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Our Heritage Springers can be really tough on neck bearings, so we are pretty serious about neck lube. What I do is wrap a rope around the gap between the steering head tube and the bottom triple tree to stop lube from oozing out of that gap. Then I pump the grease (heavy HD special grease or heavy marine work best) until it oozes out the top gap between the steering head and the top triple tree. That way you know the neck is full.
Yes, the grease does ooze out the lower gap over time. Yes, it is messy. Yes, it sucks to clean it off the bike regularly. Yes, it requires refilling regularly.
But....
Replacing the neck bearings and races is a time consuming, difficult process. Wiping excess grease off the bike is really easy, and pumping more grease in is cheap and quick. I do the refill process at least every oil change. Staying on top of this reduces bearing wear, and reduces the frequency need for steering head fall-away adjustment (also very time consuming).
Buy a grease gun for just this purpose at Harbor Freight. Its Cheap. Buy good grease for just this purpose to put into the gun. Stay on top of it, and your bike's good handling will be your reward. When your riding buddies come over, fill their bike's necks too.
What's a little grease between friends?!
Ride safe!
Last edited by SprungDave; May 26, 2016 at 12:10 PM.
Gee, I don't know...if that's not where you're supposed to grease it from, why would there be a grease zerk engineered into the center of the neck exactly? Style, I reckon...
i think what he is trying to say is that one pump of a grease gun will not fill the cavity and the grease will not reach the bearings. your method would work once the cavity is filled but not if the neck is entirely empty.
our heritage springers can be really tough on neck bearings, so we are pretty serious about neck lube. What i do is wrap a rope around the gap between the steering head tube and the bottom triple tree to stop lube from oozing out of that gap. Then i pump the grease (heavy hd special grease or heavy marine work best) until it oozes out the top gap between the steering head and the top triple tree. That way you know the neck is full.
Ditto !!! Ditto! Ditto!!
I also bought a gun specifically "dedicated" for this purpose. I use lucas "red and tacky #2". It stays in place...for the most part. Twice a year application works for me.
the first time it's greased on a new bike it'll take a lot to fill the neck... then after that just pump till you see it coming out.. wipe it clean and ride..
Or as said above.. take it apart and just grease the bearings...
I still use the MoCo stuff... never had a problem with it dripping or oozing out either.
There's too many other things on a HD that would quit working, seize, or fall off before the neck bearings would seize on these antiquated steam rollers. I'm not worried about it. shows the lack of modern engineering to have a grease tube sized cavity to fill full of grease for two unsealed bearings. Just another way for the MoCo to bend you over for 5 gallons of their "special HD" grease. Stupid ****.
There's too many other things on a HD that would quit working, seize, or fall off before the neck bearings would seize on these antiquated steam rollers. I'm not worried about it. shows the lack of modern engineering to have a grease tube sized cavity to fill full of grease for two unsealed bearings. Just another way for the MoCo to bend you over for 5 gallons of their "special HD" grease. Stupid ****.
There's too many other things on a HD that would quit working, seize, or fall off before the neck bearings would seize on these antiquated steam rollers. I'm not worried about it. shows the lack of modern engineering to have a grease tube sized cavity to fill full of grease for two unsealed bearings. Just another way for the MoCo to bend you over for 5 gallons of their "special HD" grease. Stupid ****.
I use the "red" grease from Tractor Supply to grease my head bearings. I pump them full every 5,000 miles and they're still good at 115,000 miles.
Once a month or so, I wipe up a bit of grease that oozes out the lower bearing. BFD! I swear, some of you guys in here would, in the words of my ex wife, "bitch if they hanged you with a new rope!"
All bikes from factory, have the neck without grase. If you bike have the bolt to fill the neck with grease, do it from the first day, because the direction work smooth and light when you fill with grease. Also, the grease avoid the humidity in the neck and the bearings.
If you dont want grease leaks in the bottom of the neck, you must use a grease with resistance to hight temps and with the specification NIGL2
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