How To Check And Adjust Your Motorcycle Steering Head Bearings | MC GARAGE

Loose, tight, or worn steering head bearings are going to impact your bike’s steering and handling, and NOT in a good way. Thankfully, checking and adjusting steering-head bearings is pretty easy. Here’s how you do it.
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Loose, tight, or worn steering head bearings are going to impact your bike’s steering and handling, and NOT in a good way. Thankfully, checking and adjusting steering-head bearings is pretty easy. Here’s how you do it.
First up, you need to get the front wheel off the ground. This is important since weight on the front wheel can mask issues with the bearings and make it hard to feel what they’re doing. If your bike has a center stand, great. If not, use a rearstand to stabilize the bike and then jack the front up with a scissor jack or a floor jack. Some bikes will be harder to support than others-whatever you do, make sure it’s stable!
With the front end off the ground, swing the steering from lock to lock slowly. It should feel smooth and consistent. If there’s a lot of drag or binding your bearings might be tight, but that’s not common, so make sure it’s not just a control cable or the wiring harness holding things up. With a ton of use the bearings will wear small dents into the races. If it feels like there’s a detent-usually when the bars are straight ahead-your head bearings are shot. Lucky for you, we’ll show you how to replace the steering bearings in another video.
Next up, grab the forks about midway up and gently push and pull them, front to back. If the bearings are loose you’ll feel some play or a clunk, or maybe even hear a click.
If your steering head bearings are loose or tight, you’ll need to adjust them. As always, check your shop manual for your bike’s torque specs and adjustment procedure, but this is the general gist of it. You need to loosen the upper fork pinch bolts and the top-triple nut so the triple clamp is free to move, and then either tighten or loosen the adjustment collar, which is located right under the triple clamp. To turn the collar you can use a drift and a hammer, a shock spring spanner, or you can buy whatever special tool your manual suggests.
You want the bearings to be tight enough that there’s no play, but not so tight that there’s drag. This can be a hard line to walk, so take your time and work in small increments. Too tight is definitely worse than a little loose since it’ll make your steering heavy and make the bike hard to balance at low speed.
If your bearings were loose, add 1/8 turn of preload at a time until the play is taken out. If the bearings were tight, do the opposite. Recheck the movement after each adjustment.
Once you’ve reached that sweet spot of no play and minimal drag, retighten the triple clamp top nut and fork pinch bolts to the proper torque, and you’re set. It’s a good idea to run through the inspection procedure again, since the adjustment may have put pressure on the bearings that will reveal dented races.
What about lube? Great question. Most manuals recommend greasing the steering head bearings every couple of years. Lubing those bearings entails taking the entire front end apart. It's a tedious process, but it's an important one, so CLICK HERE to watch How To Lube Your Steering Head Bearings.
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[@DearMajesty]

You guys are the best! You're slowly covering all the regular maintenance you'd need to fully upkeep your bike on your own :)

[@kennyleong6903]

You are amazing. Simple, to the point, no time wasted - diagnosis we all could relate to and we should fix. This channel is a must sub for all motorcyclists.

[@thealvaco]

I felt a vibration when braking intermediately, and thought it could be the head bearings. Thanks to your video, I have adjusted them properly! Thank you for the instructions, you've helped me out alot!

[@claysharp9297]

MC Garage is where it's at! Thanks for doing these, I'm an advocate of doing your own maintenance when you can.

[@vytas5584]

Thanks man! Have replaced entire front end before but did not know about the check of adjustment collar tension - whoops! An inspection is now on the "to-do" list.

[@SeipherTown]

Really enjoy the professionalism of your videos. Thanks.

[@MorryMoto]

As someone who I gonna need to change his head bearing.......that is a video that'll help A LOT!!!! lol :)

[@denzelrj428]

Same.

[@osvaldo8393]

You should make a video on proper fork alignment... Some people tend to drop their bike and their forks go out of alignment and steering is crooked

[@waynes.2983]

RCMOTO yes please. I hate trying to realign my forks. They never seem perfect.

