So I took my 2006 S40 in for its 7500 mile service and the mechanic tells me that my fork bearings need to be replaced ($350).  Since I never noticed any unusual performance with my steering I borrowed my friends jack and jacked up the bike.  There was absolutely no play or hesitation when turning left to right or pulling/pushing on the fork.  I no longer trust that shop anymore.

sdlc808 wrote on 08/18/11 at 13:55:43:



+1  Mine is an '87 with about 8300 miles.  My fork bearings are original and just fine.  Can't imagine your '06 needing them...unless they were improperly installed at the factory, but I think you would notice something not being right when you tested it.  

Somewhere near 40,000 km my steering head bearings were toast, but that was year-round, 120 km-worth of daily commute. So they'd seen a lot of high speed in heavy rain. Seems like the dust cover over the top bearing is not enough to keep water out, but the seal under the bottom bearing is enough to keep it in ... for a while anyway. All the grease had washed out and races were badly rust pitted and worn. When I replaced the bearings I used copious amounts of the most water proof grease I could find and left the bottom seal out.

Hadn't realised how much fear the notchy/sticky steering had been producing.

Oh ... there's no way you're getting the bottom race off the head stem, or fitting the new one, yourself. Verrry big press required.