Head stock bearing life expectancy?

nearly 3 year old, 13300 miles sv650 and the head stock bearings have been marked as advisory on my service paperwork. "slightly nocchy"

what's the general life expectancy for these bearings?

the guy also advised £200 notes to replace... is this OVER priced? or sounds about right for dealer prices?

thanks

[jambo]

Well from the factory they don't really come fitted with grease, which shortens up their lifespan somewhat, especially if they are not adjusted properly. They can last an awful lot longer than that.

The work is a bit involved in that you need to take the front forks & wheel off, yokes off, and then knock the bearings out but you don't need much in the way of tools beyond a drift, hammer, and ability to support the front without being on the front wheel.

Jambo

[Bibio]

and while your at it fit taper roller bearings. going at it with the right tools should be no more that 2hrs. £200 seems a wee bit overpriced but if they are a good garage with a good reputation then it's worth the £200 to get it done right. the hardest part is getting the old race off the lower yoke as most of the ones i have done have been very tight on the stem.

If you can, check them yourself. If not, find somebody else capable of checking them. Not likely that they are notchy after 13,000 miles. Possible, but not likely.

I appreciate that the work is a bit involved to replace, and they are a good garage, so would be happy to leave the bike with them for anything... just wanted to check if that price was a bit high, so it sounds it is, so might shop around, there is a place in acton lane in london i use to use, i would also be happy to use them too.

i thought 13k was a little low for this to be nocchy too, maybe an overzealous mechanic?

thanks for the replys guys

[Bibio]

no, lack of grease at the factory.

if your mechanically minded then for a wee bit over the £200 i would be looking at doing it myself. you should get all the tools needed to do the job for that, after which you have some nice shiny tools for future use. if you already have an abba stand then you can knock off £100 you will just need the front lift kit.

already have abba just don't have the garage to do it in.... my bro next door does.... hmmm i wonder if he wants to join me in the task...

i love buying tools too...

[embee]

If you have somewhere to do it in the dry, why not simply have a go at stripping it, greasing and re-adjusting first? If they advise it is only "slightly notchy" then chances are it'll last quite a bit longer if simply serviced. This saves the cost and extra time for replacing the bearings and may well be enough.

Notching is usually either due to absence of lube (which we all know is likely), or due to adjustment being on the loose side. If they're really tight it will notch them too, but the steering will be stiff and "weavy" so less likely. Both my Hondas have been adjusted loose out of the factory.

If it eventually does need them replacing, you'll know 90% of what is required. Much of the time is sorting out the support for the bike, getting the steering stem out doesn't take long.

Just a thought.

support is not going to be an issue, got a nice over head beam i can attach a few heavy duty ratchet straps on the bike to keep it up and still, and a couple of anchors on the floor to tie it down to stop it swaying, anyone ever seen a floating bike? ....

[Bibio]

i have a different theory to embee. since your already in there greasing them then just go full hog and replace with better bearings (taper roller), that way it's a fit and forget. if there is a notch then its not going to disappear by greasing as either the bearings have got a flat spot or the races have.

as said the only difficult part is the bottom yoke race, once that's off then its a doodle.

tips:
'loosen' everything before you put the bike on the stand but remember to keep the fork/yoke pinch bolts 'nipped up'.

once you have the old races out then cut a slit in one of the outers and inners. once you have cut a slit then you can use them as a drift to install then new ones.

don't use a metal hammer to install the races, use a nice double end rubber/plastic mallet and the old slotted races. ask your local steel place for an offcut of 40x3mm 240mm long steel tube or at a push you can use one of the steel tubes from a VAX to install the bottom yoke bearing, either way you also use the old slotted race against the new bearing (taper side to bearing).

buy the proper castellated tool for doing the nuts on the top yoke.

if you have not got one i would suggest you invest in a plumbers gas torch, it has just enough heat to get things done. its a useful tool to have.

use the proper suzuki bottom seal, dont think you can use the old one, you cant as you will destroy it taking the bottom race out.

best way i have found to get the old bottom race out is a cheep wood chisel and some heat, once you have got it moving then use a larger cold steel chisel then once the gap is big enough use a big open ended spanner to shift it the rest of the way or just continue drifting it. if you are brave you can cut it with a dremmel once its got a gap away from the bottom yoke.