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Stem head bearing adjustment
	From: Steve Moseley I also decided that since the front end was apart, I'd try again on the steering bearing replacement. I'd tried this once before, but couldn't get the lower bearing race out of the steering tube. So I ordered the high dollar Kawasaki steering bearing race remover tool, and tried again. I can't get the damn thing out! The race sits in a flare in the tube, and there's not enough of an edge to get any force on it. The tool catches the edge and will take a pretty good hit with a drift, but ultimately pops past the race. Any advice? From: Steve Moseley I really think a lot of the front end problems are due to loose steering bearings. I believe if you can nudge the bars with the front wheel off the ground and the front end flops over to lock, the bearings are too loose. Also, if you take apart the front end to service the bearings, they will have to be retightened after 50-100 miles. How do you check your steering bearings? Take your hands off the bars at 50 mph going downhill. Any problem with headshake suggests to me that the bearings are too loose. I've been accused of running mine too tight, but I don't have any headshake problems. I do have some pitting in the lower bearing from neglect early in the bike's life, but that hasn't gotten any worse in the last 50,000 miles, and I've got no notching or anything ike that, so I don't think I'm running too tight. From: Richard Reed RE: Low Speed Wobble (40 to 50 mph, hands off). If I have learned ONE thing in my 8 years as the COG Tech Ed it is that the Concours is VERY susceptible to loose steering head bearings, and the classic deceleration wobble as the speed goes down through 48 mph is a symptom of loose bearings. It ain't tires, OK?And, you can't detect loose bearings using the method described in the shop manual. IT JUST WON'T WORK. Please use the method described in Chalkdust. All Concours need their steering head bearings TIGHTENED at 500 miles. This is rarely done by the dealer, as (a) they don't know how to check for loose bearings as they read the shop manual and (b) it is a lot of work and they just can't be bothered. Let me repeat this: The Concours steering head bearings need tightening at 500 miles. Probably 95% of all Connies out there have never had this done. There have been documented cases where Concourts have reached 20,000 or 30,000 miles without having the bearings adjusted even once. The Connie is big and heavy and the bearings are the same used on the light and nimble Ninja 900. IT NEEDS TO BE TIGHTENED. Now, you add this to the fact the OEM radials are so damn good at absorbing irregularities, you get a lot of people who think that when they put on new Metzlers or Avons the tires are bad. IT AIN'T THE TIRES! Adjust your steering head bearings. It's easy. From: Steve Moseley Due to years of daily commuting, mostly in the rain, and a degree of neglect, my steering bearings need replacing. The last time I had the front end apart, I found that I could not get the bearing races out of the steering tube with any tools I had or could rent. I broke down and bought the official Kawasaki bearing race remover, which looks like it will work fine. I'll try it the next time I change front tires. Meanwhile, I'd be happy to loan it to any COG members who need it if you will reimburse me for postage, and get it back to me in reasonable time. From: Richard Reed RE: Wobble Check the steering head bearings for proper tightness. Don't use the method shown in the shop manual. Instead, place the bike on the C-Stand with the handlebars centered. Stand to the left of the bike, and lightly but firmly grasp the left handlebar end-weight with your left thumb and forefinger. Push the rear of the seat down with your right hand until the front wheel is off the ground and the rear wheel just makes contact with the pavement. Release the right hand, allowing the front wheel to drop to the pavement. If the bearings are tight, you will feel only one "hit" at the front wheel thumps on the pavement. If the bearings are loose, you will feel a double "bounce" when the wheel hits. It's really neat, there's no "feel" to this. Either it's OK and there is one hit, or not OK and there is two hits. Remember, most mechanics do not know this attribute of the Concours and will, in all sincereity, tell you that the bearings are OK when in fact they are not. This is not a hard thing to do yourself, so why leave it to a mechanic? The Concours' steering head bearing adjuster is ABOVE the top triple clamp. All you need to do is loosen the lock nut (and either the lower or upper triple clamp pinch bolts) and give a 1/4 turn or so to the castlellated adjustment ring. POC.

