Chapter M-2's Technical Corner

Howard Halasz's August 2008 Technical Article


"STEERING STEM BEARINGS"

This month, we’ll talk a little bit about your Gold Wing’s steering stem bearings, the little bearings that your steering stem and handlebar swivels on.

The lower clamp and the steering stem make up one single weldment. This weldment is also known as the "triple tree", but in my opinion, it doesn't look like a tree at all! It has no bark, branches, leaves, roots, or sap, so in this article I'll refer to it as a lower clamp.

The 1975 through 1977 and the 2001 through the current model Gold Wings use component ball bearings. These bearings consist of upper and lower races that are press fit into the frame. The lower cone is press fit on the stem just above the dust seal. On the 1975-1977 Gold Wings, nineteen steel balls are "glued" to the lower cone with bearing grease prior to assembly. The upper bearing has eighteen steel balls that are "glued" to the upper race prior to assembly. The cone is placed above the steel balls and the adjustment nut is screwed onto the stem to hold all that stuff together. On the GL1800s, the ball bearings are assembled to a little rack, so gluing them to the races is not necessary. Many GL1800 owners prefer the aftermarket All Balls® tapered roller bearings because they have less tendency to develop a low speed wobble.

The 1978 through 2000 Gold Wings use tapered roller bearings at the upper and lower ends of the stem. The races are press fit into the frame just like the ball bearing races are on the older GL1000s and newer GL1800s. The steering stem assembly is similar.

Inspection and adjustment of the steering stem bearings is routine maintenance on ALL Gold Wings, from the GL1000 to the GL1800. You will find inspection and adjustment of the steering stem bearings in the maintenance schedule of your Gold Wing’s Owner’s Manual. One simple way to inspect the bearings without disassembling anything is to put the Gold Wing on its center stand. Use a floor jack, bottle jack, or scissor jack to raise the front wheel up off of the floor. You can put the jack under the front engine cover, but don't put it under the oil filter or air dam. Move the handlebar slowly left and right. If the handlebar feels like it is trying to center itself sort of like a stop notch at the center of travel, then your bearings are definitely damaged and should be replaced. Move the handlebar slightly off center and release it. If the handlebar flops to either the left or right stop, then the steering stem bearings need to be adjusted.

I do not recommend that you adjust these bearings unless you are mechanically skilled and have access to the special tools required to do the job right. See your Honda dealer or your Honda trained technician for adjustment or replacement of steering stem bearings.

Worn bearings will make your Gold Wing drift left and right, making it difficult to ride in a straight line. Loose bearings can cause your Gold Wing to wobble at speeds between 30 and 40 miles per hour. Adjusting the steering stem bearings will usually dampen deceleration wobble if the swing arm bearings and wheel bearings are in good condition. Proper front tire inflation also keeps low speed

wobble under control.

Howard Halasz, Chapter M2 Technical Coordinator