-catalogs-service-manuals.html
8. Big-ass slot screwdriver, at least a foot long, the kind Crocodile Dundee would have if he was a mechanic
9. Hammer
10. 1 1/4" PVC pipe or something else similar that will fit into the steering stem
11. Grease suitable for wheel bearings. If you go to an auto parts store you should get a can labeled for wheel bearings
12. Rubber gloves
13. Race guide installer kit, you can get one cheap from Harbor Freight: - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
14. Some kind of ruler/marker system that will mark the position of the forks
15. Freezer, I'm assuming that you have one along with electricity and that you live somewhere on the grid

Optional Tools (this will make the project much easier and bring the cursing down to kindergarden level)

1. 10 mm, 12 mm, 14 mm socket nut wrenches. Yes, the VFR toolbag provides those tools but the
   socket wrench can do the job much faster not to mention provide better grip
2. The great Joey_Dude cheater bar. Below is an custom example imported from Lowe's.
   
   Note the ergonomic handle that allows me to gain a tight grip. Seriously, cheater bars, when added to any wrench will make the job much easier and prevent scratched up hands from slips. Hand models take note.
3. ATV jack to prop the bike up when the forks and front wheel are off. You can get one cheap off craigslist
   or a garage sale. The great thing about them is that they're adjustable unlike a pile of wood so if you
   need more height you can just jack it up a little more.
   Harbor Freight has one: harborfreight: - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
4. Dremel with metal grinder attachment for parts that refuse to come off

Process:
First, that front wheel's got to go. To get the bike ready put it on the centerstand and prop the front forks
with the front fork lift. Look in the service manual section 13-10 for more detailed instructions.

Now that you've gotten the front wheel off, it's time to take the brake lines and brakes off the forks.
Look at the service manual in section 13-16 for more detailed instructions. Make sure that when you've
disconnected the brakes that they rest on some object to ensure that the brake lines don't get stressed.
Below is my proprietary Joey_Dude dual-purpose Brake Hoist System/Shipping Container:



Now, VERY VERY important, make sure BEFORE you take the forks off that you measure the position of the forks.
This is crucial to ensure that when you put the forks back on they will be in the same location. Below
is a proprietary Joey_Dude fork location marker that I used:

Take note of the tick mark using the special ink delivery device (P.E.N.)

Ok, you've got the fork location marked it's time to take the tiny little circle metal wire around the top of the fork.
This is important because that little annoying metal part prevents the forks from slipping out of the handlebars.
Here are some pictures so you see what I"m talking about:



With that out of the way it's time to take the handlebars off, this is easy you just gotta loosen one pinch nut. I'll
leave it as an exercise to you to find it.

Now comes the exciting part, taking the forks off. First, carefully loosen the top bolt so that you can hand loosen
it.


Then go to the bottom bolt. Note this bolt is on VERY tight and I recommend using the custom Joey_Dude cheater bar to make it easier.

Make sure to catch the fork it'll start sliding out. And this goes without saying this is the part where you retire the
front fork lift and put the bike on a stationary mount. For my example I used an ATV jack that I bought off craigslist:


All righty it's time to take apart the triple tree. The big nut in the middle is 30 mm nut, I advise to use a cheater bar
because that nut is on tight and you don't want to tip the bike over trying to force it loose:


Next is the lock washer, it's pretty easy, just move the little tabs with the big-ass screwdriver and loosen the top nut
by hand.

Now this next part, according to the service manual is really expensive and requires a special tool costing $80.

Fortunately, you can do this with my patented Joey_Dude Special Nut Loosening system:


As you can see you just hold the spanner wrench from the VFR toolbox and hit the side with a hammer. Make sure to hold
the wrench tight and give it some solid whacks with the hammer. It'll be on hard so don't be discouraged if it won't lloosen up at first.

Now that the special nut is out you can see the old bearings:


You can just pull them out and also pull out the lower triple tree:


A side note, make sure that the hose connected on this point is disconnected otherwise you won't be able to take the
triple tree out.

