I've just replaced my OEM steering head bearings at 26,000 km (~16,000 miles) as they starting to "notch". The new bearing are tapered roller bearings and they have transformed the frontend of the bike. She is now utterly stable at all speeds - all shakes and wobbles etc. have gone.
Steering Head Roller Bearing - Upgrade or Boondoogle?
- Thread starter Patent1
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
idoc62
Member
They solved my decel headshake on my ‘13 when nothing else (tires, tire pressure change, suspension adjust, new suspension components) would.
Coachpilot
Active member
idoc62:
Which tapered rollers did you use? Where did you get them? (Thanks)
The decel head shake drives me nuts! And, IMHO, is completely unacceptable for a bike like this.
I've had Yamahas from TriZingers to RDs to TZ roadracers to an FJR, and have loved them all... BUT Yamaha Corp should be embarrassed by the decel headshake and make it a factory recall.
Which tapered rollers did you use? Where did you get them? (Thanks)
The decel head shake drives me nuts! And, IMHO, is completely unacceptable for a bike like this.
I've had Yamahas from TriZingers to RDs to TZ roadracers to an FJR, and have loved them all... BUT Yamaha Corp should be embarrassed by the decel headshake and make it a factory recall.
I'm with you on all your points. I got my tapered bearing from Parts Unlimited. I did not have decel issues with mine. If put my bike on cruise from speeds 30 to 50 mph it would get head shake if I took my hands off the handlebars. With the tapered bearings it quit doing it at any speed. What I was most shocked about and was unexpected is how much better the bike handled. I did not expect that. I could feel it in my very first turn. I litereally said outloud, "What!!??". Haha. So much better. Let me know if you want more detailed info on the tapered bearings and I will get it from my friend who did the work for me.
Coachpilot
Active member
I'd love some feedback on part# and the time for install. Thanks.
idoc62
Member
I purchased the kit from All Balls and my local dealer installed it. You're sure to appreciate this upgrade!
Last edited:
Part# 22-1003 - Steering Bearing Kit
Manufacturer - All Balls
He said straight working on the replacement - 4 hours. He is a very experienced motorcycle mechanic. Close to 30 years of experience.
Also he said, that if you can get the front end high enough to pull the the whole fork assembly out at the same time could make it quicker but you risk hitting the radiator and causing issues there. He did not do it that way. He took each individual shock off one at a time. It was pretty cool to watch. I was pretty successful armchair mechanic. Haha! He also said that he believed this part would work on any FJR and it was made for many other motorcycles as well. Pretty popular part. Hope this helps.
MotoMike
Well-known member
I replaced the stock Yamaha steering head bearings with All Balls Racing brand tapered steering head bearings on my 2007A in Feb of 2021. That cured the deceleration "head shake" that I had on my bike at about 55 to 70 km/h that occurred when I was only very loosely holding the handlebars.
Now to answer your questions in post # 26.
1) Feedback on the part #:
The packaging that the kit came in is long gone as are my receipts. However, Google is your friend. A quick and dirty Google search done just now showed the following:
a) I did not see the part on the All Balls Racing website.
b) I found the part on Amazon listed as "unavailable at this time".
c) I did not see the kit on eBay.
d) The kit is available at https://www.drbikes.co.uk/product/yamaha-fjr1300-03-16-wrp-steering-head-bearing-kit/ for 44.95 British pounds.
Feel free to do your own further research.
2) Time for the install:
It was quite a lengthy project. I first had to build a rig to keep the front of the bike elevated while the forks were out. Note that I had to buy a Dremel tool to cut out the stock lower bearing races. I also bought a special tool to tap the new races for the tapered bearings into place. Since the forks were off the bike, I also changed the fork oil at this time.
As I recall, the project took a total of about a month during our long Canadian winter, including building the rig.
I made extensive use of my Haynes manual, my factory service manual, the articles on this forum (use the search function), FJROwners forum and several different Youtube videos. Since I am retired, I worked on the project when I felt like it and quit for a few days when I was getting frustrated.
In terms of total actual working time, I would guess at about 4 hours to build the rig and 10 hours to remove the steering stem, remove the forks, remove the steering stem, remove the stock bearings and races, install the new bearing races, install the new bearings, change the fork oil, and re-install the steering stem and forks.
I took on that project as a total "noob" and it worked out fine. If I could do it, so can you.
Now to answer your questions in post # 26.
1) Feedback on the part #:
The packaging that the kit came in is long gone as are my receipts. However, Google is your friend. A quick and dirty Google search done just now showed the following:
a) I did not see the part on the All Balls Racing website.
b) I found the part on Amazon listed as "unavailable at this time".
c) I did not see the kit on eBay.
d) The kit is available at https://www.drbikes.co.uk/product/yamaha-fjr1300-03-16-wrp-steering-head-bearing-kit/ for 44.95 British pounds.
Feel free to do your own further research.
2) Time for the install:
It was quite a lengthy project. I first had to build a rig to keep the front of the bike elevated while the forks were out. Note that I had to buy a Dremel tool to cut out the stock lower bearing races. I also bought a special tool to tap the new races for the tapered bearings into place. Since the forks were off the bike, I also changed the fork oil at this time.
