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Neils 1978 CB550 F2 Project - Newbie Let Loose
Neilw:
Quick update.
The bike is completely apart now, and I've discovered a few things.
The steering bearings had been upgraded, but the bottom one had failed - see pic. It was fitted with a spacer, but no seal. I've seen videos where its shown that the seal can foul the bearing when torqued down, so it's got me thinking whether I should just go back to ball and cup?
The rear swing arm is rot underneath, so I've ordered a replacement.
The bottom stem yoke, one of the stop posts, has broken off. Do I replace the whole thing or get someone to weld on a new one? Replacement yoke is only £30.
I've been speaking to Hondaman, and with postage being prohibitively expensive from the US I am going to try to make a new fuse box as per his instructions - wish me luck never done anything like that before!
Oddjob:
Looks like the bottom race that goes inside the frame was hammered into place and it broke apart as it was fitted. They didn’t come with a seal back in the day, they do now. Up to you which system you replace it with, I prefer tapers but some people have had problems with fitting them and have gone back to ball bearings.
Sesman:
I had lots of trouble with the taper bearing, eventually reverting to the original ball race solution. Regarding the bottom yoke, be cautious. They are made of cheese and can be easily bent (misaligned). It is possible to realign them, but it’s also very easy to over-stress them doing so. In fact some on this forum may not recommend re truing, but I’d say it really depends on the amount of misalignment…I managed it successfully. If the original bottom yoke is in good condition and has good alignment, try welding and grinding a new stop as a first resort.
Laverda Dave:
As Ken mentions in his reply that lower taper has been hit with a hammer and was probably like that from the day it was installed!
Speaking as a 400/4 owner I have attempted to fit tapers twice and both ended in failure as a result of not having enough thread showing on the top nut, 1.5 turns in my opinion is dangerous. I went back to ball bearings, much better and I haven't noticed any difference in handling at the speeds we are allowed to travel at in this country as a result of camera's but mostly due to potholes etc!
Neilw:
--- Quote from: Laverda Dave on March 18, 2026, 09:59:21 AM ---As Ken mentions in his reply that lower taper has been hit with a hammer and was probably like that from the day it was installed!
Speaking as a 400/4 owner I have attempted to fit tapers twice and both ended in failure as a result of not having enough thread showing on the top nut, 1.5 turns in my opinion is dangerous. I went back to ball bearings, much better and I haven't noticed any difference in handling at the speeds we are allowed to travel at in this country as a result of camera's but mostly due to potholes etc!
--- End quote ---
I'm not planning on doing lots of miles or speeds, so I'm looking for the most cost-effective and quickest way to go.
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