Hi all,
Like many of you, I am in the process of disassembling my front end to have parts sent out for powder coating. Service manual says that once the steering head is disassembled, you have to replace the bearings and races. I gave the delearship a call and each bearing is $25 but with only 5000 miles on my 08 Street Bob the dealer says to reuse the original bearings and races when reassembling (which surprised me). My buddy put a wide glide front end on his sportster and said you absolutely have to replace the bearings and races anytime you disassemble the steering head. Just wondering if any of you have been down this road and can offer some advice before I spend $50 on new parts that I might not need.
Thanks!

 

If the bearings and races are not damaged when you take it apart i don't see why you would need to replace them @ 5,000 miles

 

If you do replace them take the bearings to Napa to mach them up to save some money.

 

When I PC 'd my front end on my SB I cleaned and regreased the bearings. If they are not worn or damaged there is no reason to replace them. If they have too much play in the needle bearings, or if the races are bad then definitely replace them if not I see no reason to replace them.....

 

Okay, sounds great. Two quick questions in response to your replies:
What do you recommend using to clean the bearings?
How will I be able to tell if the races have been damaged?
Thanks again guys.

 

look for scarring, wear marks, marred looking surfaces, any imperfections.

 

Also don't forget to re-pack them when you install after you get your frame back. Don't be shy with the grease work it in to the bearings real good.

 

Sure are a lot of buddies out there giving bad advice. Of course you can reuse them if there is no damage or excessive wear.

Not sure what brand NAPA uses, but HD neck bearings are Timken BTW and when you buy them you get both bearing and race.

 

I would be surprised if H-D uses Timken bearings on anything anymore ! They have gone on the cheap with bearings in recent years and typically use whatever chinese or asian piece that wins their bid process.

I would look on the race of the bearing. If it IS a Timken or Fafnir or some other quality brand, Id use it if it looks good. Otherwise, go to a bearing house (better than napa) and have it cross-referenced and replaced with a top-quality item.

I had some wobble problems with my Dyna that totally ended when I replaced the cheap stock chinese wheel bearings with Timken 205PP pieces.

 

Then I guess you are surprised, I didn't make the statement as a guess, I recently replaced mine.