Part: Factory Style Caged Ball Steering (headset) Bearings for Honda CB350 / CB360 / CB450 / CB500T / CB550K / CB550F / CB750K / CB750F / CB750A Motorcycles
Why You Need This: Steering bearings are a crucial part of smooth motorcycle riding. Chances are, the original ball steering bearings of your Honda CB350 / CB360 / CB450 / CB500T / CB550K / CB550F / CB750K / CB750F / CB750A have not been serviced since the day it rolled off the factory floor. Over the years of neglect, steering bearings wear out from accumulated dust and dirt, become out of round, feel "catchy", or even pitted making your sweet ride difficult to steer and compromising handling. As with most things, there is an answer to this problem: a fresh set of steering bearings.
Our Caged Ball Steering Bearings are just the thing you need to get your vintage Honda steering smooth as new and bring it back to its factory specifications. The factory bearings on these old Honda motorcycles are "loose ball" design, making it difficult to service and replace them. You need to be extra cautious not to loose a single one of those tiny balls that roll away oh-so easily when taking apart the steering stem. With our factory style Caged Ball Steering Bearings you can forget about this problem. The "cage" holds those tiny balls bearings securely in place, making it impossible for them to roll away, so you can easily remove and put them back together with no mess or worry that you are missing a bearing or two. Sold as a set, this steering tube bearing kit includes upper and lower caged bearings with inner and outer races. This caged ball steering bearing set is a budget alternative to our tapered roller steering bearings. Add a fresh set of our polyurethane Space Capsule handlebar dampers and rear shocks and your Honda will ride smoother and predictable under all road conditions. These bearings do not come with a replacement dust seal, you will have to reuse the original.
Installation Tip: Remove the original outer ball races from the frame with a long punch or long flat head screwdriver and hammer. Make sure to drive the races out evenly when removing. Use caution when removing the lower inner race from the steering tube as not to damage the dust seal below the race. Test fit all the assemblies before coating with grease and pay attention to the orientation of the inner races and bearings when installing. The balls of the bearing need to make contact with both the inner and outer race when stacked up. Bearings and outer races need to be packed with a high quality wheel bearing grease prior to final installation. Follow the factory Honda service manual for bearing play adjustment and top triple tree nut torque value.
