Steering head bearing condition and its consequences.
The V-max has a reputation for unpredictable handling and particularly flighty front-end behaviour. Head shake, high and low speed lane wandering, ‘clicking’ noises and unpredictable oscillatory behaviour of the front-end are repeating themes in the forum threads and seem to reoccur in spite of repeated attempts to solve them.
Popular idiosyncratic fixes like the “furbur fix” and variations on it are claimed to cure flighty front-end handling but not everyone who has tried it agrees that it works.
Experience with the V-max and dozens of other bikes I've owned and ridden over the years, has taught me that the Max’s reputation for unpredictable handling and flighty steering behaviour have little to do with the inherent design of the bike’s steering geometry and are really caused by neglected and poorly executed maintenance. That’s a great pity because poor maintenance practice has probably been the greatest contributor to an undeserved handling reputation that has dissuaded many potential owners from purchasing the V-max and enjoying the unique V-max experience.
I am not suggesting that modified and swapped handling components will not improve handling characteristics of the V-max. ANY bike can be improved in that way.
Having tried much of what I’ve researched I have concluded that the majority of problem bikes are not routinely maintained or correctly adjusted to spec and worn parts that are worn beyond specified service limits are not replaced when they should be. This is THE cause of the overwhelming majority of reported problems.
Loose Worn Steering Bearings
Loose bearings can cause annoying as well as fatal handling problems.
Loose bearings are caused by incorrect adjustment, worn bearing surfaces or damaged bearings components.
Symptom One – Clicking Noise from around the steering head. This is an audible ‘click’ or ‘click-click’ that is usually noticed at low speeds in the range of 10kph or less and is heard when negotiating speed bumps. A quick but slight ‘tap’ or ‘tap-tap’ sensation can also be felt through the handlebars when the sound is heard. It is probably always there at any speed but is obscured by engine noise and road vibration.
Symptom Two - Low speed handling in the range of less than 10kph, can cause the front end to wander from side to side when you attempt to maintain an upright position in low speed, straight ahead manoeuvres. You will notice that as you try to steer a straight line the bike’s forks will want to swivel left, right, left right (sometimes described as 'shimmy') and you must constantly correct to maintain a straight line.
Symptom Three – Low speed oscillation. This is a very mild form of the side to side oscillations that under difference circumstances can develop into a full-blown ‘tank slapper’. This is noticeable as a mild and quick left to right vibration felt through the front handlebars but is not necessarily able to be seen as an obvious movement of the handlebars. It can be felt at relatively low road speeds of say 40 – 60kph at light throttle roll-on. The left to right oscillation is also characterised by a floating sensation as if friction drag on the steering has temporarily disappeared. This is most noticeable on a smooth sealed surface.
Symptom Four – Head Shake. Head shake under varying conditions at varying speed are often reported in the forums. This is an exaggerated form of symptom three. If you failed to notice symptom three, this symptom will get your attention and can very obviously be seen. This can occur with aggressive throttle roll-on (or snap to WOT) from relatively low speeds. The head will shake from left to right in a very pronounced way but almost always disappears relatively quickly as you accelerate. It can also occur at highway speeds if you drop down a gear and snap to WOT.
Symptom Five – Tank Slapper. This is an extreme form of head shake that amplifies the left to right oscillations of the front forks to the point that handlebars will be wrenched from the riders hands as they sweep through the full range of steering arc from tank side to tank side. As the oscillatory forces are transferred beyond the range of steering arc the whole bike and rider become involved in the movement. This is now a terminal condition and you are crashing.
Symptoms One to Five can occur under rapid deceleration not caused by a braking event.
Decelerative forces such as compression braking at high RPM i.e. the reverse of accelerative forces can produce these same symptoms.
They may also be initiated by a surface input like a road bump provided the conditions described above are in play.
The above symptoms are oscillatory forces that come into play when the combination of motorcycle geometry, rider, and motion forces approach or reach a mechanically resonant frequency that can not be contained by damping forces. I am not going to describe the physics involved. Tony Foale does a great job of that at www.tonyfoale.com.
