Tapered steering bearings - EMERGENCY QUESTION

I just finished installing the SSY500 tapered bearing set on my 81 XJ650H and I noticed the upper fork tube clamp is about 1/8" higher then it was. I think this is because the upper race did not seat flush with the top of the neck - it is slightly thicker than the original race. Is this a problem? Is this expected with the retrofit? Did I (unthinkable) do something wrong? Thanks for any help.

 

As long as the race seated fully then don't sweat it. What I would worry about is that if the race is not fully seated it will eventually resulting in a loose steering situation. I haven't seated my bearings so I can't say if the extra height is normal.

 

Thanks for the response, BlueMaxim. I feel a lot better now. I did tap that race down as far as it would go. Right against the machined step in the neck.

My bike had that severe "detent" feeling in the steering when pointing straight ahead. Now it is smooth as silk from lock to lock thanks to all the information I gathered from this site. I can hardly wait to see how much better it handles.

 

make sure you check the play in the bearings the second day of riding it and then again after a week and a month. Need to make sure that doesn't loosen up. Very safety critical part!

 

yep, I too had about an 1/8" or so sticking up above the steering head on my SSY125 set on my XJ550. It's no big deal, as long as everything is seated well and torqued to spec. Oh, and make sure you pack them full of bearing grease.

 

The joys of Aftermarket parts .
They ALL end up being approx 2mm too high.
Doesn't seem to make a real life difference though.
I believe that Yama went to their own tapereds (which fit perfectly) for their 89 models