Next step is to take out the old race bearings out and according to Honda you need a special gadget that costs about $50.
Nah,I say you can use my special Joey_Dude race bearing removal system:


With the big-ass screwdriver put it inside and rest it on the bearing, the hole is oval and the bearing will be just
inside that. Here's a diagram copied from a howto for removing bearings:

Source: Dan's Motorcycle Steering Bearings
Give that a few good whacks and the race bearing will pop out.

As for the lower triple tree you also have to get the dust seal/race bearing out. Ideally you can do this with a big-ass
screwdriver or a chisel and just shimmy it out. In my case it just didn't work the race bearing was on too tight and I
resorted to this dual-purpose Joey_Dude Race Bearing Remover/Chain Breaker tool:


With this I ground one area of the race bearing down so that it got loose and I was able to pop it out with a screw
driver:



Now it's time to put the new race bearing for the lower triple tree. Honda says you have to use a hydraulic press for
this.
All you really need is my special Joey_Dude race bearing installer system:


The PVC pipe is 1 1/4 inch thick for your reference and I have the old bearing so that I have a surface to push on. You
can see how the parts interact like so:

Note: Be sure to include the dust seal it is to be on the bottom below the bearings.

Before putting the race bearing on put it in the propreitary Joey_dude dual purpose bearing shrinker/food storage
system:


You want to do this the night before the install to allow plenty of time for the bearings to shrink and make it easy for
you to install it. And it goes without saying make sure to grease that sucker up good. Here's a good tutorial on packing
grease into bearings: How to Pack Wheel Bearings | eHow.com

So with a frozen bearing and a hammer you just pound away on the PVC pipe until the dust seal/race bearing is all the way
down:


As an added bonus your PVC pipe will become a permanent bearing installer:


Now it's time to install the new race bearings for the upper and lower section of the triple tree. The top one is pretty
easy only requiring this part from the Harbor frieght kit. (50mm driver)


The lower one uses the same size driver (50mm) however it's a bit tricky and took me several tries to get it. What works
is to start out by placing the race bearing flush and you can even turn the bearing installer backwards to ensure it will
initially go in flush:


Once you got that set up set up the bearing installer the proper way and tap it in a few times with the hammer. They have
to be LIGHT taps not showing who's the boss taps. Then check again to ensure the race bearing is going in the same all
around. You don't want any areas slightly falling behind otherwise you won't be able to push it all the way in.



If you ever get stuck you can always use the big ass screwdriver/hammer kit to push out the race bearing and start over.

Once you've got the bearing almost in, like 1-2 millimeters to go ensure that it is in the same all the way around. Then
give the installer some good whacks and it should go in all the way. Make sure that there are no gaps between the race
bearing and the triple tree enclosure.

Now it's time to put the triple tree back on, I'm not going to insult your intelligence by doing a complete pictorial.
After all, if you took it apart it's self-explanatory on how to put it back together.

With the forks, to ensure that they go back on the same way they were before start with one fork and pull it up a little
too high and ONLY tighten the top fork bolt. Barely tighten it enough so that it won't slide down. Now take your
proprietary Joey_Dude fork position system and see where the fork should be. If it needs to go down further get your
hammer and tap it down and recheck the fork position:


Once you got that fork position dialed in tighten up the top bolt even further so it won't move. Then get your other fork
and the front wheel axle. Put the fork in the right position so that the axle can slide in to the other fork and tighten
the top bolt of the fork. Double check the position of both forks they have to be perfectly the same.

All righty now it's time to put the front wheel on. If I have to do a picture-by-picture for you to figure it out there's
no hope for you.

With the bike all back together it's time for a test ride. With the all-balls steering bearings I have to admit at first
the steering effort was a little heavy but obviously there is some kind of break-in process because as I rode on more and
more the steering started to get lighter. It wasn't long before it's like the bike is reading my mind.

Special thanks:

I couldn't have even begun to attempt this maintenance task without the following resources so they deserve a lot of credit:

SLOVFR for the 4th gen thread: http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/21055-tappered-head-bearings-4-gen-how.html
This got me started and the tip about putting the bearings in the freezer is a good one

DIY motorcycle guide: Dan's Motorcycle Steering Bearings This guy has a great howto on other maintenance tasks and
even shows how to do it cheap! If this resource helps you be sure to donate some money as a thank you!