Symptom Six – Oversteer
This is not a general oversteering problem. When it is related to steering bearings it is most evident in low speed cornering (if it’s a problem caused by suspension rebound settings it will shown up when in high speed cornering). You want to go around the corner but your bike wants to take a more acute line and steers deep into the corner. You feel that it is ‘falling’ into the corner.
Tight Bearings
Tight bearings are not as problematic or dangerous as loose or worn bearings but the symptoms are annoying. Tight bearings can be caused by over-tightening the nut that sets bearing tension. The V-max only requires 2lbs of force to be applied to its steering bearings. Tight bearings can also be caused by insufficient lubrication of the bearing surfaces.
Symptom Seven – Understeer
This is not a general understeering problem. When it is related to tight steering bearings it is most evident in low speed cornering (if it’s a problem caused by suspension rebound settings it will show up when in high speed cornering). You want to go around the corner but your bike wants to go straight ahead and steers wide through the corner.
Symptom Eight – Lane Wandering?
Tight steering bearings cause lane wandering and this is noticed at high speed. Usually obvious at highway cruising speeds Instead of traveling in a straight line the bike will drift from left to right without any apparent input from the rider. It is difficult to track a straight line without constant correction.
Worn Bearings
Worn bearings have all the symptoms of loose bearings but no amount of adjusting can fix the problem. Once a bearing is worn (damaged) resetting the tension will accelerate the wear and require more and more frequent adjustment.
Worn bearings do not have to be visually inspected to confirm they are worn. When you turn the triple tree slowly you can feel a ‘notchy’ resistance when the roller pins catch on the alternating high and low points on the bearing shell. The movement should be smooth and even with no ‘notchy’ resistance at any point.
One method of testing a bearing for correct tensioning is by letting forks gently fall left or right to their steering lock stop. They should move smoothly to the stop without gaining momentum. This is usually seen as a sign that the tension is correctly set BUT if the bearing is worn like the examples below, you will have little resistance in the friction points where the metal has been worn away. These worn hollows are the points of minimal friction that set up the head shake behaviour.
'Walking' Bearings
This bit information comes from Mike Nixon at http://www.motorcycleproject.com and I felt it needed to be included here.
Sooner or later, all the larger late model Hondas and Yamahas develop a problem with the steering bearings that results in a head shake when decelerating from 40 mph and less. For want of a better term, we'll call it a "deceleration wobble."
There is a rule in motorcycle suspension technology which says that problems in handling that occur under 40 mph are due to defects in front of the steering head, while those occuring at higher speeds are found in causes aft of the steering. It's a tried and true rule of thumb, and a decel wobble obeys the pattern. Many things can cause weaves and wobbles, whether on acceleration or deceleration -- tire wear is especially critical. But decel wobbles have their own special causes, and if the front tire isn't excessively worn or the wheel badly out of balance, the cause is almost always the steering bearings. But we're not talking looseness. We're talking about something that is not addressed in any service manuals, factory or aftermarket. Whether because the frame is made of softer material or what, the steering bearing races "walk" in the frame. That is, they shift in their recesses and become out of square with the steering stem, and out of parallel with each other.
Modern motorcycle steering bearings tend to "worry" -- shift back and forth -- in their frames, especially on the heavier bikes. The resulting non-parallelness sets up torque forces in the steering which manifest themselves as attempts by the fork to correct itself, with the result: shimmy, shimmy. Again, the problem isn't looseness. Mere tightening fails to correct the problem.
The following procedure is one circulated by American Honda's District Service Reps. It is based on the above premise, as well as a procedure found in Honda Service Letter #126. Three tools are needed: a torque wrench, the special factory steering bearing nut socket (Honda's is part # 07916-3710100), and a good quality tubular 0-10 lb. spring scale. A floor jack or something similar to jack the front of the motorcycle off the floor will be handy, too.
