Yes, I fitted the new bearings.... I put the new cup in the freezer and fitted it using the original removed/cut cup as a 360 degree drift, tapping it gently down. I get putting the outer races in the freezer before tapping them into the headstock, but wouldn’t putting the new cup in the freezer ma...

Since I am totally sure I haven't caused the cracks when recently removing the lower cup, I'm wondering if it's anything to do with stresses generated by having a Ural chair fitted to the bike for the last 20k miles. Far greater lateral forces will be carried into the stem, plus the bike had a relat...

Hi again. Just a quick thought. Did you fit the new bearings yourself or did you have a 3rd party press them on, if so they may have caused it somehow? Yes, I fitted the new bearings.... I put the new cup in the freezer and fitted it using the original removed/cut cup as a 360 degree drift, tapping...

Mechanic & Redbike John - I've owned the bike from new, and have changed the bearings only once before at around 10 years ago when the stem was in perfect order. So it's happened between then and now. When I took off the bearing cup off the other day I was careful so as not to damage the stem, s...

I went to renew my XRV's steering stem bearings the other day. When I took off the lower bearing cup from the bottom of the stem, I found three cracks (or splits? or fissures?) as shown in the pics. When I posted on the FB XRV page, no-one answered my query asking if anyone had come across this issu...

There's only one truly pointless modification and that's replacing your bike's points with electronic ignition, such as Lucas Rita or Boyer Bransden. Not very common nowadays, unless you have a classic. This pointless mod was therefore very pointful (if there's such a word). Aside from that - for me...

XJR1200SP....

MT01....

KH250....

Aug/Sept 1978. Circumnavigating France on my GT380B, with school pal Graham on his CB400 Dream. Cherbourg - Biarritz - Andorra - Perpignan - Clermont Ferrand - Paris - Calais, over 3 weeks or so. Single, no cares, French girls.... fantastique!