Steering Stem Bearings

[dmazz71]

Hi All,

I have a 03 K5 (that I've had for about a year) and noticed some nasty vibration\headshake while braking.  I put the bike on the stand and had some back & forth play in the front end.  From there, I attempted to tighten up the adjusting nut but couldn't seem to get all of the play out.  I ended up pulling the bearings and saw evidence of the bearings starting to skip around the races.  The races really don't look that bad, but the bearings aren't spining that well ( probably due to the 9 year old greese).

I'm going to change the bearings and races anyway, but is it safe to say that I couldn't get the steering play out beacuse the races\bearings are worn?  Based on the torque specs of the adjusting nut, it doesn't apprear that you need to crank the nut that tight in order to get all of the play out.

Does this sound right?

Thank you
Dan

[kwakman]

the bearings wear out of round, so adjusting them correctly after 9 yrs would be pointless anyway.Replacement should cure it, use a good suitable grease and don't skimp when putting it on.K.

[dmazz71]

Thanks for the reply.  Going to replace the bearing this weekend.  Hope those races don't give me too much trouble.  Not even going to mess with the lower bearing.  Dropped it off at the shop.