[ST] Loose stem bearing???

["Bill and Julie Wilkin" <bandjwilkin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

G'day Everyone,
    I've just got home from work which is about 10 miles out the road from
town. Theres one (yep just the one) corner and it's bloody bumpy, usually i
take it fairly easy through there on the ST although on my last sportsbike i
used to plow through without slowing up much. So today i felt a bit daring
and fanged the bike through and i found the front end very loose feeling,
deflecting off the bumps, flapping the handle bars etc. No where near as
planted as the old Yamaha. I've decided the steering stem bearing is
probably a little loose (although any other suggestions gratefully
accepted). What is the procedure for checking the preload on the bearing and
how far should i adjust it? I put the bike on the centre stand, jacked up
the front and checked the forks, no play there but feels loose swinging from
lock to lock, shouldn't there be a little resistance?
Another thing i'm curious about, i've noticed that the motor won't hold a
steady idle, is this a common thing with the triple? And lastly, just how
fast are these ST's supposed to go?
All advice on the steering thing greatly appreciated
Regards
Bill Wilkin
'99 ST   "Mary"
'53 DomiRacer  "Ruby"
'64 Blown 650SS  "Pig"


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