Follow your manual's instructions for removing the top triple clamp (Honda calls this a "bridge"), so that the pair of special castlelated nuts becomes accessible. The upper one is just a locknut. Remove it and set it aside, along with the special washer. Jack the front end up off the floor, and feel the bearings as you turn the bars each side from center. If the bearings are notchy or the front end has a self-centering action, the bearings need to be replaced, no second-guessing here. After replacing them if necessary, continue. Get the front end off the floor. Turn the fork to full right lock, and with the torque wrench and special socket, tighten the bearings to 40-50 ft-lbs. The fork will be very stiff. Don't panic. It's only temporary. Now turn the fork lock-to-lock, repeatedly, at least twenty times. You will probably notice something interesting: that ridiculously high tension will loosen up; the bearings will get looser, indicating that they have squared up and settled into the frame. In some cases, you won't be able to tell, but even if you don't notice the bearings loosening up, proceed. Turn the fork to full left lock now and loosen the nut until it's just finger tight, then turn the fork to the right lock again and tighten it to 7-10 ft/lbs.
Attach your spring scale onto one fork tube, using a piece of shoestring or something similarly soft so as not to scratch the tube. With the fork assembly pointed straight ahead and the tire off the floor, slowly pull the spring scale straight ahead until the tip of the fender arcs about one inch. Note the poundage. You're looking for a 5-7 lb. pull. Five for motorcycles under 600 lbs., more for heavier machines and those with fairings. Tighten the tensioning nut as needed, a little at a time, and check with the spring scale.
After adjusting, drop the special washer back into place, and screw on the locknut, but don't tighten it. Though you probably found the locknut jammed against the tensioning nut, that's not the correct way to install it. It should be close to the tensioning nut, but not jammed against it. Leave a little space -- about 0.020". Then bend the locktabs into the locknut to keep the two interlocked. The locknut's job is to isolate the torque of the bridge nut from the steering bearings. Reassemble the rest of the fork per the manual. If a test ride reveals that there is still a decel wobble, or the bike sways side to side like a rowboat (the bearings are too tight), readjust to higher or lower spec as needed.
Thanks Mike
Getting the Old Bearing Shell Out
How do you remove a worn bearing shell from the steering column of the motorcycle frame?
The answer is … it depends on the bike. Some steering columns are designed to use ball bearing rollers and some are design to use tapered roller bearings.
The V-max is designed to use tapered roller bearings.
Some manufacturers are thoughtful and forward looking enough to anticipate that the bearings will eventually need to be replaced and allow access to the bearing shell so that it can be driven out of the steering column with a suitable drift, dot-punch, cold-chisel or wheel puller.
Yamaha did not do this. There is no internal flange that will allow easy access to the back of the outer bearings shell from within the steering column. So, these tools can not be used. You can;
1) Heat the steering column with a gas torch and hope that the column expands quickly enough to allow you to pry the shell out (before you cook the frame enamel). Access is still a problem.
2) Weld a bead around the inside face of the bearing shell. The cooling of the bead can distort the shell and allow it to pop out. At least you have something to pry on.
3) Tack-weld a suitable drift or metal bar to the shell and pry it out that way (simple).
4) If you haven’t got a welder you can use a high-speed drill like a Dremel with a diamond tip cutter and grind through the (very) hardened outer bearing shell. This relieves the tension on the shell and they fall out with little applied force.
I used method four. The diamond coated grinding bit is like a dentist drill on steroids and cuts through the hardened shells like butter. That is, until the grinding tool goes blunt. Once the grinding bit ceases to cut easily, its’ stuffed and you should used a new bit or you will take forever. I used three bits to cut the shell – but it was quick.
Picture 1 shows the worn lower outer bearing shell. You can clearly see the wear patterns from the roller bearings.
Picture 2 is a close up of the same.
The lower bearing is the one that bears most of the load forces from the front-end and any wear will show up here first.
Picture 3 shows the upper outer shell wear patterns. You can see they are not nearly as pronounced.
Picture 4 shows the cuts through the bearing shell made by the Dremel tool.
Feel free to add photo’s and techniques to this thread. I’ll expand and revise this post to cover the steering stem bearing removal and installation in the near future.
