PlanetMinis Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Z50A Tapered Steering Bearings

Jump to Latest
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
D

Diablo007

· Registered
Joined
·
50 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm looking to replace the steering bearings in my Z50AK1 and Z50AK2 with tapered steering bearings. I've noticed that most sellers/vendors don't list them as fitting all models. It seems that they cover the soft tails but not the hardtails.

- are the bearings different? If so, does anyone know who carries for my bikes?
- do the sets usually come with the cups, or do you re-use the old ones (this doesn't seem to make any sense). The kits don't appear to come with the cups.

Thanks for helping a newbie to Z50's
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
#6 ·
Diablo007 said:
Hi davmo. I was told by T-Bolt USA that this kit will fit a hardtail Z50. Are they wrong? Or is this new on the market?

Honda Mini Taper Bearing setAll Balls Brand CRF50 XR50 CRF70 XR70 Z50 CT70 - Japan Minis XR/CRF50-150R, DRZ110, KLX110-140, TT-R 50-125 & 2Strokes - CRF50 Z50 & XR50 - Front Forks - W-22-2002 - TBolt USA, LLC
Click to expand...
Sorry, that one will not fit. The hardtail has a bearing cup that is outside the steering tube, and the bearings above only fit the larger soft tail steering tube, where the races fit inside the tube. The exception would be I think some of the new Chinese hardtail replica frames have the bigger steering tubes, like the soft tail. Some pics of the taller, thinner hard tail tube next to a 72 soft tail tube. The blue one shows how the bearing cup extends below the tube.
 

Attachments

Discussion starter · #7 ·
Thanks davmo, you answered the question that was rattling around in the back of my head, which was, "how does the race in the pictures fit where the bearing cup is?" I thought maybe there was a piece that wasn't shown that replaced the bearing cup once the bearing cup was removed.

So, next question, what can be done to improve the steering setup of a hardtail Z50? I found a bearing kit on eBay (Honda Steering Column Bearings Race Races SS50 CL50 CD50 Z50 S90 CL90 SL90 CT90 | eBay) that has the bearings contained and not loose. Other than making it harder to lose bearings would there be any benefit to using this kit, or perhaps it would be detrimental?

Thanks,
D
 
#9 ·
Diablo007 said:
So, next question, what can be done to improve the steering setup of a hardtail Z50? I found a bearing kit on eBay (Honda Steering Column Bearings Race Races SS50 CL50 CD50 Z50 S90 CL90 SL90 CT90 | eBay) that has the bearings contained and not loose. Other than making it harder to lose bearings would there be any benefit to using this kit, or perhaps it would be detrimental?

Thanks,
D
Click to expand...
That's a good question. My instinct would be to say yes, it's a good thing. Seems to me being held in a ring reduces the amount of sideways (away from the center) movement of the ball bearings, but maybe someone has a better answer. As far as holding the balls together in the cup, there is a reason the loose ones are referred to as "Jesus balls." You can improve the steering on these bikes by improving the front forks. There is often a significant amount of play in these front forks, particularly if there is some wear on the components.. If you want to see a good example, look down at your front tire while stopping in a straight line. There are fork stiffener rods, heavier springs, and delrin bushings you can use. Another recommended part is the upper bushing you find on CT70 and later Z50 forks. It reduces some of the sideways play in the fork tubes. If you are riding on the street, a steering damper is one of my favorite things to take some of the twitchiness out of the front end.

*PISTON CT70KO FORK SLIDER 7/10H (51C)
Image

PISTON (51C)
Image
$7.54
Image

Image

*FORK PISTON PIN CT70 KO HKO 7/10M (88T)
Image

88T
Image
$2.37
Image

if you want the upper bushing set-up, you would need two of each of the above.
 
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
About this Discussion
8 Replies
4 Participants
Last post:
davmo
PlanetMinis Forums
posts
2.1M
members
63K
Since
2003
PlanetMinis forum is the internet's largest mini bike community. View thousands of photos, event coverage, tips, tricks and performance mods.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
CRF50 KLX110, DRZ110, TTR90 Chinese/Import Minis - General Discussion Z50, CT70 and JDM Monkeybikes Complete Bikes For Sale - All makes and models