Help: Need an "easily improvised tool"

[draketrumpet]

Short story: I'm taking off my steering head, and I'm all the way down to the two adjusting nuts just before you slide the steering column out. I do not have the tool that came with the bike, but supposedly, according to the manual, I can use an easily improvised tool to take these off. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble improvising in ways that I don't foresee damaging these expensive looking nuts.

TIA

[bikerphil]

If you hold the lower one with a large needle nose vise grips, you can usually free the top one with a hammer and a drift.

[DGXSER]

I used a larger flat blade screw driver and a hammer to loosen the top one, then the bottom one. "Improvised tool" is in the eye of the beholder, or user.

[BritinNH]

Home depot

Get a basin strainer locknut wrench grind the tips down till they are the same height as the steering locknut , it works brilliantly.This is what i use all the time it adjusts to fit perfectly and only costs $10.

http://www.homedepot.com/Plumbing/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xn8Zbqew/R-100162236/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[draketrumpet]

Got it

Hammer and not-quite-as-fat-as-I-would-have-liked-flat head got it out without too much scarring. I've got tapered bearings as you can see, so I believe they've been replaced sometime in the past, however, whoever last adjusted them had a rather blunt way of doing it. The cap is slightly bent because the nuts were screwed on so tight.

Anyway, now to clean them. There's a bit of rust from the frame dohickey that holds the bearings in place, but nothing on the bearins themselves that I can see. I heard somewhere that I can spray them with brake cleaner. Can someone confirm this. I'll do that and rub with a copper brush if no one says that's a bad idea. Than slather them up with plenty of grease and tighten them down.

From there, I'll start building things back up, and pay special attention to the following to make sure I've covered everything that can cause a wobble on the front end:

• front wheel roundness and straightness
• front wheel bearings
• front axle
• we thoroughly went over the forks at MoM so I think they are fine.

If I'm missing something on the front end that may cause a wobble, let me know. I'll do the back end later.



Also, does anyone know what that white plastic think in that little bracket to the left of the bearing is for? Nothing was attached to it.

[Guy_b_g]

Bracket is the headlight stay. An adjustment bolt goes through it to the headlight to adjust vertical aim.

[draketrumpet]

That would explain why there was nothing there. Thanks.

Any opinion on brake cleaner & brass brush v. dirty bearings?

[Guy_b_g]

I think it would work fine, just be sure it's completely gone and can't contaminate the grease before you re grease it and put it back together.

[b.walker5]

I've got tapered bearings as you can see, so I believe they've been replaced sometime in the past,....

Is there any other type ??? I've never seen anything other than tapered bearings in a steering head.

Anyway, now to clean them. There's a bit of rust from the frame dohickey that holds the bearings in place, but nothing on the bearins themselves that I can see. I heard somewhere that I can spray them with brake cleaner. Can someone confirm this. I'll do that and rub with a copper brush if no one says that's a bad idea. Than slather them up with plenty of grease and tighten them down.

Maybe it's just me but personally, for the few bucks they cost, I wouldn't even consider tearing it down to that level without replacing the bearings. The rollers themselves may look okay but what you cant see is the condition of the race underneath them, and while it might be fine, it might not be also. It's not a hard job and once done you then know with absolute certainty that they're not going to be a problem for quite some time.

And FWIW I made a "C" spanner for those nuts out of an old metal shelf bracket, you know the type, often seen in harware stores holding shelves and wall brackets up. About 3mm thick, about 200mm (8 inches) long, roughly triagular in shape and two little hooks at one end to hang of uprights screwed to the wall. With a hole saw, hacksaw and a file I fashioned one into a workable C spanner that has had numerous uses over the years. It don't look pretty but it works.

[Guy_b_g]

Good point, the bearings and races aren't that expensive, and you already have it torn down that far anyway...

[draketrumpet]

Is there any other type ??? I've never seen anything other than tapered bearings in a steering head.

If you look at the manual, you'll see the original bearings in there were regular ball bearings, and there was no kind of seal or cap under the bottom bearing. Now-a-days tapered are the only kind sold, but if someone has a pure stocker, it would, I believe, have normal balls in there.

As to replacing the bearings, right now I'll be lucky if I can even get the bottom one off of the stem since they were put on so darned tight.

[Rasputin]

I know my 79 is the same as it came from factory and it has tapered bearings. Come to think of it so do my 78's and my 81. I think they all came with tapered. I certainly could be wrong as I have proved many many times

[draketrumpet]

My top bearing is marked "Koyo Hi-Cap 32005JP"

Rasputin, are yours all the same or similar?

Looks like I'm punchin' the pay button on some all balls no matter what. The bearings were so tight that the outer races have permanent indents and scratches from some of the balls.

Now, if I only had a way to get that bottom bearing off of the stem...maybe I'll stop by the local shop and have him pull it...hmmm

[bikerphil]

All balls are good quality. The races will come out with a drift bent to a slight angle. I've never seen the roller type bearing on one of these bikes ever.

[b.walker5]

Must be country specific thing, as i've never seen "ball" bearings on a steering head, ever!! , and even my Clymers, page 206, clause 15 (top left of page) refers to them as assembled roller bearings, with no loose balls to worry about, and the factory service manual, page 5/14 - 5/15 also has them as tapered roller bearings. Maybe you guys that have "ball bearings" have had them replaced at some time as they don't apear to be OEM.