The V-max has a reputation for unpredictable handling and particularly flighty front-end behaviour. Head shake, high and low speed lane wandering, ‘clicking’ noises and unpredictable oscillatory behaviour of the front-end are repeating themes in the forum threads and seem to reoccur in spite of repeated attempts to solve them.
Popular idiosyncratic fixes like the “furbur fix” and variations on it are claimed to cure flighty front-end handling but not everyone who has tried it agrees that it works.
Experience with the V-max and dozens of other bikes I've owned and ridden over the years, has taught me that the Max’s reputation for unpredictable handling and flighty steering behaviour have little to do with the inherent design of the bike’s steering geometry and are really caused by neglected and poorly executed maintenance. That’s a great pity because poor maintenance practice has probably been the greatest contributor to an undeserved handling reputation that has dissuaded many potential owners from purchasing the V-max and enjoying the unique V-max experience.
I am not suggesting that modified and swapped handling components will not improve handling characteristics of the V-max. ANY bike can be improved in that way.
Having tried much of what I’ve researched I have concluded that the majority of problem bikes are not routinely maintained or correctly adjusted to spec and worn parts that are worn beyond specified service limits are not replaced when they should be. This is THE cause of the overwhelming majority of reported problems.
Loose Worn Steering Bearings
Loose bearings can cause annoying as well as fatal handling problems.
Loose bearings are caused by incorrect adjustment, worn bearing surfaces or damaged bearings components.
Symptom One – Clicking Noise from around the steering head. This is an audible ‘click’ or ‘click-click’ that is usually noticed at low speeds in the range of 10kph or less and is heard when negotiating speed bumps. A quick but slight ‘tap’ or ‘tap-tap’ sensation can also be felt through the handlebars when the sound is heard. It is probably always there at any speed but is obscured by engine noise and road vibration.
Symptom Two - Low speed handling in the range of less than 10kph, can cause the front end to wander from side to side when you attempt to maintain an upright position in low speed, straight ahead manoeuvres. You will notice that as you try to steer a straight line the bike’s forks will want to swivel left, right, left right (sometimes described as 'shimmy') and you must constantly correct to maintain a straight line.
Symptom Three – Low speed oscillation. This is a very mild form of the side to side oscillations that under difference circumstances can develop into a full-blown ‘tank slapper’. This is noticeable as a mild and quick left to right vibration felt through the front handlebars but is not necessarily able to be seen as an obvious movement of the handlebars. It can be felt at relatively low road speeds of say 40 – 60kph at light throttle roll-on. The left to right oscillation is also characterised by a floating sensation as if friction drag on the steering has temporarily disappeared. This is most noticeable on a smooth sealed surface.
Symptom Four – Head Shake. Head shake under varying conditions at varying speed are often reported in the forums. This is an exaggerated form of symptom three. If you failed to notice symptom three, this symptom will get your attention and can very obviously be seen. This can occur with aggressive throttle roll-on (or snap to WOT) from relatively low speeds. The head will shake from left to right in a very pronounced way but almost always disappears relatively quickly as you accelerate. It can also occur at highway speeds if you drop down a gear and snap to WOT.
Symptom Five – Tank Slapper. This is an extreme form of head shake that amplifies the left to right oscillations of the front forks to the point that handlebars will be wrenched from the riders hands as they sweep through the full range of steering arc from tank side to tank side. As the oscillatory forces are transferred beyond the range of steering arc the whole bike and rider become involved in the movement. This is now a terminal condition and you are crashing.
Symptoms One to Five can occur under rapid deceleration not caused by a braking event.
Decelerative forces such as compression braking at high RPM i.e. the reverse of accelerative forces can produce these same symptoms.
They may also be initiated by a surface input like a road bump provided the conditions described above are in play.
The above symptoms are oscillatory forces that come into play when the combination of motorcycle geometry, rider, and motion forces approach or reach a mechanically resonant frequency that can not be contained by damping forces. I am not going to describe the physics involved. Tony Foale does a great job of that at www.tonyfoale.com.