Stem head bearing adjustment

From: Steve Moseley

I also decided that since the front end was apart, I'd try again on the steering bearing replacement. I'd tried this once before, but couldn't get the lower bearing race out of the steering tube. So I ordered the high dollar Kawasaki steering bearing race remover tool, and tried again. I can't get the damn thing out! The race sits in a flare in the tube, and there's not enough of an edge to get any force on it. The tool catches the edge and will take a pretty good hit with a drift, but ultimately pops past the race. Any advice?

From: Steve Moseley

I really think a lot of the front end problems are due to loose steering bearings. I believe if you can nudge the bars with the front wheel off the ground and the front end flops over to lock, the bearings are too loose. Also, if you take apart the front end to service the bearings, they will have to be retightened after 50-100 miles. How do you check your steering bearings? Take your hands off the bars at 50 mph going downhill. Any problem with headshake suggests to me that the bearings are too loose. I've been accused of running mine too tight, but I don't have any headshake problems. I do have some pitting in the lower bearing from neglect early in the bike's life, but that hasn't gotten any worse in the last 50,000 miles, and I've got no notching or anything ike that, so I don't think I'm running too tight.

From: Richard Reed

RE: Low Speed Wobble (40 to 50 mph, hands off). If I have learned ONE thing in my 8 years as the COG Tech Ed it is that the Concours is VERY susceptible to loose steering head bearings, and the classic deceleration wobble as the speed goes down through 48 mph is a symptom of loose bearings. It ain't tires, OK?And, you can't detect loose bearings using the method described in the shop manual. IT JUST WON'T WORK. Please use the method described in Chalkdust. All Concours need their steering head bearings TIGHTENED at 500 miles. This is rarely done by the dealer, as (a) they don't know how to check for loose bearings as they read the shop manual and (b) it is a lot of work and they just can't be bothered.

Let me repeat this: The Concours steering head bearings need tightening at 500 miles. Probably 95% of all Connies out there have never had this done. There have been documented cases where Concourts have reached 20,000 or 30,000 miles without having the bearings adjusted even once. The Connie is big and heavy and the bearings are the same used on the light and nimble Ninja 900. IT NEEDS TO BE TIGHTENED.

Now, you add this to the fact the OEM radials are so damn good at absorbing irregularities, you get a lot of people who think that when they put on new Metzlers or Avons the tires are bad. IT AIN'T THE TIRES! Adjust your steering head bearings. It's easy.

From: Steve Moseley

Due to years of daily commuting, mostly in the rain, and a degree of neglect, my steering bearings need replacing. The last time I had the front end apart, I found that I could not get the bearing races out of the steering tube with any tools I had or could rent. I broke down and bought the official Kawasaki bearing race remover, which looks like it will work fine. I'll try it the next time I change front tires. Meanwhile, I'd be happy to loan it to any COG members who need it if you will reimburse me for postage, and get it back to me in reasonable time.

From: Richard Reed

RE: Wobble

Check the steering head bearings for proper tightness. Don't use the method shown in the shop manual. Instead, place the bike on the C-Stand with the handlebars centered. Stand to the left of the bike, and lightly but firmly grasp the left handlebar end-weight with your left thumb and forefinger. Push the rear of the seat down with your right hand until the front wheel is off the ground and the rear wheel just makes contact with the pavement. Release the right hand, allowing the front wheel to drop to the pavement.

If the bearings are tight, you will feel only one "hit" at the front wheel thumps on the pavement. If the bearings are loose, you will feel a double "bounce" when the wheel hits. It's really neat, there's no "feel" to this. Either it's OK and there is one hit, or not OK and there is two hits.

Remember, most mechanics do not know this attribute of the Concours and will, in all sincereity, tell you that the bearings are OK when in fact they are not.

This is not a hard thing to do yourself, so why leave it to a mechanic? The Concours' steering head bearing adjuster is ABOVE the top triple clamp. All you need to do is loosen the lock nut (and either the lower or upper triple clamp pinch bolts) and give a 1/4 turn or so to the castlellated adjustment ring. POC.

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