davethetrucker wrote:So the taper bearings seem to be favoured over the originals when I last changed head bearings on my blade was advised to stick with the ball type by a honda mechanic ?

So that:
1) he gets a nice bonus that year coz they sold a Blade headset for £313.12 + VAT

2) you get something to do every other weekend - adjust your headset...

veefer400 wrote:

davethetrucker wrote:So the taper bearings seem to be favoured over the originals when I last changed head bearings on my blade was advised to stick with the ball type by a honda mechanic ?

So that:
1) he gets a nice bonus that year coz they sold a Blade headset for £313.12 + VAT

2) you get something to do every other weekend - adjust your headset...

veefer400 wrote:

davethetrucker wrote:So the taper bearings seem to be favoured over the originals when I last changed head bearings on my blade was advised to stick with the ball type by a honda mechanic ?

So that:
1) he gets a nice bonus that year coz they sold a Blade headset for £313.12 + VAT

2) you get something to do every other weekend - adjust your headset...

it had nothing to do with cost from memory got genuine honda bearings and seals from ds for not much more than than the pattern stuff. what he meant was the bike handled/steered better using the caged ball bearings over the tapered type in that particular model a pre injected 99 rrx for whatever reason ? had no reason to doubt his advice as he had been a mechanic at tt and race events for years and had no financial interest in the matter.

While I pause before challenging received wisdom, taper bearings in a headstock/headset position are inferior to ball bearings.

The reason is that taper bearings are excellent when a load is applied perpendicular to the bearing surface. The issue with bearings used in the headstock is that the force that acts on the bearings comes from different directions, both up and down, and from side to side.

Imagine, if you will, the direction and magnitude of force applied to the headstock as the motorcycle is in motion, and consider the lateral forces applied by cornering and braking. There are both horizontal and vertical components of the force on the headstock bearings.

In this situation, ball bearings offer a consistent bearing area no matter the direction of force. Hence, they should provide a more reliable action, and a longer lasting solution. In practice, YMMV, etc..

thanks tanto that seems to explain the reasoning i was told very clearly in favour of the standard bearings over taper in this particular application . i dare say that a properly adjusted set of taper bearings will do the job ok but in such a critical area that can affect the feel and handling characteristics on a bike paying an extra 20 quid or so for the correct parts is a small price to pay . had a look at david silvers and they are £50 for both bearings and bottom seal think rick oliver also sells them and i dont think anyone would dispute ricks knowledge about these bikes and what is best in practice.