Zerk grease fitting on steering stem

[recumbentbob]

Anyone do this?

I think this will be my weekend project.

http://www.gadgetjq.com/harpo_steeringlube.htm

Bob

[ringadingh]

Thats a simple project that will make it easy to grease the steering neck, you can also do the same thing to the swingarm as well.
I never bothered doing it on my bike as Im always tinkering and usually have it apart every year or two anyways.

[recumbentbob]

I do the swingarm and drive shaft when I change a rear tire but I Hate to pull the front end apart.............. ::)

[Bdog]

I put one in the steering base and also the swingarm. I channelled out the swingarm sleeve also so the grease would enter the bearing area.

[recumbentbob]

Originally Posted by Bdog

I put one in the steering base and also the swingarm. I channeled out the swingarm sleeve also so the grease would enter the bearing area.

I may do the same thing to the swingarm next time. Take the sleeves into work and mill a slot in them.

[jandreu]

That's a whole lot of grease to be putting in the neck. Nothing wrong with that just wondering how well the bearing seals work when that much grease gets warm and starts getting a little fluid.

[Top Cat]

I had the dealer put a grease fitting in my swingarm when it was serviced.
Looked at it then and haven't looked at it since.
That was 40,000 miles ago.
I don't believe in over servicing, I bought it to ride. ;)

[rewindgy]

Done both on mine. It's better to have too much grease in there than none. Since they are not spinning at any speed that is! There is some that comes out the bottom of the steering head bottom bearing but it can be easily wiped up and at least you know there is grease in there! I use a really good Synthetic Grease ( Amsoil I think?) that resists washout and I did inspect the bearings after a couple of years and the grease looks like new so it's a good thing!

[Bdog]

Bubba..your right...grease will come past the seal and make a mess of things if you don't keep an eye on it and wipe it off from time to time. The grease that leaks is clean and I know the brgs. are greased. This winter I will be doing some work to my front end. Maintenance and redesign stuff. This includes new brgs. and races along with reinventing the seal hence I won't have grease leak problem.

[recumbentbob]

It all depends on how much grease you pump in.

[macmac]

Great idea, too bad it doesn't really work. IMO there is one right way to grease this type of bearing and it means getting your hands greasey.

Maybe this isn't so common knowlege.....

With taper roller bearings, yuou grab one up so the taper is down, and in the other hand grag a gob of grease. The next move it to scrap the angled bearing across the grease and continue untill grease squished thru the bearings and cage, then turn the whole bearing as one and repeat, untill grease has been squished thru each roller there is.

They install grease fitting on boat trailers dust caps all the time, and IMO that just doesn't grease a whole lot either.

The Lord knows I have split off many a bearing from a boat trailer axel, and I don't mind a bit, since i get paid.

[moloprintz]

I'd be real nervous about drilling and tapping without disassembling.
Where are all those little metal pieces going?

[recumbentbob]

Thats true mac but boat wheels are turning at a high RPM.
My steering head bearings do not turn very fast.
So a little grease even if not done properly will extend the service life of the steering head bearings.

[cactusjack]

I see it as a lazy man's way to avoid servicing the steering head bearings. Just pumping it full of a half pound of grease is no substitute for bearing inspection and adjustment at periodic intervals. Same story with the swingarm. Sorry folks, there's a reason they don't come that way from the factory.

[recumbentbob]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

I see it as a lazy man's way to avoid servicing the steering head bearings. Just pumping it full of a half pound of grease is no substitute for bearing inspection and adjustment at periodic intervals. Same story with the swingarm. Sorry folks, there's a reason they don't come that way from the factory.

The reason they don't do that at the factory is because they are cheap.
Cheap, cheap and more cheap.

They are so cheap they even skip greasing most swingarm bearings.
And my drive shaft never saw any factory grease either.