Steering head bearings maintenance?

[pscook]

While spending some quality time with my loved ones yesterday (bikes and beers in the garage), I swapped out the rusty steering bearings for some nice new rollers. After greasing them up and installing everything, I was thinking about future opportunities to maintain the little buggers.

What does everyone (anyone?) do to keep the bearings clean and fresh and to prevent rust? Do I need to pull the stem apart and repack the bearings every (X) hours? Install a zirc and pack the head tube with 20 ounces of grease every 5 hours?

I don't mind pulling everything apart, but if there is a better/simpler way I am all over it.

 

[Zman]

I believe the factory uses very little grease in the headset and suspension. Once you installed the new bearings with good waterproof grease, they should require very little maintenance. BTW- Do you put your gas tank overflow hose into your headset hole. If so that could contribute to washing grease out of the lower headset bearing.

 

[pscook]

I wasn't the first person in there. Some evidence of lithium grease, plus some other grease (brown, rusty, nasty stuff).

Gas tank overflow doesn't go into the headset at all, plus there was grease present. If grease was washed out by gasoline, the bearing would have been dry. Not dry, no evidence of washing. Just nasty crappy "grease."

I saw a mention of installing an oring at the top location, I'm going to investigate that while I still have the top triple loose.

 

[sevenfourate]

I believe the factory uses very little grease in the headset and suspension.

And this is the same line (Little grease on bearings) your hear on just about any off-road forum you go on; be it here, KTM or Yamaha forum etc.

And why on this earth would that possibly be ? For the life of me i cant fathom it.

For the sake of a few pence / yen / cents worth of grease it cannot be worth the potential problems that may cause during the warranty period, or outside it further down the line.

Or is it a measured amount used everywhere, thats useful just long enough to protect the bearing until a few days after the warranty runs out........

 

[Zman]

The last Allballs kit I purchased had some washers with built in seals. I needed to swap in and out some of the stock shim washers to get it all to work correctly.

http://www.allballsracing.com/22-1056.html

 

[pscook]

The last Allballs kit I purchased had some washers with built in seals. I needed to swap in and out some of the stock shim washers to get it all to work correctly.

http://www.allballsracing.com/22-1056.html

That looks interesting, but it is just one washer and probably to replace the lower shield. This still leaves the top unprotected, unless you received two washers and got it to work.

I am still going to source out a large oring, see what can be done. It has to be simpler than this!

 

[cbutler]

It should have an o-ring top and bottom from gasgas both of mine do. I dont know the size but someone here should have you called GoFasters or Halls?

 

[Rick]

Not sure about the newer bikes but my 99 with 43WP conversion has o ring top and bottom with a white plastic retainer that helps seal the top bearing.