Jockey Journal Forum banner

steering bearings on triumphs

3K views 24 replies 12 participants last post by  PaulLitespeed 
#1 ·
I finally got off my lazy ass and took my 68 bonnie apart,The frame is stripped and forks off it,question now is,replace the stock ball bearings in the neck or use tapered?Give pros and cons all answers and opinions appreciated
 
#4 ·
I'm with Bob ^^^^ on this one. The loose ball bearing set up works fine, and as long as the balls and races are in good shape, grease them up good, set your pre-load right, and keep on riding. But, if you have some extra money that you don't need :), you can always buy one of the conversion kits for tapered roller bearings (Timkens).

Geo.
 
#7 ·
For ease of life I would always go with a Timkin conversion. Once modified it is easy to swap frontends or just mock things up without having to deal with greasy little balls that love to fall all over the place.
Best inexpensive luxury item one can get.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Pro...
those little ball bearings cost 3 cents each at a hardware store...if you buy all 40 new ones it will set you back $1.20...spend a $1.50 and that'll get you 10 extra you can drop in those cracks.

Con...
the Timken bearing kit costs about $40.00

(the equivalent of 1,333 ball bearings, or enough to do 33 motorcycles)
 
#14 ·
Timken roller bearings are for people who don't mind spending $40 and being done with head bearings, knowing they have he heaviest duty bearing available on their front end. No chasing of loose bearings, no more buying of loose bearings. It doesn't mean the tiny bearings don't work, it just means the larger, caged, roller bearings, are well, just that. I use Timkens on every client bike. I have the tiny bearings on my '55, they work too. the guys that like the tiny balls and argue for their continued use, will not be swayed by any internet reasoning and/or argument, and that's fine. And the guys that use timkens will not go back to tiny balls either. Pretty simple, huh? Prepare for this thread to join all the oil filter threads of the past 5 years.......
 
#19 ·
The timken race number will do you no good. The British Suppliers have found machine shops to make a "shim" or collar to press fit over the timken race to make it fit the old imperial size of the Triumph neck. Also the dust cover is pressed into the bearing to make the correct size for the upper part of the stem on a Triumph. But make sure you have a 1955 to 1970 Frame, the OIF Frames are different. I know some states title by the motor still and confusion can occur. Also confusion occurs with aftermarket frames titled by the year of the motor.

Just call Tony, or Dan Druff or me and get the right KIT, otherwise you will be back on here in a week bitchin about your Timkens not fitting.
 
#20 ·
OK, hence name 'conversion KIT'
I deal with a few bearing suppliers @ work, thought I could have scored myself a 'special'...

I try to leave the 'bitchin' to the wife & work colleagues... I may be guilty occasionally,
but under my breath & aimed at myself. One month too short a timeframe, primary
currently open for clutch work & (maybe) new alternator... Head & barrel about to be
inspected/sealed too. Front-end sometime in future. Bike currently a 'running' resto.
minor upgrades here & there with riding in between. Putting klm's/miles on helps
determine priority work for next downtime.

Thanks Wes for takin' time to post. We actually spend quite a bit of time together
you & I. My 2yr old daughter even knows you by name- "there's Wes" as she points
at the TV while I'm watching your DVD's. Best birthday pressie I ever got myself.

Cheers, Paul...
 
#22 ·
If you want to get good service out of a set of the loose ball and cup type head bearings (and timken tapered bearings too), all you need to do is service them once in a while. If your cups are cratered, it's because of lack of lubrication or improper adjustment. There aren't any head bearings (at least on Triumphs and Harleys, and that includes timkens) that are designed to act as steering dampers. In other words, once you tighten the pre-load beyond taking the slop out or getting correct "fall-away", all you will do is at a minimum is reduce bearing life, and if you take it a little farther you'll end up with handling problems. If you've got loose balls, use a grease like Lucas "Red n Tacky", that will keep your balls out of the cracks in the garage floor and in the cups where they belong :).

Geo.
 
#23 ·
No offense taken Wes... knew what you meant. I have seen it here too unfortunately...
My daughter thinks everyone with a beard is you. They are very common/fashionable
around here at the moment. Trendy types with designer clothes, tight jeans & beards.
We were at a shopping centre a few days ago- she would point at anyone with a
beard, like she does at the TV... they would notice her pointing, look at my 'hippy
killer' T-shirt, stare at the ground and keep on moving.

Old Wrench spoke of correct adjustment.

My plan was to take out the bearing end float by hand, then back nut off 1/4" turn.
Just like a stub-axle on a car wheel bearing.
Hand backed thoroughly with something thick & sticky.
 
#24 ·
Triumph was vague about the adjustment of the tapered rollers on OIF steering necks but many Japanese and European bike manuals call out the torque for the steering stem adjustment on tapered rollers. Generally around 10 ft lbs of torque on the adjustment nut. This adjustment does put some drag on the steering and it's important to steering feel and handling.
Now this may or may not apply to retro fit kits in older frames...If you like to experiment then try a few different torque settings on the steering and see it you can feel any difference for yourself.
 
#25 ·
Cheers Trucked,

Torque settings sound a bit much to me and the 'drag' would only create wear &
damage (2 x hardened surfaces mating under load).
Definitely not saying it is wrong. I don't think my torque wrench goes that low/light..
Like you say 'experimentation' will be the order of the day.

Thanks for the insights into your research.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top