| Author |
Message |
Posted by:
Leonard Orbovich
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
06:43 am | I asked this question in another post but it was a ways down on the board so I thought it better to post it fresh. I have developed a wobble on my 03 GL1800. It starts when I am below 25 MPH. I have read about the many things to check and plan to do so this weekend. My main question is the bearings. How complicated is it to replace them? I am fair with a wrench and I plan to buy a manual. So far all I have done is basic maintenance on this one. Is this a job I should tackle or should I find someone with experience.
Thanks
Lenny
Lenny Orbovich
serbianwinger@aol.com |
Posted by:
Curtis Pierce
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
07:31 am | Lenny, I had a wobble, it started from a stop and you could feel it up to about 50mph. That turned out to be a bad rear tire.
The wobble associated with the steering bearings is as you slow down and go from about 35 down to 30 mph. the All Balls Bearings will help that.
However, I installed new All Balls last winter, and have about 22k miles on them since then. I just remounted a Dunlop D250 on the rear of the bike and now guess what, I have the wobble again! I am once again suspecting that the rear tire is the culprit.
If you have access to a spare wheel and tire, try mounting that up on the rear first to see if it eliminates the wobble before tearing into the steering bearings.
As for working on the Wing your own, I find Fred Harmon's entertainment only videos to be very helpful on the GL1800. The bearings are not that hard to replace, but it was very beneficial to me to watch Fred do them before I did mine. I knew what to expect and things went pretty smoothly.
The Countdown begins!
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Posted by:
Richard Taylor
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
07:33 am | Steering Stem Bearing Checked
Abused Bearings
Tool
1800
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Posted by:
James Jones
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
07:43 am | Leonard, it is not hard to replace the steering bearings in the older 1800s like yours but you need a good torque wrench, the correct size sockets for the nuts, a good secure lift, and a special socket for the bearing nuts. A long flat end punch and most important a maintenance manual. The whole front wheel assembly needs to be removed. There is an electrical clip in the top of the steering stem that most new attemptees will break the locking clip on trying to get it apart.(very easy to do) The new tapered bearings will not come with torquing instructions and the ones in the maintenance manual do not list the torque you should use for the new ones either. I initially torque the new tapered bearings to 40 ft/lb and turn the steering back and forth 3 or 4 times and loosen the bearing nut and retorque it to the same thing and repeat this at least 3 times to insure the bearing races are completely bedded. Then I loosen them and retorque them to 25 ft/lb and install the lock ring and locking nut. Be warned, the lock nut only goes finger tight before you bend the lock tabs.
James I. Jones |
Posted by:
Dredsel Walters
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
09:26 am | If you put the bike on the center stand a lay down to see and rotate the tires you may be able to see the problem. Most wobbles I've ever had was because of the tires if it wasn't a characteristic of the bike. You didn't mention the miles on the bike or if you had your hands on the bars.
Dredsel
#4240
06 Nav,99 FXDWG
GWRRA(life), AMA,(life)HOG(1994)PGR,Legion Riders. My Rides |
Posted by:
Leonard Orbovich
Thursday, November 05, 2009
05:01 am | The bike only has about 10,000 miles on it and yes my hands are on the bars. Yhat is mainly where I feel the wobble.
Lenny Orbovich
serbianwinger@aol.com |
Posted by:
Richard Taylor
Thursday, November 05, 2009
06:26 am | Leonard, Gold Wings often need the Stem Bearings retorqued at around 8,000 miles, so your bike is due
I re-torqued the original stem bearings on my 1990 1500 at about 12,000 miles and never had to touch them again.
There are two items which should be done very carefully.
The pre-load as measured with a spring scale must be within specifications given in the manual.
The values here are for the 1800
Steering head bearing pre-load 2.0 – 3.1 lbf
NOTE: Pre-load takes precedence over Torque. If the readings do not fall within the limits, readjust the steering bearing adjustment.
The adjustment nut must not be over tightened in any manner as this can result in poor handling and wobble also. In addition the bearings may be damaged over time.
Steering bearing adjustment nut 20 lbf·ft _ Apply oil to the threads and seating surface.
Steering stem nut 76 lbf·ft
Another often over looked cause is too much weight or insufficient pre-load on the rear suspension which changes the weight distribution, making the front end "light".
A shop manual is an invaluable tool and should be the first accessory you buy if you plan to do any thing to your bike other than put gas in the tank and air in the tires. |
