I'm about to change the headstock bearings, is there any difference in using taper over standard? I can get a set from PKN for about £20, has anyone used these bearings? or where do you get yours from?
Cheers
wang

Taper bearing will last a LOT Longer as they are:

1) Better sealed

2) Easier to install, a fit and forget without messing around with grease/dropping small balls down the headstock or all over the garage floor...

3) Designed to handle end loads better

A no-brainer....

Has anyone used these? is the quality ok?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

* Japanese Quality Taper Bearings.
* Kit Includes Upper and Lower Taper Bearings, Shells, and Seal (if seal is required).
* Direct replacement for loose ball bearings (if fitted).
* Buy with confidence.
* NO QUIBBLE Return Guarantee full Exchange/Refund.
* Product Code: BR36-6054

Serving the Motorcycle Industry for over 25 Years.


well that sounds good enuff to me.

i have fitted PKNs pyramid bearings from ebay and id rate them 8-10

excellent customer service,
excellent quality bearings,

a REAL snug fit, so make sure you got blow torch and a freezer handy,

i fitted mine with the vice and lumphammer.

was a last resort!

Negatives!
ORDER GENUINE SEALS from honda, the seals they supplied me were
1 SHIT
2 Wrong shape and size and i spent half a day messing about to find out the seals were at fault.

hope this helps howard

rick

I bought some of those pyramid steering head bearings recently too. As rickyb_dj said, wrong seals and i wasn't impressed to find fine filings from the manufacture process still in the races... clean them thoroughly in solvent.

But you get what you pay as usual.

Don't use ordinary ball bearings, they're not designed to handle lateral forces like taper bearings are, and in the steering column its all lateral forces with respect to the bearing direction.

Rick.. forgot to mention on the telephone.. if you clean your yoke stem with some fine wet and dry then wash it off with meths / parafin before you put the bearings on you'll find they slide on a lot easier... tiny amounts of corrosion / surface rust make bearings a right pain

Neosophist wrote:Rick.. forgot to mention on the telephone.. if you clean your yoke stem with some fine wet and dry then wash it off with meths / parafin before you put the bearings on you'll find they slide on a lot easier... tiny amounts of corrosion / surface rust make bearings a right pain

cheers mart, well its all done now. i just used my brass wire wheel on the bench grinder, and then cleaned them off with rag, i smeared engine oil on the inside race as i slid it on so and finished it of in the vice with a lump hammer.

they seem to tighten up pretty well, too tight and you know too lose and you know, its quite easy to fidn the right position on tightness.

just pissed about the seals as i can be arsed to stripp it all down again, but i know it needs doing

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 ?