[Beef supreme]

I'm havin some steering hub woes! I got a headstock that is slightly ovalled, I replaced the bearings once already when I got the bike and it had some oval to it then so I dremelled the sides of the head ever so slightly so I could get the new race in. The headstock caused the new race to misshape.

This caused a slight notching to where the bars want to remain straight. Barely noticeable, I said fuck it I'll come back to it later.

So here we are a few months and thousands of miles later.

Solutions guys? The hub is not worn terribly so concentricity shouldn't be an issue. The issue is more that the headstock slightly bends the race so the bearing rocks just a tiny amount which causes a notching. I'm thinking I could dremel the lateral sides of the race a slight bit to compensate for the headstock.

I know the best solution would be take the frame to the machine shop and all that but what would you guys do? I've fixed slightly worn wheel hubs before with feeler gauges or bearing retainer compound but this is ovalled, something new to me.

 

[Beef supreme]

Grinded on the bearing race and it turned out great, smooth as silk

 

[RaZed1]

Did you use OEM stem bearings when replaced? I've never used aftermarket brands for this application, though I've heard more than once of fitment issues and premature wear with them.

If the headstock is oval-ed out, it suggests the bike has some history, possibly of a crash or someone who wasn't good at setting wheelies down.

I'd be very careful with stem bearings. They are absolutely critical to your bike's safety and stability. I'm all for cheap fixes, but this is one area where I wouldn't feel comfortable eyeballing it. Loose or misaligned bearings can cause major problems to stability. Be careful, nothing ruins your ride faster than death wobble.

 

[Beef supreme]

They're some tapered from the local bearing shop, they fit just fine. The bike has landed a wheelie once or twice hard in it's life, it was a stunt bike. The fit is fine it just had two spots, not even lateral of each other which would pinch the race some. I could probably recreate it by knurling two spots of the hub with a hammer and punch to give you an idea.

I agree though, normally I would take it to a shop and have it machined but I've been riding the bike several thou and it has no wobbles or steering issues related to a loose fit even up to top speed. Aside from the slight notching it had everything was fine, no cracking or serious bending.

The bottom hub is perfect so damage is minimal, everything is tight and not binding with it so I'll run it like this and just keep an eye on it. The good thing is that the race is supported all the way around and does not spin.