[@johnroyvincent]

Looking forward to this

[@Sofaighter]

thats still one of the most useful series on yt

[@Techiemotorist]

guys your videos are just awesome, clean, short, detailed and no crappy talking, cheers

[@Ch0k0TB]

Thank you so much! I just did this procedure today because I had play in my steering, vibrating while stopping and knocking/clicking when applying the brake and going over bumps. When I lifted the front of the bike and grabbed the forks and pulled back and forth there was significant amount of play escorted with knocking. Then I tightened the adjusting nut little by little until there was no play anymore. Thank you so much. That saved me alot of time and money if I had to go to the local mechanic.

[@motojaymn4131]

Convenient you're showing this procedure on a rc390 simce i happen to own one myself.

[@stigon2wheelsuk380]

PLEASE edit the video with a caption and make it CLEAR that after each adjustment of the collar you MUST tighten the stem nut. People will be damaging their bearings by over tightening the adjustment collar because they still have movement of the fork assembly!

[@CheapGuitarsAndMore]

That tank on the ktm looks so sick.

[@Rahul.patel48]

One question for all of you brothers why we should not tighten head nut more than half round at a time?? I tightened head nut half round but still there is little play… (there should be zero play right?) so what do i do now? Should I ride my bike for some kilometres before retighten nut or shall I tight the nut until zero play???????

[@QuickShifter]

Thank you for this awesome video!

[@JGNotla]

Thank you for making these videos!

[@ARahmanTN-48-ws9tf]

Awesome explanation bro .

[@davewtakamine]

Informative as always !

[@alexandrebarbe4358]

Is checking the bearings any different if there is a steering stabilizer installed?

[@midhun-007]

Am I the only one who got saved by this video? ❤

[@mgrewal414]

man that rc390 project bike is triccccckkkkkk

[@belentot05]

so that's why my steering is so hard to handle i did it too tight

[@nekil_s]

would you explain about rake angle or steering head angle. and how they influence the handling of the motorcycle

[@the.communist]

Nice to do all this bike maintanance jobs if you do have a garage

[@GnRKauai]

What brand and model is that orange jack, and where did you get it ?

[@tbgMaveric]

Very timely video chaps. Am doing my headstock bearings on my ZX6R this weekend. I was getting terrible judder on the brakes and after eliminating everything else; forks, brake fluid, pads, pistons and discs. I finally narrowed it down to the headstock.

[@ghulamfarooq3587]

ari you doing superb job I learned many things with your videos . thanks a lot man.

[@drewtaylor6997]

What i don't understand in my service manual for my blade it says the barrings need replacing when they are loose they isn't a option just to tighten it.

[@edgarbleikur1929]

Legend cheers!

[@anubs1786]

What a cool "naked" ktm RC 390!! 🔥💖

[@patrickpower6576]

Hey guys...I got my steering head bearings changed recently..when I got it back it seems worse than ever..I lifted front wheel up, can hear a knock at one point, Tightened them up a little more and seems a little better but not much...its pulling left to right and nearly impossible to stay straight...any advice would be very much appreciated

[@ronnyshallam4420]

What's the size of the top triple T bolt? M24 or M30?

[@arrhatmaharjan2970]

2019. Question. Does loose bearing cause jerky handle or "front end" while heavy braking?

[@nuskox]

Probably, 90%. if you feel hit in your hands. I have similar problem when hitting hole on the road. Need to check them soon.

[@nospeedlimit1273]

Hello there I saw a lot of videos in youtube about riders that their hendlebar is shaking when they are speeding!...why this is happen? How can I avoid this dangerous shaking?!?!

[@marios2448]

The best my frient

[@AudreysKitchen]

I believe my steering head bearings may be damaged after hitting a nasty pothole earlier. Would this make sense as a possible cause of this issue? It feels like the front wheel wants to turn super easily when in the midrange and doesn't want to keep on a straight line. My suspension also feels soft and..... I had an accident because of this issue. Can't ride the bike anymore until I figure out what's up. Fortunately, I'm not too injured, but it felt like my bike betrayed me when I went down for little reason.

[@Mech.E]

Figured it out already? Might as well check the wheel bearings and also the fork for leaks.

[@anujjayant5]

My bike's handle is wobbling a lot after 60 to 70 km kmph and. Pulling towards right side By itself . Yeah I checked for the ball bearings.. totally loose.. but i want to know all these problem is due to this only?

[@thesighbored]

Great share, thanks MCG team!