Symptom Six – Oversteer
This is not a general oversteering problem. When it is related to steering bearings it is most evident in low speed cornering (if it’s a problem caused by suspension rebound settings it will shown up when in high speed cornering). You want to go around the corner but your bike wants to take a more acute line and steers deep into the corner. You feel that it is ‘falling’ into the corner.
Tight Bearings
Tight bearings are not as problematic or dangerous as loose or worn bearings but the symptoms are annoying. Tight bearings can be caused by over-tightening the nut that sets bearing tension. The V-max only requires 2lbs of force to be applied to its steering bearings. Tight bearings can also be caused by insufficient lubrication of the bearing surfaces.
Symptom Seven – Understeer
This is not a general understeering problem. When it is related to tight steering bearings it is most evident in low speed cornering (if it’s a problem caused by suspension rebound settings it will show up when in high speed cornering). You want to go around the corner but your bike wants to go straight ahead and steers wide through the corner.
Symptom Eight – Lane Wandering?
Tight steering bearings cause lane wandering and this is noticed at high speed. Usually obvious at highway cruising speeds Instead of traveling in a straight line the bike will drift from left to right without any apparent input from the rider. It is difficult to track a straight line without constant correction.
Worn Bearings
Worn bearings have all the symptoms of loose bearings but no amount of adjusting can fix the problem. Once a bearing is worn (damaged) resetting the tension will accelerate the wear and require more and more frequent adjustment.
Worn bearings do not have to be visually inspected to confirm they are worn. When you turn the triple tree slowly you can feel a ‘notchy’ resistance when the roller pins catch on the alternating high and low points on the bearing shell. The movement should be smooth and even with no ‘notchy’ resistance at any point.
One method of testing a bearing for correct tensioning is by letting forks gently fall left or right to their steering lock stop. They should move smoothly to the stop without gaining momentum. This is usually seen as a sign that the tension is correctly set BUT if the bearing is worn like the examples below, you will have little resistance in the friction points where the metal has been worn away. These worn hollows are the points of minimal friction that set up the head shake behaviour.
'Walking' Bearings
This bit information comes from Mike Nixon at http://www.motorcycleproject.com and I felt it needed to be included here.
Sooner or later, all the larger late model Hondas and Yamahas develop a problem with the steering bearings that results in a head shake when decelerating from 40 mph and less. For want of a better term, we'll call it a "deceleration wobble."
There is a rule in motorcycle suspension technology which says that problems in handling that occur under 40 mph are due to defects in front of the steering head, while those occuring at higher speeds are found in causes aft of the steering. It's a tried and true rule of thumb, and a decel wobble obeys the pattern. Many things can cause weaves and wobbles, whether on acceleration or deceleration -- tire wear is especially critical. But decel wobbles have their own special causes, and if the front tire isn't excessively worn or the wheel badly out of balance, the cause is almost always the steering bearings. But we're not talking looseness. We're talking about something that is not addressed in any service manuals, factory or aftermarket. Whether because the frame is made of softer material or what, the steering bearing races "walk" in the frame. That is, they shift in their recesses and become out of square with the steering stem, and out of parallel with each other.
Modern motorcycle steering bearings tend to "worry" -- shift back and forth -- in their frames, especially on the heavier bikes. The resulting non-parallelness sets up torque forces in the steering which manifest themselves as attempts by the fork to correct itself, with the result: shimmy, shimmy. Again, the problem isn't looseness. Mere tightening fails to correct the problem.
The following procedure is one circulated by American Honda's District Service Reps. It is based on the above premise, as well as a procedure found in Honda Service Letter #126. Three tools are needed: a torque wrench, the special factory steering bearing nut socket (Honda's is part # 07916-3710100), and a good quality tubular 0-10 lb. spring scale. A floor jack or something similar to jack the front of the motorcycle off the floor will be handy, too.
