Hole in steering stem (XR400)

[Gotham]

When I started to re-grease steering head bearings on my XR400 I discovered a hole in stems side. It's for steering lock but not very good idea.
The lower bearing was covered with sand and the rollers were cracked.
There is great possibility that sand, dust etc will get to your bearings throw it, so wtf. I have only 1000 km on odo. Do they expect that you replace the bearings with every oil change.

Anyway I just wanted to point it out to avoid unexpected cracked bearings.

I rolled a piece of rubber from old heavy duty inner tube inside the stem. Think this will do it.

[jasonbc]

Never had a problem with the bearings in my bike with sand etc. As long as both faces are lagged in grease the grease should catch anything and stop it entering the bearings. Unless your bearings were very dry from before you had the bike or from the factory then you shouldn't have a problems

[Sage]

Hi All.

I put a grease nipple in my xr600 head stock and didn't think about the steering lock, pumped the grease in and thought it was taking a lot of grease and then it started to come out the bottom of the stem, cleaned it out the best I could, well I took the front end apart 7 years latter and the bearings are still spot on, and I still get grease dropping out the bottom on the stem now and again, even now, but never mind it seems to help the bearings.

[Gotham]

The bearing on the picture is cleaned.
There was enough grease on the bearings but it was mixed with sand, not some particles but there were quite a lot of it.
I ride mostly on soft sand and crash more than occasionally. No wonder if during it some sand goes into stem and some of it goes inside steering head pipe through this hole.

I've read if you but too much grease to the bearings it will drip out anyway on hot summer day and because of hot engine oil in a cooler. Don't like this mess.
Maintenance manual says 3g for each bearing. I don't mind to check the bearings and re-grease those once in a while.
Of goes if you fill the head pipe with grease it'll take eternity before sand gets to bearings. Think the rubber will do the same and is less messy.

Anyway I think the engineers have missed something on this point.

Cheers,
Gotham

[AlanH]

That's just crying out for a piece of heat shrink tubing to be fitted over it covering the hole (after the lower race is driven on of course).

[jasonbc]

The bearing on the picture is cleaned.
There was enough grease on the bearings but it was mixed with sand, not some particles but there were quite a lot of it.
I ride mostly on soft sand and crash more than occasionally. No wonder if during it some sand goes into stem and some of it goes inside steering head pipe through this hole.

I've read if you but too much grease to the bearings it will drip out anyway on hot summer day and because of hot engine oil in a cooler. Don't like this mess.
Maintenance manual says 3g for each bearing. I don't mind to check the bearings and re-grease those once in a while.
Of goes if you fill the head pipe with grease it'll take eternity before sand gets to bearings. Think the rubber will do the same and is less messy.

Anyway I think the engineers have missed something on this point.

Cheers,
Gotham

I use the BEL-RAY anti salt grease, it green and like tar almost and trust me we won't get enough heat for it to go semi-liquid and run out it just stays very flexible permanently