Steer Clear of That!

Now that I have the bike running, I really want to take it for a ride - just to see what it's like.
But I can't.

While checking things out, I noted that the steering is really notchy and tight. Something is definitely wrong up there. It would be stupid to take it for a spin with things like that.
The front brake seems to be binding up a little, too. Maybe the front wheel bearings? I'll look into both while I am at it.

Brakes and steering are a MUST-HAVE for riding. Seems obvious, but some people...

1st up is the steering. I just need to take it apart and see what's going on with those bearings. Hopefully they are ok and just need to be re-greased.

To take the bearings out, I had to remove the fairing, headlight, headlight mount, fuel tank, handlebars, front wheel, brake caliper, and forks.
Breathe.
Now that the entire front of the bike is disassembled, I can pull off the upper and lower triple clamps.

Off they go... and OMG! There is literally rocks in there!
And the grease... that stuff was more like glue!
It's stickier than gecko feet on fly paper.
What a mess. And obviously, not a good omen.

Lots and lots of degreaser was applied to clean off the upper and lower bearing races.
Then on to the bearings. The upper bearing can go in the can of parts cleaner. Give it a day and all that sticky old grease will come right off.
The lower bearings are press-fit onto the lower triple clamp, so I'll just have to apply de-greaser and a little elbow grease to clean all that funk off.
What a job.

After everything is all cleaned up, time for inspection. I can feel some tiny pitting in the upper and lower races. That's a bad sign, but I'll grease it all up and put the triple clamps together and see what it's like.

If I feel any notchiness in the steering when the triple clamps are assembled, then I will need to replace the bearings.

Well, after greasing the bearings and putting the triple-clamps together, it was just as I feared. Notchiness. Can't ride in that condition. Those bearings are no good and I'll need to get new ones installed.
Ugh.
The outer races are press-fit into the bike and it will be a bitch to get them out. The lower bearing is also pressed onto the lower triple clamp.
I'll have to get crafty or buy a tool for that job.

I am now in a holding pattern until I get those bearings squared away.

While I wait, there are a few tasks that I can tackle. Namely the front brake caliper and front wheel bearing inspection. After I got the caliper off, it seemed like the wheel was spinning ok, but I'll need to take a closer look. With any luck, those bearings are alright.

Famous last words...