The trusty Hornet, even with new head bearings, is not handling right. Well...actually...the thing follows ripples in the road like ...er...well...like I really don;t want it to!
Riding in London, I have also discovered a new hell...where bus lanes were re-surfaced, and buses let loose while the tarmac was still soft. You get ripples like waves, sometimes several inches high. As weell as the current fad for repairing potholes by throwing a shovel of tarmac in and letting the vehicles pack it down....
So, having twitchy steering on top of that can get a little scary.
Anyway...a pair of very shot head bearings were replaced for brand new ones. A bit of fiddling to get the tension just right was called for, as I have no way of setting a torque wrench on a C-spanner....and no big peg spanner for the one job I would ever use it on. But I have it moving smoothly, and just tight enough to have no slop. But that didn;t cure it.
I had noticed a bit oif slop in the front wheel bearings while it was all apart, so I figured I may as well fit a new set. I mean...the bike is nearly 15 years old, is used in all weathers, and they are probably the original bearings. That's when the trouble hit.
E-Bay search showed....1 seller with 900 Hornet bearings. Loads of REAR wheel bearings...but only 1 seller with fronts. Bought them. 5 minutes later...apology from vendor and cancelled order. They have no stock. Alarm bells begin ringing....
Google is fired up...and yes. The bearings are a very non-standard size. 6004 d45..... ID 20mm x OD 45mm x W 12mm
So, instead of paying £20 for a pair plus new seals....They are £20 EACH, plus another £9 a side for seals if I need them. With postage on top.... Bought from John Oldfields in Southampton. Not local...but they seem to keep a very good stock of genuine Honda parts for my old Hornet, and the guy in the parts department is very helpful. Going to try and re-use the seals I have for now, as I am spending money I don't have right now, but having had a front wheel bearing collapse in the past (not a pleasant experience and not something I would want to repeat) I want to do this for peace of mind. So that's my bank holiday weekend all sorted .......
Going to have to re-use the seals in the short term, as they are OK, and funds are not....