Inspection, front maintenance plus extras, and Newtech NC41 10W-50 oil change requested.
They asked us to replace the steering if it’s in bad condition.
It’s not that bad, but if we do it now we’ll have peace of mind for a while, so let’s go ahead and replace it.
Disassembly in progress. We always like to check how tight other shops torque things down for our own education. Though I have to say, we haven’t seen anything too extreme.
There’s plenty of oil, which is good.
Lately I’ve been realizing the benefits of tapered roller bearings.
Let’s clean it up as much as we can. A little care might show through.
Ball bearings again this time. I’m grateful that Suzuki has kept the same design since around the GS1000. Lately it seems like the lower side is double.
Let me confirm. The lower side looks empty but it’s actually in there.
To reduce uncertainty, it’s good to check the seal effectiveness with this configuration.
Now we’ll fill it with NC100 grease to make sure it stays good for a while, then reassemble.
We’ll clean it up a bit to make it look nice and pretty.
We’ll replace the handlebar clamp bolts too.
Sometimes people ask what that tool is for putting bearings in and taking them out. It’s usually a Park Tool from the bike world or a Motion Pro tool.
No tool is truly universal—they all have their quirks—so we end up modifying them later. Good ergonomics come from your own hands. That’s always the rule.