[@johndavidsilva4095]

Question. A friend dropped my bike a few days ago and the handlebars took the hit. Now the handlebars feel stiff. Could this be also affecting the bearings and all?

[@bootsmanaa]

this is honestly one of my favorite motorcycle channels on yt. keep up the great work :)

[@marioalves7610]

Question my bike turns really easy at first but then all of sudden gets really hard to turn like 2 hands hard as you can push it could this just be that my bearings are completely shot

[@TuQDoan]

Awesome video, I love this channel since your first vids. I'm waiting for replacing steering bearing vid.

[@DirtyTaxman]

Please help -- Under heavy braking, just as I release the front brake I hear a loud click that comes from the front. Is that a loose head bearing?

[@lucasekman1708]

Probably, if it doesnt come from the brake itself

[@VishnuVishnu-qq6op]

Bro in my fzs v3 if I go to 80km/hr then I take a hand from the handle bar then then front wheel slightly wobbling it's normal or any problem

[@stevecoinitin7521]

Hi from the UK. Just bought a 125cc and it failed its UK MOT on excess movement on the steering head area. Definie movement on front forks test! Later, I noticed the big top domed securing nut was totally loose! If I tighten just that nut, would it stop the excessive movement?

[@stevecoinitin7521]

Think I've sorted it! Next notched shallow nut was quite loose. Tightened by scewdriver and hammer to move it on around 1.5 turns. Checked forks, no play, checked steering side to side...still fairly free and no catching of bearings. Tightened top nut and checked all again....NICE!

[@Moto-me]

my vstar 650 turns heavy to the left and right. I will check this ,thanks

[@arturklimek_pl6775]

I get some head shake on my cruiser randomly could this be the issue? Thx

[@sixdsix5028]

Unless you are going over uneven pavement, I would be a little concerned.

[@teaguejelinek4038]

Ya i got a r1 that shakes around 150mph i just dont know why. Like i can rip it up to 140 but when i get 150 it just goes nuts idk why though. Maybe gonna try goin to 170mph n see if it fixes itself

[@jacobrichards1422]

I accidentally loosened the lower tripple and upper on my cbr and now my whole bike sunk down how do I fix it

[@lukebond431]

I have a 2009 cbe 600rr I get a bad bouncing skipp9ng feeling at high speed from the front end I duno if its bearings tyres surpention or sterring damper

[@Kaspurr84]

Thanks for the video Ari. Steering bearings are one of those things I've never dealt with so I didn't know much about it, but I do now. Can't wait for the upcoming videos on the subject

[@tushararora1222]

Sir can you please tell me the technical name of that part which you showcased in your video that ring which gets dent on it with the passage of time.

[@majormassenspektrometer]

Bearing Race.

[@WILLY4THEMETAL]

Muitos BR compartilham teus vídeos em grupos da KTM no Facebook.

[@CommieHunter7]

A KTM with loose steering hear bearings. Crazy. I kid. Mine are always coming loose.

[@451diddy]

2019 ducati 959 corse right handlebar cracked in half. Starts up but will not rev. Is it grounded

[@benl7070]

Ha ha ha sorry i just need a minute mine were like that i thoughy aahh fuck it theyll be alright 8000km later im now thinking of getting new ones as they've started to, what i'd say is move.

[@paulacabbo466]

if i pull the forks to feel for play i feel play but it's in the forks not the neck, i'd be willing to bet that the play is only there when the forks are fully extended, once the slider bushings go further up the play will disappear, my point is people may think that play is in the neck when in reality its in the forks

[@googleprofile6660]

I tightened the lower nut, there's no play when I rock the forks however I'm getting wobbles at low speeds

[@davidclark3147]

You can't imagine how many of those Chinese scooters with those head and wheel bearings are ready to do the death wobble

[@celsodeleon4062]

I got my front tire changed and after I got it back it vibrates at 90mph and up, any idea as to why that is

[@d.l.mistrot6747]

So if the steering feels like it has a small notch in the straight forward position, that means the bearings are bad? I had a scooter that from day one when the steering was turned to the straight forward position it felt like it naturally settled into a small notch that would sort of lightly hold it in that position. Did that mean the bearings were bad???

[@Korsfestelse]

D_Mistrot Yep, that's a notched bearing!

[@madurangaabeywikrama4316]

When I gram and shake my fork from bottom end it's shake near to fork seal. Why is that...?

