Re: CB750F1 Wheel Bearing Info

Posted by cravacor on Dec 04, 2015; 11:34pm
URL: http://vintage-and-classic-hondas.81.s1.nabble.com/CB750F1-Wheel-Bearing-Info-tp4059185p4059199.html

I have spent a lot of time over the last few days acquiring as much knowledge as I can about the head bearings. I read a very, very long thread over on the other forum that talked mostly about the problems associated with the installation and fit of tapered bearings. It seems the core issue is there is no tapered bearing that is an exact fit for our bikes. The tapers that are available apparently have shaved down races to decrease the OD so they will fit in the frame, but they are still too short on the bottom, requiring shimming and too tall at the top so they stick up over the frame a few millimeters and cause fitment issues with the top tree. If you have a K this is not as big of a deal because you can just shim up your fork ears. For the F with stock headlight bracket, this is a real issue because the spacing between the speedo bracket & lower tree is critical for the headlight bracket to fit correctly.
All this brings me back to a question I have seen very little or nothing about.
Why not just install new OE style balls & races?
I see the races are a bit pricey, but the balls can be had in the aftermarket for quite cheap. I understand there may be some performance benefits of the tapers but they do seem negligible for normal use and the improper fit and increased stiction seem to outweigh the minor performance improvement.
Other than the possibility of the balls peening the races (which is typically a result of abuse, wheelies, jumping, being tied down too hard while trailering, or whatever) I really don't see what's so bad about the stock setup.
I'd really like to hear what the wizards have to say on this matter. I've heard anecdotal evidence about the much improved handling after installing tapers, but a lot of that could be the result of simply going from old, dried up bearings & peened races to new bearings, not just the change from balls to tapers.