steering stem bump on each side of straight

My steering seems to be fine other than the 2 little hickups on each side of straight.I dunno if this is something Yamaha did like the innovative YICS or if I need to replace my steering stem bearings? There are no cables binding that would cause this either and it still does it when the front tire is lifted so its not a worn tire but it feels like it.

 

That little hiccup is where the old bearings have worn into the race. It is time to replace those bearings. An upgrade to the tapered roller bearings is advised to permanently put this problem in the past.

Ghost

 

I'm just in the process of installing the roller bearings. After seeing what was in there, I'm convinced this is a must do upgrade.
The races came out to easily. I used a steel bar, and after reading about how some individuals had trouble getting the race out, I thought I would give it a good "rap". the race popped right out, the bar slid down my fingers and the hammer rapped my thumb. Now, I have to wait a few days for my thumb to heal before I can continue.

 

Tapered bearings will develop the bump too. My Venture which has tapered bearings from the factory has developed the bump and is getting new ones this winter.

I'm not convinced the tapered bearing is inherently better than the stock ball bearing. It is a lot easier to install though.

 

eh, i think it is better.

It spreads the weight out along a much larger area, thus making it not put so much pressure/wear on such a small contact patch.

just my thoughts.

But yes, replace your steerer bearings, ~40$ to get new tapered bearings from len with all new seals/etc and a nice, easy, step by step instructions.

 

It is a much larger area, but the load is almost parallel to the rollers rather than perpendicular like the ball bearings. The races are essentially a pair of wedges multiplying the force on them.

 

Your Handlebars should travel "Lock-to-lock" without a hiccup.

If there is a bump or a jerkiness; it's time to overhaul the headset bearings.

 

If the original bearings were CAGED balls it wouldn't be any different. This is one design quirk I've never been able to quite understand; unless it was simply a "traditional" method of doing it so nobody felt a need to change. It's not just Yamaha; virtually ALL bikes had loose ball steering head bearings seemingly forever. I'll bet a lot still do.

 

Employ a strong Magnet when extracting the Steering Stem from the Frame.

Hold it to the LOWER end to collect the Balls.
The UPPER Race will retain the upper Balls.

Use the Magnet, again, when you lift-off the upper race, and you shouldn't lose any of the loose balls.