[@Nisotovski]

Why go and pay for repairs when you can watch "MC Garage" and do it by your self :) Great videos guys! Tumbs up and keep up with the great work. Ivan - Europe

[@adeyemoolusegun4828]

Why my motorcycle keeps backfiring when carry someone at the back

[@Sam-vi6on]

Hi guys tnx for the info...😇 My question is that I am having some tick sound whenever I break to stop the bike does it mean my bearing is worn out or do I have tight it.

[@thisisganesh]

Can someone tell how handling is affected when head bearings are loose ? Thankyou

[@sirjolly81]

My wr450f bearings almost ceased. when my bike sat on the center stand for a week i had to kick the wheel to un bind the bearing. I knew it was due but i didnt have the tools to undo or replace them. Wasn't expensive for a shop to do.

[@ashikassis7083]

My bike's handle move smoothly when going straight, when we take curves or U turns handle feels very loose, and feels difficult in heavy traffic. Help?

[@syncwithdominic]

Hi Ari, I am a huge fan of your work and videos. God bless you for that. However I need some advice and help. I purchased Yamaha FZ-25 in February this year. As part of "Engine Break-in" period I followed the Handbook and rode the bike less than 4500rpm for the first 500 kms. After 500 kms following the book I started riding it under 6000rpm and noticed a fault in the handling of the bike. Till 68 KMPH the handle bar is stable and normal. But going above 70 KMPH (roughly 5000rpm) the handle bar starts to wobble(left-right-left-right). Note: This happens while decelerating with letting the hands off the bar. Yamaha Dealer has failed to fix it and Engineer from Yamaha said it is as per design and exists in other FZ25 bikes too. Please advice. I am frustrated since its a new bike and have not handled the bike carelessly.

[@scratchcoderig]

I'm surprised that there is no zerk grease fitting in the head stock on all bikes.

[@janlegault8445]

Thanks for your professionalism! Your demos and instructions are clear and understandable, so easy to follow. Although, I hesitate to touch my motorcycle mechanically, I feel like I can follow your instructions.

[@mauro954rr]

love this channel..so many usefull videos

Nice!! My Triumph Rocket 3R has a movement at low speed in a corner, which shakes the handlebars. The dealer says it's normal but from the beginning I think the steering is a little loose. Sometimes it is even noticeable a little in a straight line. I have to find out the tightening torque and I'll try to fix it. Thanks for the video, it's great.

[@balajikedar3019]

I own a pulsar RS200 for past 5 months. I have a peculiar problem. whenever my bike pass through a speed breaker or a pit hole a thud type sound comes from my absorbers or front fairing ( dont know ). one of my friend suggested to tighten the cone set. I tried that but the prob still exits. plz help out if u have any soln.

[@amalkallarackal9293]

balaji kedar same here... and no idea what makes the noise either....

[@balajikedar3019]

one of the outer service centre guy said that its a problem with bajaj design. The same problem had existed with pulsar 220f launch.

[@tushararora1222]

balaji kedar bro am too having RS 200 and was encountering the same problem then one of the service centre staff person suggested me to get the stem rings changes because they have got dents and scratches on them with the passage of time and showed in this video as well

[@thealvaco]

perhaps the problem is in the forks, not the bearings.

[@JaspreetSingh-fo2qe]

balaji kedar same issue with my apache

[@PlayJewel]

My harley service manual recommends steering head bearing adjustment every 8000km, and lubricating every 50k km

[@soulevolution2735]

Hi, i have a problem with my bike. It keeps on loosening 2-3 weeks after tightening. What can I do to eliminate this issue? Im just using my bike to work and back.

[@abynoura7253]

Hi mc garage, my rc200 just change on fork oil n seal, after that, when my bike is on hump or uneven road, i can hear a creaking noise.. its like a a noise of when u apply a pressure on a plywood, u can hear that cracking noise.. shop told me is bcos of my cone bearing?

[@cachidril]

HI, I own a ktm RC390, I ride it mostly on track, whta do you think about lowering the front fork?, and how much?

[@a1cdoddy]

Would loose bearings make a tank slapper more likely? Like as in a little too fast steering.

[@SickPrid3]

pat dodds no, tank slapper is not induced by loose steering. It's all in alignment of the wheels. If the alignment is perfect the bike will go straight, assuming your tires are good.

