Tapered Roller Steering Bearings | Honda CB360 / CL360 / CJ360
The factory ball-bearing steering head on your CB360, CL360, or CJ360 probably hasn't been apart since it left the Honda factory. Fifty years later the grease is dried out and the balls are rusty, pitted, or flat-spotted at the dead-center position where the bike parks most of the time. You can feel it in the handlebars — the steering wants to detent straight ahead and fights you off-center. This kit swaps the original loose-ball headset for sealed tapered roller bearings, the same setup modern motorcycles use.
Why You Need This
Honda built these bikes with a loose-ball steering head: 38 tiny ball bearings packed into upper and lower races, held together by grease and preload. It was cheap, it worked, and it lasted for a while. Fifty years later it is almost always either crunchy, notchy, or completely rusted. You can feel it when you ride, and you can see it when you take the headset apart. Most of the factory bearings come out looking like gravel.
Tapered roller bearings fix it. They carry the bike's weight and steering loads better than loose balls, they seal against grease and water, and once they are preloaded correctly they give years of service without another teardown. The moment the bike is back together the steering feels different: smooth all the way across the arc, no detent at center, and a lot more confidence when you lean into a turn.
This kit is a direct bolt-in replacement for the factory ball-bearing headset. No frame modification, no custom machining, no adapters.
Specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|
| Replaces OEM Part Numbers | 53211-268-010, 53211-268-000, 53211-268-305, 50301-268-010, 50301-268-000, 50301-268-305, 50302-268-010, 50302-268-000, 50302-268-305, 53212-250-010, 53212-250-000, 53212-250-305, 53214-250-000, 53124-250-000, 53215-250-000, 96211-08000 |
| Fits Models | CB350 / CL350 / SL350 (1968–1973), CB360 / CL360 / CJ360 (1974–1977), CB450 / CL450 (1970–1974), CB500T (1975–1976), CB500K (1971–1973), CB550K / CB550F (1974–1978), CB750K (1969–1978), CB750F Super Sport (1975–1978), CB750A (1976–1978) |
| Type | Sealed tapered roller bearings with steel races and rubber dust seals |
| Sold As | Complete kit: upper + lower bearings, upper + lower races, upper + lower dust seals, and shims for multiple bike families |
Model-Specific Notes
- Multiple shims in the kit: The kit includes several shim washers because different Honda twin families need slightly different stack-ups. Use the thinner of the large shim washers on the lower triple tree before installing the dust seal and the lower bearing. If you are not sure which shim applies to your bike, the steering bearing upgrade video walks through it.
- Upper / lower triple tree gap: The new tapered roller stack is about 3–4 mm taller than the original ball-bearing setup. After install you will see a slight increase in the gap between your upper and lower triple trees. That is normal, the forks still bolt up correctly, and it does not affect fork function.
What's in the Kit
- Upper tapered roller bearing (smaller inner diameter)
- Lower tapered roller bearing (larger inner diameter)
- Upper bearing race (presses into the top of the frame head tube)
- Lower bearing race (presses into the bottom of the frame head tube)
- Upper and lower rubber dust seals
- Shim washers for multiple bike families
Installation
Difficulty: Advanced — requires full front-end disassembly (front wheel, fender, forks, upper and lower triple trees).
Tools needed: 30 mm socket or large adjustable wrench, hook-style pin spanner for the steering ring nut, brass hammer, brass or steel punch, wheel bearing grease, and a driver tool (a short section of pipe sized to the outer diameter of the new races works if you do not have a dedicated bearing driver).
Pro tip — the freezer trick: Put the new bearing races in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before installing them. The cold shrinks the metal slightly and the races slide into the frame head tube almost by hand instead of fighting you with a hammer.
- Disassemble the front end: front wheel, fender, forks, upper triple tree, then the lower triple tree and steering stem.
- Catch the loose ball bearings as they fall out. Count them if you plan to clean and reuse the originals.
- Drive the old upper and lower races out of the frame head tube with a brass punch, working back and forth around the edge.
- Drive the old lower bearing race off the steering stem. This is a pressed fit and usually the toughest part of the job.
- Clean everything thoroughly and inspect the frame head tube for damage.
- Press the new races into the frame head tube (freezer trick helps).
- Pack both new bearings with wheel bearing grease by hand until grease squishes out of the top.
- Install the lower dust seal (lip facing up), then the lower bearing on the steering stem. Only strike the inner race when driving the bearing on — hitting the cage will bend it and ruin the bearing. Use the correct shim washer for your bike.
- Reinstall the steering stem into the frame head tube and place the upper bearing, upper dust seal, and top cap.
- Preload: snug the top cap just enough to remove all play, back it off slightly, then adjust until the stem swings smoothly end to end with no wiggle. Too loose and the front end jiggles. Too tight and the bike resists turning.
- Reinstall the upper triple tree, forks, front wheel, and fender.
After your first ride: The new bearings will settle slightly as they bed in. Re-check the preload after 20 to 50 miles and take up a hair of slack if you can feel any play. This is normal for any new tapered roller install.
The video above is Part 1 of our steering bearing upgrade series (disassembly, on a CB360 — this is the exact bike in the video). Part 2 on our YouTube channel walks through the install and preload adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this kit include bearings for both the top AND the bottom?
Yes. The kit is a complete headset replacement: upper bearing + race + dust seal, lower bearing + race + dust seal, and the shim washers. You do not need to order two kits.
Will this fit my CB350, CB450, CB550, or CJ360?
Yes. The same physical bearing kit fits the entire Honda CB350-through-CB750 family from the late 1960s through the late 1970s: CB350, CL350, SL350, CB360, CL360, CJ360, CB450, CL450, CB500T, CB500K, CB550K, CB550F, CB750K, CB750F Super Sport, and CB750A. We sell it under three separate SKUs (one per model family) for easier product-page searching, but the physical product and fitment is identical across all three listings.
Does this fit the Honda CB750?
Yes. This kit is a direct fit for all CB750K (1969–1978), CB750F Super Sport (1975–1978), and CB750A (1976–1978) models. The CB750 uses the same steering stem interface as the smaller Honda twins, so the same bearing kit bolts right in. See our Compatibility Chart tab for the full year-by-year breakdown.
How do I know which bearing goes on top vs. bottom?
Compare the inner diameters. The bearing with the smaller inner diameter goes on top; the one with the larger inner diameter goes on the bottom. Same logic for the dust seals: smaller diameter up top, larger on the bottom. Installing them backwards is a common first-time mistake that is easy to avoid if you line everything up before starting the install.
My upper and lower triple trees are further apart after install — is that normal?
Yes. The new tapered roller stack is about 3 to 4 mm taller than the original ball-bearing setup, so the gap between the upper and lower triple trees increases by that amount. The forks still bolt up correctly and the bike rides normally.
Do I need any special tools?
A 30 mm socket (or a large adjustable wrench) for the top nut, a hook-style pin spanner for the steering ring nut, a brass hammer, and a brass or steel punch. You also need a driver tool: a short section of pipe sized to the outer diameter of the new races will work if you do not have a dedicated bearing driver. Wheel bearing grease for packing the bearings.
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Last updated: April 2026
