Steering Head Bearing Removal Tools?

[IanDMacDonald]

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=steering+head+bearing+removal+tool&tbm=shop&spd=0

Anybody know if any of these tools would aid me in the removal of the bearings? My boss just did his on his ZX-14, and he's confused about what all the hype is, and I told him it may not be as easy as his bike.

I wish there was a write-up on how to do it.

[hamjam]

i copied your heading and pasted it in the search thing none of this helps ??

http://www.xs11.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1800491

[IanDMacDonald]

I guess I will give it a go in the Spring. I read most of those. We'll see what happens.

[hamjam]

google this too
Steering Head Bearing Removal Tools xs1100

[Radioguylogs]

Normal Tools are Enough

Ian:

I don't think any of those tools are necessary - they may or may not be useful.

I think all you need is a long punch/drift and a big chisel....and a hammer....that's it.

The top race came out easy for me. The bottom race gives folks the most trouble. Mine came out with a long punch and a little heat.

If you can't get the bottom race out, folks cut it with a Dremel and it comes right out. It's inconsequential if you happen to score the neck a little bit.

The other trouble spot for me (and the biggest) was getting the bottom bearing off of the tree. The trick for me was to have a big chisel to wedge it loose and walk it up.

Putting it back together is no problem- just use the old races to drive the new ones, and find the right size pipe to drive the lower bearing.

[Radioguylogs]

HamJam

Seems appropriate:

"NOTICE: No trees were destroyed in the sending of this message"

[IanDMacDonald]

Ian:

I don't think any of those tools are necessary - they may or may not be useful.

I think all you need is a long punch/drift and a big chisel....and a hammer....that's it.

The top race came out easy for me. The bottom race gives folks the most trouble. Mine came out with a long punch and a little heat.

If you can't get the bottom race out, folks cut it with a Dremel and it comes right out. It's inconsequential if you happen to score the neck a little bit.

The other trouble spot for me (and the biggest) was getting the bottom bearing off of the tree. The trick for me was to have a big chisel to wedge it loose and walk it up.

Putting it back together is no problem- just use the old races to drive the new ones, and find the right size pipe to drive the lower bearing.

My boss has the Motion Pro bearing tool to press the bearings, and he has the threaded rod and washers home-made tool to extract them. We'll see how that works.

[motoman]

Ian, another option if you don't have a Dremal tool with cut-off wheel to split the race, is if you have or have acess to an arc welder is to weld a bead around inside of bearing race. This shrinks the bearing race, and majority of time race will just fall out......BTDT more than once.

[IanDMacDonald]

Ian, another option if you don't have a Dremal tool with cut-off wheel to split the race, is if you have or have acess to an arc welder is to weld a bead around inside of bearing race. This shrinks the bearing race, and majority of time race will just fall out......BTDT more than once.

I have all the tools at my disposal to get it done I think. If I get stuck, I'll just find a bigger hammer

[BA80]

That lower race is a bitch Ian. The best method I have found is to cut the race with a dremmel tool with a cutting blade and break it. It practically falls out then.

[Radioguylogs]

My boss has the Motion Pro bearing tool to press the bearings, and he has the threaded rod and washers home-made tool to extract them. We'll see how that works.

Looking forward to your report- I have more steering bearings in my not-too-distant future.

[bikerphil]

Like Greg said, cut 2/3 the way thru and then break it with a cold chisel, works every time.

You can do the same with the stem bearing after cutting off the cage and removing the ball bearings. Or a bearing splitter with some all thread and a harmonic balancer puller will remove what is left of the stem bearing.

[IanDMacDonald]

Nice! I'm getting confident guys! Thank you everybody for the advice.

[natemoen]

Ian:

I don't think any of those tools are necessary - they may or may not be useful.

I think all you need is a long punch/drift and a big chisel....and a hammer....that's it.

The top race came out easy for me. The bottom race gives folks the most trouble. Mine came out with a long punch and a little heat.

If you can't get the bottom race out, folks cut it with a Dremel and it comes right out. It's inconsequential if you happen to score the neck a little bit.

The other trouble spot for me (and the biggest) was getting the bottom bearing off of the tree. The trick for me was to have a big chisel to wedge it loose and walk it up.

Putting it back together is no problem- just use the old races to drive the new ones, and find the right size pipe to drive the lower bearing.

+1 here! Mine came out pretty well with just a punch and hammer from the neck. The tree gave me a bit of trouble so I just cut it off and was done with it. Don't worry about it.

[skids]

Ian, another option if you don't have a Dremal tool with cut-off wheel to split the race, is if you have or have acess to an arc welder is to weld a bead around inside of bearing race. This shrinks the bearing race, and majority of time race will just fall out......BTDT more than once.

I used to work at a mine and witnessed the removal of a very large bearing race with that method. You need to run that welding bead fairly quickly (don't stop to admire progress) to super heat the race.