Originally Posted by
Plainsman
So as I’m tearing this down, and it does have cartridge bearings, what am I looking for on those cartridge bearings when inspect them to tell if they are bad?.
Press them together as hard as you can and rotate - you're feeling for grittiness or notchiness.
Originally Posted by
Plainsman
I thought I had this fixed with a headset adjustment, but I still get a clunk at a hard stop. Interestingly, when I adjusted the headset and tightened the loading bolt minimally (2-2.5 NM), the bars seem to want to return themselves to a certain position when turned.
That's "Brinelling" (named after the hardness test that makes dents in metal) otherwise known as "indexed steering". It could just be annoying but it could cause stability issues - you'll be wanting a new bearing. But that might not be the cause of your clunk - have you checked your wheel bearings?