[@a1cdoddy]

SickPrid3 I didn't mean just riding in a straight line. I found out the problem I had was having too much leverage on the bars. The bars were too tall so it was extremely easy to steer at speed.

[@SickPrid3]

pat dodds well, that I found to be rider specific issue. Some, like me, like when bike is very responsive at any speed. Others need to have a good feel of feedback from bike when they steer. But that still has nothing to do with possibility of getting a tank slapper, as it does not create issues with alignment. By "bike wants to go straight" I mean that if the alignment is OK, there will be no side force working against suspension and tires. Tank slapper is nothing but front tire correcting itself to be in line with back tire. Because it's rubber it just starts to bounce left-right. If you accelerate rapidly you remove the side force by reducing pressure on the wheel. it becomes less bouncy and gives time for suspension and tire to return to acceptable position. If you get a tank slapper and manage to save it, check the suspension and tires not the steering.

[@roozbehfarhadi9993]

My MOT failed coz of this shit… now gotta go and see what I can do!

[@nekil_s]

would you explain about rake angle or steering head angle. and how they influence the handling of the motorcycle

[@aangeerasnarayanan4972]

I have a Yamaha R15 version2. recently a car hit me on the left side of the front wheel while taking a right turn and handlebars became misaligned . my mechanic said the forks were bent. but even after removing the bend in the forks I feel there is more weight in the left handle bar and front wheel seems to be unstable..cud u help?

[@themoodyvlogger]

Can you please make videos of the Royal Enfield Himalayan??

[@marurider69]

very helpful video..thanks Ari

[@justinadams1213]

I did this method bc the Haynes manual torque setting for the adjuster nut seemed really high. But the front seems really squirrelly and loose now

[@websolutions6117]

Thanks for the great vid. I've never used a center jack. It looks like you lifted the bike by the engine. Is it okay to lift a bike that way or should I always lift it by the frame?

[@AeroFlip]

i have some issue with my bike about steering head bearings. i just replace mine. all check not lose not too tight. but when i ride. and do hard breaking. there is a clunk , on normal ride it just fine. what is wrong with my bike?

[@AeroFlip]

+Ari Henning is there a chance that my steering stem is the problem??

[@jaggishwetha682]

Hi sir my brand new bike low speed it's going left right so esaly I can't control please tell me any suggestions

[@BIGGZ46]

I look forward to your new videos more than new episodes of Game of Thrones. Thanks fore keeping us entertained in between MotoGP/WSBK/MotoAmerica races.

[@jacksullivan6838]

pretty sure mine are shot :( got my MOT in less than a month and can't afford the labour of getting them replaced and use my bike to commute to work everyday so I'm sh*tting the MOT, it's just whether the tester deems it unsafe then I'm screwed but I really don't have an issue with them being loose I can't see how it's dangerous as I've ridden the bike like it for like 6 months with no issues

[@Akhilpoomala]

Any brand providing Roller steering bearing for Duke390?

[@rajnikantpatel6316]

brother ,what happen if my motor cycle steering is over tight? steering over tighg cause bike steering vibration is possible? my bike full steering vibrate on more than 40 speed.

[@nekil_s]

would you explain about rake angle or steering head angle. and how they influence the handling of the motorcycle

[@one9ayan]

hi ari! good day sir! been a subscriber for a couple of months now and i like how you all make your tutorials. one thing i'd like to ask is if you guys do have some stuff for lower displacement bikes like scooters. southeast asian countries has tons of them on streets and i think having some tuts about some of our bikes could provide great knowledge to riders like me. thanks and more power. ride safe sir

[@knobski69]

Another fantastic clip. Cant wait to check mine out. Cant wait for the next Vid about changing them. Thanks again Ari

[@Deetroiter]

With loose steering head bearings, can that make noticeable vibration through the handlebars?

[@glowiever]

I kinda hate that I can't just test it on ground while adjusting it. always miss it, a lil too tight, or too loose.

[@PramitKalsaria]

Can anyone tell me which wrench do i buy for head bearing on rc 390?

[@eswarmypala1074]

my rc 390 have front wheel alignment problem ,can u help me with it

[@Maximillion545]

Very informative! Not something many people think about, I suspect. Thanks!