headset bearings after market sealed ones xj550

ok guys so i tore my bike completly apart right down to the frame and when i was looking at the headset i noticed to my surprise that the headset bearings are loose balls.

question is has anyone found after market sealed bearings for an xj550
if you have send me a link i would really like to get a nice set of sealed ones so that i dont have to grease and clean them.

mine are still in really good condition to my amazment.

 

I know you can get tapered roller sets but I don't know if they're sealed.

 

My tapered were not sealed.

 

You cannot get sealed bearings for the headstock -- best replacements are a kit of tapered roller bearings. However, with the quality of the bearings now and the modern grease - you will likely ever only grease them once (when you put them in) in their (and your) lifetime.

 

yeah thats to bad i wanted some sealed ones. i know i will only grease them once they didnt have any dirty or rust on or in them they are still in good condition.

do you guys know if the bearings in the wheels sealed or are they loose also?

 

The bearings in my wheels are the ball style too. But they are in a race so as to not fall out all over the floor. They are fine and i just add more grease to them before putting rim and tire back on bike. I my self do not know if the wheel bearings come in a sealed style or not? Would be nice if need replacing.

 

BikeRanger

here is a site and it explains in detail the headset bearing.

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/s ... index.html

George

 

well no offence to you but that didnt explain anything, mine doesnt have tappered bearings like that nor are they ina collet. mine are completely loose. i would love to have those ones though.

i know how to service and repair and such i was just simply asking if there was an after market sealed replacement. servicing them is easy but time consuming and anoying. i want to make the bike all sealed so that when i sell it i can call it a no maintance bike other then, oil change and some other things. but they probablom with sealed bearings are that they have to be replaced after a while. dont know what ones better replace or grease. i would say replace lol just slide them on bolt her up and go lol

thanks for the info though guys ill post it up if i can find and sealed after market parts

 

Replacement SEALED wheel bearings are available; just not sealed headstock bearings.

 

can you service or replace XJ headset bearings without pulling the fork tubes out of the triple clamp? im kind of leery of messing with that because i dont want to even contemplate the issues of having the tubes not lined up properly...

i could see pulling the front wheel off (so you dont have to schlep that entire weight during reassebly) but if i need to pull the tubes i guess its a job for someone else...

are the replacements tapered or are they just a bag of steel balls? how do the tapered bearings work in a headset with a 'steel ball' race? wouldnt this cause some fitment issues?

 

No, you cannot replace either style bearing sets without removing the lower tree from the frame (steering tube).

The "upgrade" to tapered bearings kit comes with new races, deisgned for the tapered bearings, that replace the original ball-bearing races.

Ball-bearings were originally used on XJ550, XJ650, and XJ750 models. All other XJ-series models used tapered bearings from the factory.

 

but can i leave the fork tubes in the lower half? ive not been giving my bikes much attention (okay, no attention) all winter so im not certain but arent there pinch bolts holding them into the lower?

if the replacements use taper bearings how hard is it to get the races out of the headtube?

 

Yes you can leave the fork tubes in the lower half. There are pinch bolts top and bottom, the lowers are rather massive.

As Wiz explained before, alignment can be checked with a plate of glass (or a borrowed surface plate) laid against the upper and lower trees. If your forks are in good shape and you go carefully, the whole thing can be almost "self aligning."

You get the races out by coming in from the other side with a punch and catching the lip and tapping them out much like a wheel bearing only bigger. It requires only finesse and a big hammer.

 

does any one know if chacal carries the tapered bearings and the sealed bearings for the wheels. and FITZ did you do this to your bike or did you leave them stock? plus would you recommend this?

 

Yes, I know, I know!!!

Ranger, I do carry the tapered steering neck bearings for you bike and fully sealed wheel bearings (front and rear sets). Just drop me a PM and we'll get the ball bearing rolling.........


ALSO: Fitz and/or nobody-beats-The Wiz.......I thought the "flat plate of glass" alignment trick was supposed to be placed over the chrome fork TUBES themselves, rather than the upper and lower brackets? And that any movement of the glass indicated an out-of-alignment condition...

Although you can just check the upper vs. lower brackets for an out-of-alignment condition, that's just an intermediate step, since what you really "want" as the end result is that the fork TUBES are in proper (perfect) alignment with each other......and certainly, if the steering brackets aren't true with each other, that could be a cause of fork tube mis-alignment, but so could the front axle, as well as bent tubes, etc.------neither of which would be determined by merely checking the bracket alignment, right???

 

For what it is worth, I found replacing the headstock/steering bearings easier to do than the wheel bearings.

Partially because the first time I tried to replace the wheel bearings, I put them in and forget the spacer. And, I had to punch out the bearing I had just seated. Luckily, I found a new bearing for minimal cost.

One thing I would like to suggest is that if you do decide to replace the steering bearings, and you take off tubes, do the maintenance on the tubes at the same time. Replace the fluid and the seals in them.

Good luck

Dan

 

My 2c worth. These are doable for you if you have some tools, have used them occasionally, and are able to read and follow directions well. I would not consider myself a grease monkey, but was able to do bearings (tapered) in the head including the new races, etc. and in the front and rear and it rolls real well now and no longer has a hitch in its stearing.

 

yeah i think if im going to take the headset apart maybe i should you know think about it first right EdinaDad? lol i think i either miss understood what you said or you didnt read my post my bike is in about as many parts as it can be in with out taking the engine apart lol so what were you suggestion about the forks? there is a few things that im unfamiliar with and i do consider myself some what of a grease monkey. but im used to like stuff i know. im on familiar with alot of the intracasies of a motorcycle. plus im a visual learner so no amount of words can explain anything to me unfortunatly. chacal i need money my friend but ill pm you an extimate of what i have to acuumilate.

 

I just did this check my post HERE