How to Adjust Dirt Bike Steering Head Bearings

Step By Step

1. Lift the front wheel

   Put the bike on a stand so the front wheel hangs free and the bars turn with no load on them. Make sure it can’t tip when you push on the fork.

   • Lift stand

   How often to check steering play

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS, race or enduro	1 h, then every 15 h	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 42; same on the enduro models. KTM 250 XC-W / 300 EXC / 300 XC-W 2026 OM, PDF p. 55; KTM 450 XCF-W / EXC-F 2025 OM, PDF p. 54; Husqvarna TE 250/300 2026 OM, PDF p. 55
   Honda CRF250R / CRF450R race (pre-ride check, plus an inspection every 9 races)	Every ride; 22.5 h	Honda CRF250R 2025 owner’s manual, PDF p. 44-45 (RX every 6 races)
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F race (free play, after break-in and every race)	Every race (2.5 h)	Yamaha YZ250F 2026 owner’s service manual, PDF p. 94
   Honda CRF450X, CRF250F trail (pre-ride check, plus inspections)	100 mi, then 1,200 mi	Steering head bearings inspected at 100 mi, 1,200 mi and 2,400 mi (12 and 24 months). Honda CRF450X 2025 OM, PDF p. 47; CRF250F 2025 OM, PDF p. 53

   Check before every ride, and at the interval in your manual.

2. Rock the fork for play

   Point the bars straight ahead. Grab the fork legs low and push them back and forth in the direction of travel. You should feel no play. A clunk or a knock you can feel at the head means it is loose.

   • Your hands

   Careful. KTM says play should not be detectable and must be fixed right away. Riding with play damages the bearings and their seats in the frame.

3. Turn the bars lock to lock

   Swing the bars slowly from one lock to the other. They should move smoothly with no detents. A bar that clicks into the center or sticks at one spot points to dented bearing races.

   • Your hands

   Shop tip. Notches often come from false brinelling. The head barely turns on a straight while the bike vibrates, so the balls wear dents at their own spacing. Tightening the preload can’t remove a dent. If the notch stays after adjusting, the bearings need replacing.

4. Loosen the top clamp

   To adjust, loosen the top triple clamp bolts so the clamp can move. On a KTM, remove the top stem screw. On a Yamaha, take off the bars and the upper bracket to reach the ring nut, as the manual describes.

   • Sockets
   • Ratchet

5. Set the bearing preload

   This nut or screw sets how hard the bearings are squeezed. On a KTM, loosen the top steering head screw and retighten it to spec. On a Yamaha, tighten the lower ring nut to the initial torque, turn the bars a few times, back it off one turn, then set the final torque.

   • Torque wrench
   • Steering nut wrench (Yamaha)

   Bearing preload setting

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS MX (top steering head screw M20x1.5)	12 Nm (8.9 lbf ft)	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 70
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F (lower ring nut: 38 Nm, back off one turn, then 7 Nm final)	38 Nm, then 7 Nm	Yamaha 2026 YZ250F OSM PDF p. 70 and 119; YZ450F OSM PDF p. 118

   Honda’s owner’s manual prints no steering head torque. It sends you to the Honda service manual, so use the value there.

   Careful. Don’t overtighten it. Yamaha’s manual warns against it. Too much preload makes the steering heavy and dents the races. Too little lets the head knock.

6. Tap the clamp, then torque it

   Tap the top clamp lightly with a plastic mallet so it settles without stress. Then tighten the stem screw or nut and the clamp bolts to their torques, in the order your manual gives.

   • Plastic mallet
   • Torque wrench

   Stem and top clamp torque

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS MX (stem screw M8 with Loctite 243 / top clamp screws M8; bottom clamp 12 Nm)	20 Nm / 17 Nm	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 70 and 160
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F (steering stem nut M24 / upper and lower pinch bolts M8)	145 Nm / 21 Nm	Yamaha 2026 YZ250F OSM PDF p. 67; YZ450F OSM PDF p. 65

   Use the triple clamp and stem torques from your manual. They are safety fasteners.

   Shop tip. KTM puts Loctite 243 on the top stem screw. Clean threads first, because dirt or old locker changes the clamp force you get for the same wrench reading.

7. Check it again

   Rock the fork and turn the bars lock to lock again. You want no play and no notches. If it still clunks, repeat the adjustment. If it notches but has no play, the bearings are worn.

   • Your hands

8. Clean and grease the bearings

   Greasing means removing the lower triple clamp with the steering stem. Clean the bearings and seals, check them for damage, pack fresh grease, then reassemble and set the preload again. Most riders do it with the fork already off for service.

   • Grease
   • Rags
   • Solvent for old grease

   How often to clean and grease

   Bike	Spec	Source
   KTM / Husqvarna / GASGAS, race or enduro (high viscosity grease)	Every 45 h or 24 months	KTM 250 SX-F 2024 owner’s manual, PDF p. 42 and 67; same on the enduro models. KTM 250 XC-W / 300 EXC / 300 XC-W 2026 OM, PDF p. 55; KTM 450 XCF-W / EXC-F 2025 OM, PDF p. 54; Husqvarna TE 250/300 2026 OM, PDF p. 55
   Yamaha YZ250F / YZ450F race (and after rain rides, lithium-soap grease)	Every 5th race (12.5 h)	Yamaha 2026 YZ250F OSM PDF p. 94 and 120

   Check your manual. Grease sooner after wet rides or pressure washing.

9. Notchy after greasing? Replace them

   Dented or pitted races mean new bearings and races as a set. The old races are driven out of the head tube and off the stem, and the new ones are pressed in square. Without the right drivers and a press this is a shop job, and a cocked race can damage the frame’s head tube.

   • Race drivers or a shop

   Careful. Yamaha warns that a race that isn’t installed properly can damage the steering head pipe.