Follow your manual's instructions for removing the top triple clamp (Honda calls this a "bridge"), so that the pair of special castlelated nuts becomes accessible. The upper one is just a locknut. Remove it and set it aside, along with the special washer. Jack the front end up off the floor, and feel the bearings as you turn the bars each side from center. If the bearings are notchy or the front end has a self-centering action, the bearings need to be replaced, no second-guessing here. After replacing them if necessary, continue. Get the front end off the floor. Turn the fork to full right lock, and with the torque wrench and special socket, tighten the bearings to 40-50 ft-lbs. The fork will be very stiff. Don't panic. It's only temporary. Now turn the fork lock-to-lock, repeatedly, at least twenty times. You will probably notice something interesting: that ridiculously high tension will loosen up; the bearings will get looser, indicating that they have squared up and settled into the frame. In some cases, you won't be able to tell, but even if you don't notice the bearings loosening up, proceed. Turn the fork to full left lock now and loosen the nut until it's just finger tight, then turn the fork to the right lock again and tighten it to 7-10 ft/lbs.
Attach your spring scale onto one fork tube, using a piece of shoestring or something similarly soft so as not to scratch the tube. With the fork assembly pointed straight ahead and the tire off the floor, slowly pull the spring scale straight ahead until the tip of the fender arcs about one inch. Note the poundage. You're looking for a 5-7 lb. pull. Five for motorcycles under 600 lbs., more for heavier machines and those with fairings. Tighten the tensioning nut as needed, a little at a time, and check with the spring scale.
After adjusting, drop the special washer back into place, and screw on the locknut, but don't tighten it. Though you probably found the locknut jammed against the tensioning nut, that's not the correct way to install it. It should be close to the tensioning nut, but not jammed against it. Leave a little space -- about 0.020". Then bend the locktabs into the locknut to keep the two interlocked. The locknut's job is to isolate the torque of the bridge nut from the steering bearings. Reassemble the rest of the fork per the manual. If a test ride reveals that there is still a decel wobble, or the bike sways side to side like a rowboat (the bearings are too tight), readjust to higher or lower spec as needed.
Thanks Mike
Getting the Old Bearing Shell Out
How do you remove a worn bearing shell from the steering column of the motorcycle frame?
The answer is … it depends on the bike. Some steering columns are designed to use ball bearing rollers and some are design to use tapered roller bearings.
The V-max is designed to use tapered roller bearings.
Some manufacturers are thoughtful and forward looking enough to anticipate that the bearings will eventually need to be replaced and allow access to the bearing shell so that it can be driven out of the steering column with a suitable drift, dot-punch, cold-chisel or wheel puller.
Yamaha did not do this. There is no internal flange that will allow easy access to the back of the outer bearings shell from within the steering column. So, these tools can not be used. You can;
1) Heat the steering column with a gas torch and hope that the column expands quickly enough to allow you to pry the shell out (before you cook the frame enamel). Access is still a problem.
2) Weld a bead around the inside face of the bearing shell. The cooling of the bead can distort the shell and allow it to pop out. At least you have something to pry on.
3) Tack-weld a suitable drift or metal bar to the shell and pry it out that way (simple).
4) If you haven’t got a welder you can use a high-speed drill like a Dremel with a diamond tip cutter and grind through the (very) hardened outer bearing shell. This relieves the tension on the shell and they fall out with little applied force.
I used method four. The diamond coated grinding bit is like a dentist drill on steroids and cuts through the hardened shells like butter. That is, until the grinding tool goes blunt. Once the grinding bit ceases to cut easily, its’ stuffed and you should used a new bit or you will take forever. I used three bits to cut the shell – but it was quick.
Picture 1 shows the worn lower outer bearing shell. You can clearly see the wear patterns from the roller bearings.
Picture 2 is a close up of the same.
The lower bearing is the one that bears most of the load forces from the front-end and any wear will show up here first.
Picture 3 shows the upper outer shell wear patterns. You can see they are not nearly as pronounced.
Picture 4 shows the cuts through the bearing shell made by the Dremel tool.
Feel free to add photo’s and techniques to this thread. I’ll expand and revise this post to cover the steering stem bearing removal and installation in the near future.
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