A question for you blokes. What sort of tool do you use to knock out the lower outer race ? You cannot get a straight hit at it.
Have to say replacing these steering head bearings is a pig of a job !!
Be a job well done once I get it sorted. Mr Suzuki has been a very thrifty with the grease that's for sure.
I've got what is technically known as 'a bit of metal wiv a bend in it'. It's flat bar I've had for donkey's years and it happened to look like it'd work so I bent it.
Careful use of a grinder make a couple of cuts, then a sharp whack with a cold chisel and club hammer and the lower inner race will break and fall off. They're a press fit on, so pretty tight.
I haven't done one on a 1400 but a special tool isn't normally necessary. I do have one of these though (Bikeservice BS4201)
That looks ideal Lurch. My bent bit of metal, is like one leg of that so I have to work it around the race to move it evenly.
On a 14 the stem tube gets wider near the bottom so it's a pain to get to the top of the outer race.
I did it a while back ond from memory the lip on the outer race was only about 2 mm i ground a drift with the angle and sharp lip to pick up the race once it came down a couple of mm obviously the edge was enough to get the drift behind it. Froze the new one and a little heat on the frame and bobs your aunty,
Cut a thin slot on the old races with a grinder & they make an ideal drift for putting the new ones in. The slot means the old ones then come out with a gentle tap.
We just greased swing arm & head brgs on brand new Kawa dirt bike, b4 even riding. Grease must be rare or expensive in Japan, my lipstick is thicker than their bearing grease.
Got there in the end. Managed to find a crow bar with the right angle and a sharp edge. Thanks for all your advice.
Ready for an early start tomorrow. Will be my first decent ride since the blood pump was replumbed.