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Steering Head Bearing Tool

bmwgsrider

bmwgsrider

Member
Does anyone have a steering head bearing tool that I might be able to borrow in order to tighten my steering head bearing on my 06' F650 GS?

Thanks.
 
speaking of steering head bearings...

At about 24,000 miles my steering head bearing developed a "groove" which causes a "hiccup" in the steering. I had the bearing replaced with what my mechanic says is a new, improved alloy. Anyone else having issues with steering head bearings?
 
Anyone else having issues with steering head bearings?
Click to expand...

the single cyl F650GS is known to need to have steering head bearings replaced, it seems they did not grease them very well at the factory. i am not sure what the mileage was on my '07 when i had the steering head bearings replaced and Anna (bmwgsrider) had her steering head bearings replaced on her '06 as well. perhaps she will chime in and remember what the mileage was on her bike when they were replaced.
 
my 2007 developed notched bearings at 23000kms and again at 47000kms.
They were replaced by myself with SKF 320/28xq bearings made in Germany.
These were greased with red synthetic high temp grease. So it seems that the bearings tend to notch even if they are high quality and greased well!
This winter I will regrease the latest set again to be ready for the summer riding.
The bike has 51000kms now so that will be only 4000 between greasing, I can let you know what they looked like when I get a round to doing it.
The bike was not dangerous to ride with the slight notch but sterring was a bit squirrly at slow speeds some people can not even notice it until they are told about it.
90% of my riding has been in Mexico and in my opinion the topes(speed bumps) are what caused mine to go at such early mileages.
Cal
 
Question

I'm new to bike ownership, having owned my '02 Dakar now since Oct, 2009. After reading the comments here I took at look at my steering head. Externally, there is a dirty black film around the head. I haven't noticed any feeling of "notchiness" but will be pulling the bike apart this winter to clean it up, check out the wiring harness, adjust the valves, etc. This is a first time endeavor for me as i want to learn how to maintain the bike myself.

Should I plan on just pulling the old steering head bearings and replacing them? The bike presently has ~20 K miles on it. 95% of the roads ridden since purchased at roughly 16 K miles have been asphalt. The 5% gravel has been pretty rought with lots of washboarding, etc.

Your expertise is valuced. ;)

Dale
 
This may be inaccurate, but I heard that the steering head bearings are affected by engine vibration (despite having a balancer). It sounds plausable, as there is no good reason for these bearings to fail at 25 - 30k miles, which they all seem to do
 
nytrashman said:
the single cyl F650GS is known to need to have steering head bearings replaced, it seems they did not grease them very well at the factory. i am not sure what the mileage was on my '07 when i had the steering head bearings replaced and Anna (bmwgsrider) had her steering head bearings replaced on her '06 as well. perhaps she will chime in and remember what the mileage was on her bike when they were replaced.
Click to expand...

The mileage was 30,032.
 
My 650gs has about 32000 miles on it and I noticed the steering head bearings are becoming somewhat notchy. I had replaced some on my R75 after about 90 to 100 K. The lack of grease could be an issue, but improperly torqued nut could also cause premature wear.
 
marty2 said:
I replaced mine last year at 9,000 mi. The bottom bearing was bone dry.
Click to expand...

Same here. Replaced mine at 25K. Bottom bearing was bone dry and had started to rust! Bearing adjustment is part of routine maintenance. If allowed to get the least bit loose they'll be toast in a hurry. At lease they're easier to replace that the ones on the old boxers. Use a quality marine grade bearing grease and adjust at appropriate service intervals.
 
For information, the bearings used in the F650 single bikes are the same bearings that were used in the Airheads from 1970 until 1995. I don't have an explanation but they do seem to not last as long in the F650 single bikes. I haven't compared the steering head angle from vertical among the various machines but that could be a factor.
 
PGlaves said:
For information, the bearings used in the F650 single bikes are the same bearings that were used in the Airheads from 1970 until 1995. I don't have an explanation but they do seem to not last as long in the F650 single bikes. I haven't compared the steering head angle from vertical among the various machines but that could be a factor.
Click to expand...

Would you happen to know if the steering head bearing on the Twin F650's the same as the thumper F650?
 
bmwgsrider said:
Would you happen to know if the steering head bearing on the Twin F650's the same as the thumper F650?
Click to expand...

The nominal dimensions and the part numbers are the same for the F650/G650 singles (and Airheads) and the F650 twin. They are different on the F800GS, F800S, and F800ST.
 
AKBeemer said:
What special tool is needed to replace the bearings? Picture?
Click to expand...

photo1-12.jpg


photo2-18.jpg


Here is a thread over on www.f650.com forums:

http://f650.com/forum/showthread.ph...ing-Tool&highlight=steering+head+bearing+tool
 
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