 

Good job, Joey...like your ingenuity. I have a couple suggestions.

I like to break that top steering nut loose while everything is still on...less chance of pulling the bike over if your stand is 'less' than steady.

It must've been alot of work to 'dremel' that bearing race off. A good sharp chisel and deadblow hammer will allow you to 'catch' the edge and if you go carefully from side to side and remove evenly...well...they've always come off for me that way. It may help to warm up the race with a propane torch.

I think you got the heat thing backwards...you'd want to put the steering stem in your freezer, and the bearing in a 200F oven.

 

Fantastic step-by-step. I was only mildly distracted by the creepy cat avatar.

 

Good suggestions Dizzy and sorry about the cat vfrhusband ha ha ha!!

 

Cheap Chinese garbage won't last as long as OEM.......ever had a Harbor Freight tool break after 2 uses ??

What's with the fancy support setup, doncha have a centerstand ???

 

Damn! I got here too late to see the creepy cat avatar! I feel cheated...

Nice job there, Joey. I hope you had the presence of mind to apply for patents on your proprietary processes and tooling before you posted this. If not, well, I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. :biggrin:

 

Thank you very much for this post. I just did my 86 VFR700. For others who are doing the 86/87 model years, the 50mm race installer will not fit. I just used the old race to help me tap the new race into its seat. Go slow and keep an eye on your edges while tapping and it will go in fine.
I also used the dremel cutting wheel to cut the lower race. I cut two grooves about 1/8 of an inch apart, then put a chisel in one of the cuts and gave it a ding with a hammer. Split the race and off it came.
I bought the same 1 1/4" tubing to help install the new lower bearing. It does take some effort. I did freeze the lower triple and stem, but it still took some good whacks to get that bearing to seat on the dust seal at the base of the stem.

 

Having done steering bearings before, I am a little familiar with the procedure, so thanks for the additional info. I would like to add my comments if I may. One, the frame has little cut outs above the race so it's easy to catch the edge with a punch to knock it out. To remove both only took a minute or 2. Hardest part was getting the new races lined up to pound them in straight. Had a problem while installing the bearings onto the stem. Bottom of the stem flares out to fit the bearing inside diameter. I was able to pound the new bearing onto the stem easily, but with about 4mm left underneath it, and that's as far as it would go. Beat the sh*t out of it with a long steel pipe that fit nicely over the stem and pressed on the inner part of the bearing. Heated it with a torch, bigger hammer, nothing. Then my neighbor who was manning the torch noticed the pipe flaring out. The inside diameter of the steel pipe was just slightly smaller than the taper of the stem, so it was hammering to flare the pipe out, and not pushing on the bearing anymore. It wasn't jammed onto the stem like you would think it would do being pounded onto it, so I didn't notice. Live and learn. Also, the adjustment of the preload seems to be critical. I tried using the Honda recommended method, but it was too loose. Then I tightened it more which was too much. I ended up loosening it a quarter turn, riding it some more, and then an 1/8 turn more to get it right. So, basically an 1/8 turn of the preload nut was noticeable in the feel of the steering.

 

When installing bearings you cool (freeze) the shaft that the bearing is being install on and cool (freeze) the races to install. Freezing the bearing then installing on the shaft would reduced the clearance. Use the inner race (after removing the rollers and cage) in between the new bearing and your bearing driver or you will likely damage the cage on the new bearing.

 

I had cut the race off the steering stem (split it on one side) so I used it between the metal pipe and the bearing to finish pushing the bearing on.

 

Freezing the bearing will reduce the overall diameter of the bearing, ID and OD.

You would freeze bearings that are going in the upper triple tree, and in the lower triple tree.

You would not freeze bearings that are going on a shaft.

 

Or freeze the steering stem in the latter case. The wife/GF may not approve if she found that in the freezer. However, who knows how she'd react if it was your shaft that was frozen!

 

Well, as long as it was frozen stiff...