What a difference a little grease makes --- Headset.

[not-fishing]

Yesterday I finally took the plunge and regreased the headset on my '07 Griso.  There was plenty of grease on it but it was the brown color that old grease becomes.

So I cleaned off the old, put on Motul grease (green) torqued the headset to requirements and took it out on the old Salmon Falls - Auburn loop that I've been doing for more than 40 year here in Folsom California.  It's nice not to pedal the route like I did in the 70's

Wow what a difference!  The Griso wanted to "fall" after my weight shifts into the corners.  Much quicker steering than before.  Now I didn't have to plan for "delayed reaction" to my weight shifts.

Almost like "steering" an educated jumper (hunt seat) with your knees.

The downside is now I lust for really windy roads.

Mark in Folsom - a stone's throw from the Prison.

[Penderic]

That is good!  ;-T

Was it a lot of work to get at the lower races? I think of all the cables and wires crammed in tightly in that area.

Anyone have trouble with the bearings on the V7c or S's? They are tapered roller type and look to be sealed.

Moto Guzzi rallies should include a 'Grease Contest' of some sort .... for fun!  :BEER:


A Goose Grease Pole Climb!  :D

First Prize!


 :pop
Other variation of the contest in India ......

[not-fishing]

No the lower race in the steering head wasn't hard to get to really but you did have to do it by feel.  After the forks dropped bit of a shock - I should have put a wheelstop down I just cleaned the bearings & races in place.  I let the forks drop a couple of inches which gave me enough room to work. 

Contrary to Italian assembly I packed the grease in pretty thick.  Grease is cheap.

The big surprise for me was the Instrument cluster has 4 screws holding in on, the two on top we all see and two near the bottom.  Once I pulled the lower screws there was plenty of slack.

At my next regrease at 50,000 miles I'll change the bearings out to rollers.

I'm the typical - ombra albero meccanico

[Triple Jim]

When I had my H2's head apart 35 years ago, I put a grease fitting in the head tube.  I put a couple squirts in there every couple years, and the original bearings are still smooth and not notchy.  I don't know why all motorcycles don't come that way.

[oldbike54]

When I had my H2's head apart 35 years ago, I put a grease fitting in the head tube.  I put a couple squirts in there every couple years, and the original bearings are still smooth and not notchy.  I don't know why all motorcycles don't come that way.

 Wondered about that for years , the old Brit bike loose ball head bearings were not fun to replace , a zerk fitting would have been nice . An old backhoe guy told me "There ain't no such thing as to much grease"   :D

  Dusty

[normzone]

   

" Almost like "steering" an educated jumper (hunt seat) with your knees. "

That's a very nice analogy - not that I'm that good a rider, I just dated one.
 
" When I had my H2's head apart 35 years ago, I put a grease fitting in the head tube.  I put a couple squirts in there every couple years, and the original bearings are still smooth and not notchy.  I don't know why all motorcycles don't come that way. "

I was an auto mechanic briefly in the early eighties - I recall when new autos started coming out with either no option for a zerk or a plug, and you had to install your own. Design for cheap manufacture and obsolescence I would wager.

[Triple Jim]

I was an auto mechanic briefly in the early eighties - I recall when new autos started coming out with either no option for a zerk or a plug, and you had to install your own.

I'm still irritated about that.  I have at least one shop manual for a car of that era that says to grease one of those joints, you remove the plug, install a Zerk fitting, grease the joint, remove the Zerk, and replace the plug.  I guess that ensures that the customer will have to come back next time, since obviously he won't be able to figure out where to squirt grease by himself.

[normzone]

Too funny. We just bought a box of fittings and charged the customer a pittance to install them where ever we could find a place that would take one. It was a matter of pride to install as many as you could, and boast about it.

[mgfan]

A lot of people made a lot of money with those permanent, greased at the factory, front end parts as they only lasted about 30,000 miles! My old triumph has zerks on the swing arm bearings.   :BEER:

[Triple Jim]

My old triumph has zerks on the swing arm bearings.   :BEER:

My H2 came with one there, but it also came with plastic/fiber bushings instead of the adjustable tapered rollers my Mille has.  I replaced them with bronze bushings a few years ago.

[Vasco DG]

At my next regrease at 50,000 miles I'll change the bearings out to rollers.

I greased mine on the Griso at 40,000 km or so and both balls and races were fine, I was surprised! For future reference the tapered rollers you'll need are 32907X or XU.

V7's use 30205's from memory, might be 32205's. No they aren't sealed but there are dust seals above and below the bearings.

Pete

[Robert]

One day long ago (College) I took my 53 Chev to a DIY Grease Rack.  Customer could purchase a grease gun full of grease and use the rack as part of the deal.

Chevy front end had quite a few fittings.

Customer next to me had a newer Ford.  He couldn't find any fittings.  Was squirting grease into brake cylinder bleeder fittings.

I just kept my mouth shut.