Steering head and swingarm bearing service

Steering head bearings go notchy slowly enough that you adapt to it. Then you ride a bike with fresh ones and realise how much you have been fighting.

Steering head

• Front end stripped, bearings inspected for notching and pitting
• Cleaned and regreased, or replaced with new races if worn
• Preload set correctly — too tight steers like a truck, too loose weaves
• Front end aligned as the clamps go back

Swingarm

• Swingarm out, bearings and needle rollers inspected
• Linkage bearings cleaned and regreased — these are almost always the dry ones
• Pivot bolt torqued to spec on reassembly

Worth doing together while the bike is apart, and worth doing before any suspension setup work.