Enfield - Steering Head bearings

[Diesel Dave]

Despite covering some 180,000 miles so far I've only needed to change the headset bearings twice so far.

Last time I did I was looking for a set of taper rollers to fit instead as the loose ball bearings are a real pain to do with the casquette as you WILL knock some off when fitting (at least for the first half dozen attempts), sadly none were available at the time.

As mine need changing (again) I had a quick scour through the Hitchcocks toys catalogue and guess what's now available.....don't ask the price though (if you have to ask then you can't afford them...)

Anyhow, I can see why the cost is high as one of the bearings has been step bored for an adapter for the top fitting as well as some outer bearing adapters so it will cost a bit to make.

So here we go:

I won't cover removing the old ones as this is kind of obvious and straightforwards, try not to be lazy like me and do it without disassembling the handlebars and cassette as you will then have to do it later when the whole lot is suspended from a strap around the garage roof supports....

One thing I should have done the first time around - fit a grease nipple to the headstock pipe, I don't have any in stock but I have drilled and tapped the thread ready to fit one so hopefully this is the last time I will have to change the bearings (especially at this price...)



We shall just block it off with a little button head for now.



Here's the top cup fitted with it's adapter:



The same goes for the bottom one.

The adapters look like this:



Then the outer taper cup fits inside it (very tight fit)



Here's the underside of the cassette with the adapter installed:



Bad photo but you can just make out the bored out step in the inner race to fit over the stem:





BTW instruction leaflet from Hitchcocks score 2/10 and as my school report used to say 'Must try harder'...

[Tetronator]

Soooo... You are filling the entire tube with grease?...

Thatsalotta grease!

[Diesel Dave]

Done it before many times - Enfield headstock tubes are not that large so a single tub should do it.....

[Tetronator]

Sounds like Dnepr wheel bearings.

When in doubt, lube!...

[gilburton]

If I remember correctly 2CV kingpins used to be greased in a similar way but once full it just needed a few pumps of grease to force it through.

[Diesel Dave]

If I remember correctly 2CV kingpins used to be greased in a similar way but once full it just needed a few pumps of grease to force it through.

Except when you did them in the winter the welch plugs would blow out as the grease was too thick to escape at the joint....Ask me how I know (and I thought a pneumatic grease gun was such a good idea)

[gilburton]

[Diesel Dave]

All done, feels like silk knickers....






It didn't take that much grease to fill the steerer tube and the installed grease nipple is working well as grease oozes from both top and bottom bearings when you pump it in.

I did take the time to repaint the fork shrouds as they were crusty from having stainless bolts used previously so they spent a night in stripping solution followed by another in chelating acid to remove the rust (same process as using Molasses only quicker). A quick rub down follwerd by etch primer and some rattle can black and a night spent in the drying cabinet (cupboard with a lamp) and the paint was hard enough to handle.

So hopefully that's the last set of steering head bearings old Sluggy will ever need......