Headshake, Needle Bearings, and Tires

[Barry]

OK - I got minor headshake on my 35,000 mile C14.  I snugged down the nut that loads the stem bearings, didn't have the means to torque it properly.  Snugging it minimized the shake quite a bit.  I have dis-similar tires on the front/rear since I flatted a rear, and then replaced the front.  I had PR2s on and the bike was rock solid.

I now have minor bar wiggle between say 55 and 65 mph.  At 70 mph or over it's gone.

My question is anyone who has swapped over to needle bearings in the head set, has your head shake returned AFTER making the switch???

My troubleshooting process will be:

1.  Confirm proper torque on stem bearings.

2.  Buy a new set of PR3s.

3.  Swap out stem bearings for needle bearing set.

Thoughts

Thanks,
Barry

[tthompsr]

Had the same problem as you, and yes I changed over the head bearings which solved my problem.
I found the needle bearings at  Allballs .com

[Barry]

How miles since the bearing swap?

And

Did u try proper torque on the OEM bearings before the swap. 


Barry

[MAN OF BLUES]

NEEDLE BEARINGS??
or do you really mean "tapered roller bearings"?

there is a big difference.

[Barry]

NEEDLE BEARINGS??
or do you really mean "tapered roller bearings"?

there is a big difference.

I probably mean tapered roller bearings, if that's what anyone has put in their C14 and is the appropriate mod....

[VirginiaJim]

We have needle bearings...but not there.

[Fretka]

Do fix the obvious first, tires, air pressure, proper torque, no binding of cables and wiring when moving the bars etc.

Most (?) modern bikes use ball bearing headsets because of lighter steering due to less bearing friction and if you are not doing wheelies and slamming the forks down, stock is fine. Look elsewhere for the problem as using tapered rollers will just mask the problem at best. My opinion!

Fretka

[B.D.F.]

Just my opinion but I have found that tapered roller bearings work very well on a C-14, and it made no difference in feel when I swapped them. I believe this bike is just too heavy and already damped to notice the small increase in drag from the different bearing types.

As to the masking of the problem, I also have a different perspective: I believe a certain amount of damping is necessary otherwise all motorcycles would show some low speed wobble tendencies. The higher drag bearings (tapered roller bearings) provide just enough drag, and therefore damping, to keep the front wheel from moving sideways from the normal forces generated while riding. They work in the identical way to a steering damper, just on a lot smaller scale. In fact, it is probably really the grease in the tapered bearings that is providing most of the damping.

I would agree with you that anything wrong or worn on the bike should be fixed of course but the addition of tapered roller bearings seems to be a step in a good direction, at least that is what I found on my bike.

Brian

Do fix the obvious first, tires, air pressure, proper torque, no binding of cables and wiring when moving the bars etc.

Most (?) modern bikes use ball bearing headsets because of lighter steering due to less bearing friction and if you are not doing wheelies and slamming the forks down, stock is fine. Look elsewhere for the problem as using tapered rollers will just mask the problem at best. My opinion!

Fretka