Head Stock Bearing Greasing

As topic since I'm bored was wondering if anyone would recommend greasing headstock bearings just for the sake of it ?....far as I know mine have never been touched and bike is 12 years old. Is it worth messing with them or just leave alone ? nowt wrong with present set-up and no tight spots etc.

Checking them out , cleaning and greasing can only be a good thing to do , if its all clean and in good condition atlest you will have peace of mind . ( should be done once a year anyway )

12 years??
Open up immediately! Clean all, and put waterproof grease in if all is well still - which would surprise me actually.
Swingarm???

BuRP wrote:12 years??
Open up immediately! Clean all, and put waterproof grease in if all is well still - which would surprise me actually.
Swingarm???

Swinging arm and all linkage have been stripped and greased Burpy, just never tackled a headstock before; looking online doesn't seem to bad just remove....wheel calliper mudguard, headlight/clock and handlebars...undo the top nut then remove the lower nut with a "C" spanner / punch then it should drop out....if I bother I will do some pictures.
Why on earth would I use water proof grease   it's not as if my bike gets wet lol

Here you go guys, as always it's not perfect but might help someone out along the lines...
If anyone spots anything terribly wrong please shout up   

http://www.xr650r.co.uk/service/headstock/headstock.shtml

You're in BLIGHTY and your stuff dunna get wet????????????
You lie me ol fruit, if it's dry you must live in SA!

Rain - even when parked over outside - or washing water will cause ingress of water into the headstock (steering lock hole), and this water will collect at the bottom bearing.
Only waterproof grease (= special stuff, normal grease is not!) will keep here.
Hey, it's your bike (until I come over and nick it ), but you'd do me a favour (note the pun) if you'd use it   

BuRP wrote:You're in BLIGHTY and your stuff dunna get wet????????????
You lie me ol fruit, if it's dry you must live in SA!

Rain - even when parked over outside - or washing water will cause ingress of water into the headstock (steering lock hole), and this water will collect at the bottom bearing.
Only waterproof grease (= special stuff, normal grease is not!) will keep here.
Hey, it's your bike (until I come over and nick it ), but you'd do me a favour (note the pun) if you'd use it   

lol put it this way I have not found any grease which isn't water proof...  
And what was left in there didn't seem to be grease more just oil based ?.
Anyway more importantly what did you think of my write up/pictures ?

Mauser wrote:
Anyway more importantly what did you think of my write up/pictures ?

404 NOT FOUND my display said.....

And waterproof grease really exists - you've never reassembled a submarine yet????
Tut tut tut....
  

Sorry for the bad url, I was in a hurry.....should have been

http://www.xr650r.co.uk/service/headstock/headstock.shtml

You could have worked that 1 out for yourself me old mucka

You really should have washed your bike first....   

A couple of things, although maybe just my weird way, so interested in views if wrong...

I'd take the forks out, and then undo the trees. The main reason that when you assemble and torque the main bearing down the tree clamps can bind on the sanctions making torqueing it a nightmare. This maybe just my bad luck though!

Hmmm not sure what you mean as to torque the main bearing down ?, you are really only going hand tight plus a little more, been out today on the bike and all seems happy checked the headstock when I got back and nothing is loose ?.
Or do you mean the top 30mm nut ? maybe I have done something wrong but it just seemed so straight forward everything lined up perfectly and just reversed what I did to take it to bits.
Would be interested also to hear someone elses thoughts...considering it should be done every year our regulars should soon be alone putting us both right on procedures   

Sorry, yes top nut, which torques the whole thing. I know it is very little torque, but the friction of the stanchions can upset this.

Your bike is so clean and straight I am 100% it is not relevant to you! But for a "FAQ" then there will be all sorts of wreaks

If it is not loose when you have ridden it then it is fine - I was not meaning to cast doubt on your work/job

Not sure what does what on the yokes etc, the castle nut obviously provides the pre-load onto the 2 sets of tapper races, now these are the ones which is loose will cause headstock shake/vibrations I guess & if too tight would cause tight movement of the bars and early bearing failure. Now the top nut only seems to hold the top yoke onto the top of the castle nut below it ?, and then the forks pass through top and bottom yokes and are clamped into position...if the top nut was loose would you know about it or would the forks hold everything together ?......

Argh! Definitions...

What I called the top nut is what you are calling the castle nut. Both nuts, whatever they are called, need torqued. My only point here was meant to be that on many bikes if the forks bind in the stanchions then it will put off the torque feel/setting, and result in loose headset.

Ahh gotcha but I think I left the forks loose till I had tighten the castle nut so they shouldn't have any effect on the nuts torque ?, last part of my write up was removing the 2 bolts holding the fork clamps apart and then re-fitting them...   
Anyway it was my attempt to show what I did there is a nice disclaimer at the top of the article, but no doubt Fruity & Burpy have printed it out and are quickly checking their bearings as I type...failing that they are in the bog having a tug at their plank whilst looking at my clean bike   

Hey Mauser. Really useful write up. Thanks.

I have to admit though that the 'tricky part' of re-inserting the stem up through the headstock had me beat. There was just too much weight with both forks and the wheel. I couldn't get it through the upper bearing and then keep it sitting central to put on the nut. Maybe a two man job??
I had to resort to removing the wheel and forks, which is actually a doddle anyway. It then became very easy to re-install.

My 30mm ring spanner was also too thick to get between the nut and the handlebars (I don't have risers). I had to take the speedo off and use the open end of the spanner from the other side.

Good instructions though Mauser. Thanks.

R056rx wrote:Hey Mauser. Really useful write up. Thanks.

I have to admit though that the 'tricky part' of re-inserting the stem up through the headstock had me beat. There was just too much weight with both forks and the wheel. I couldn't get it through the upper bearing and then keep it sitting central to put on the nut. Maybe a two man job??
I had to resort to removing the wheel and forks, which is actually a doddle anyway. It then became very easy to re-install.

My 30mm ring spanner was also too thick to get between the nut and the handlebars (I don't have risers). I had to take the speedo off and use the open end of the spanner from the other side.

Good instructions though Mauser. Thanks.

From memory I don't think I struggled getting it back in ?, maybe I was lucky lol