As I recall, the project took a total of about a month during our long Canadian winter, including building the rig.
I made extensive use of my Haynes manual, my factory service manual, the articles on this forum (use the search function), FJROwners forum and several different Youtube videos. Since I am retired, I worked on the project when I felt like it and quit for a few days when I was getting frustrated.
In terms of total actual working time, I would guess at about 4 hours to build the rig and 10 hours to remove the steering stem, remove the forks, remove the steering stem, remove the stock bearings and races, install the new bearing races, install the new bearings, change the fork oil, and re-install the steering stem and forks.
I took on that project as a total "noob" and it worked out fine. If I could do it, so can you.
RossKean
Well-known member
https://www.allballsracing.com/22-1003.html
Also, search the number 22-1003 on Amazon (or eBay) for a bunch of hits. Wildly ranging prices on Amazon...
Coachpilot
Active member
MotoMike- thanks for taking a few minutes to answer! Hope 2 more quick yes/no questions are ok:
1- did you remove the fairing?
2- did you have to remove the radiator to get the steering stem out?
THANKS AGAIN!!
Last edited:
No and no. If you have crash bars you can jack up the front and place jack stands under them for support.
Took me about 6 hours over the course of a few days. Lots of info here...
https://www.fjrowners.com/threads/a-strange-case-of-handlebar-wobble-2015es-fixed.156518/#replies
Took me about 6 hours over the course of a few days. Lots of info here...
https://www.fjrowners.com/threads/a-strange-case-of-handlebar-wobble-2015es-fixed.156518/#replies
Last edited:
This steering head bearing issue has me thinking I need a little clarification. Is it true that:
1- some bikes manifest symptoms from the factory that leave riders scratching their heads until they finally pinpoint the issue,
2- some bikes may develop an issue over time and leave the rider thinking it’s bad tires, bad this, or bad that until THOSE riders finally pinpoint the issue,
Or
3- some bikes never manifest any problems with the steering head bearings?
My used 2014 that I bought last summer with 6,700 miles had a terrible death wobble whenever I loosened my grip on the bars. Like REALLY bad. IMO, it handled fine otherwise. However, once I replaced the tires the wobble disappeared.
I guess I’ll count myself lucky …for now?
1- some bikes manifest symptoms from the factory that leave riders scratching their heads until they finally pinpoint the issue,
2- some bikes may develop an issue over time and leave the rider thinking it’s bad tires, bad this, or bad that until THOSE riders finally pinpoint the issue,
Or
3- some bikes never manifest any problems with the steering head bearings?
My used 2014 that I bought last summer with 6,700 miles had a terrible death wobble whenever I loosened my grip on the bars. Like REALLY bad. IMO, it handled fine otherwise. However, once I replaced the tires the wobble disappeared.
I guess I’ll count myself lucky …for now?
Just a mention on how I support my FJR during service to my front end. I put the bike on the center stand, then use a scissors jack under the header pipe, just behind the bend. I sandwich a thin piece of wood as wide as the 4 pipes between the jack and pipes. I also store the bike for the winter with the front tire off the ground with the same method; works like a charm. I could take a picture, if you think it would help?
Pete-o
Pete-o
I had the same experience, bought used and had terrible handling and wobble. New tires cleaned it up considerably. I do wonder if the bearing upgrade would improve it further.
rbentnail
Economic Plankton
I can only relate my experience with my '07 as I did earlier in this thread:
My '07 had the decel wobble from day 1 and zero miles. I had little to no relief with tire pressures, different tires, suspension settings, bearing repack & retorque, fork/front wheel torque sequence, fork service or upgrade, yada, yada, yada. Nothing permanently solved the problem until a tapered bearing install- it never came back. At 140+K miles now.
The key word there is "permanently". I'm convinced not all FJR's are the same. There's no blanket statement or remedy.
John Scottorn
Active member
the bad tyre and wobble may have done the steering head bearings a lot of no good?
Bill Lumberg
Merica
I can only comment on my experiences. My 2014 never had any steering or handling issue that wasn’t easily corrected. No bearing replacement necessary to 85,000 miles.
My 2018 never had any handling or steering issue that wasn’t easily corrected, no bearing replacement indicated up to around 97 or 98,000 miles.
I’m only at around 47k on my current bike. Time will tell.
RossKean
Well-known member
As mentioned above, some bikes seem to have issues and others do not. Theories abound - bad tires, improper inflation, incorrect bearing torque, "bad" factory bearings, original installation error, worn or Brinelled bearings, tweaked frame, topcase aerodynamics, passenger aerodynamics, windshield aerodynamics, loading, load distribution etc. Other than tires, I don't know what causes it and also don't know why tapered bearings magically fixes things for many people.
Your bikes didn't have issues and neither have the two FJRs I have owned with a total of 450,000 km. Only time I experienced a wobble was under deceleration with a Pirelli Angel GT front tire at about half life. Changed it out and instant fix - clearly a bad tire.
I have seen too many instances of wobbles that couldn't be fixed, despite exploring all reasonable avenues, to blame the owners. I have considered the tapered bearings for my 2011, but then I decided there are better things to spend money and time on.
Similar threads
