Steering bearing removal - replacement

[szabgab]

Dear all!

I have this troublesome bike of mine - I started with the iffy working engine, that is just about right at the moment. Next important stuff to sort is the steering bearing, as the steering was sloppy and has got a notch in the middle - I have tightened the castle nut, now the central notch is so pronounced, it is like driving a rail cart. Obviously high speed cruising wouldn't be much of an issue, as one barely moves the handle, but city maneuvers feel downright scary. Karl - you might know some neat tricks, as you have been great at providing advice before, or if anybody has got some ideas, please share them, are there any tricks to removal-replacement? I have gone through youtube vids, how to bend a long screwdriver to use as a lower race drift, how to cut the stem lower race with a dremel in order to split it later, how to put the stem in freezer and heat up the race to ease refitting and also to freeze the tube races and use the old races as drives... So I'm somewhat bracing myself to this job, but there might be some type specific tips, you know about? If I'm not mistaken, Xciting 250, 500 and Downtowns share the same layout...

Thank you!!

Gab

[CROSSBOLT]

I know De dee's replaced his recently and at least one other here has done the same. Look at De dee's posts first. Sounds like you got most of what you need to start.

[szabgab]

I know De dee's replaced his recently and at least one other here has done the same. Look at De dee's posts first. Sounds like you got most of what you need to start.

Hi Karl, thanks for your update. I have read that thread, de dee makes it sound like a walk in the park, but I am so much afraid of this job... I did replace wheel bearings before on my old Honda, and that was not straightforward, even though it should have been... And this? A lot more complicated looking operation from the word go Also I do not have a torque wrench, and the manual is VERY specific about the values.

[de dee]

Sounds like the big job is getting over the fear,  if you want practise take a peddle bike apart, same idea!!!

[szabgab]

Sounds like the big job is getting over the fear,  if you want practise take a peddle bike apart, same idea!!!

Dedee,  I did,  just as other things,  a 400cc engine to pieces, for a while I was into watches,  and I managed to fix some of them (and some I screwed up forever)  usually I am brave to go in and sort things,  whilst in the middle of the job,  I just probably over-educated myself with all them videos

Anyway,  a local garage quoted me 150USD worth of forints to do the job,  and there is no bloody way,  I am. paying that,  and the front of the bike -  all the unnecessary plastics are already off,  so I will do it

Is there anything,  I should be aware of? Is there a large enough lip in the steering tube to be able to hammer the old races out?

Thanks!

Gábor

[CROSSBOLT]

Like De dee's says, it is exactly like the steering head on a bicycle. You are qualified if you "learned by destroying" some timepieces! Me, too! You will have better success with the steer bearings on the Xciting even if you have to buy a Dremel to get the fork cone off. The BIG hassle will be disconnecting stuff and getting the fork out so you can work on that race removal! Take pictures or video. Do you say bad words in Hungarian or English? Har, har!

Just a recent thought, Gab. Concerning engine running not quite right, have you checked the "puke tube?" That tube comes from a junction on the airbox which collects a mix of water, oil, fuel and ? before it can be sucked into the throttle body. It has a plug in the end to drain. The tube, if filled up, can cause all sorts of poor engine behavior. It is hard to see being well hidden and requires contortions to find, drain and plug.

[de dee]

On my downtown  there was ,  I used  common  screw driver  with a long shank  no bend in it ,     and I used I,  t to tighten the caselated bolt  with a hammer  ,  no torque wrench  needed make it snug so it does not move up and down and does not bind the  steering,     

[hypophthalmus]

I strongly recommend getting a torque wrench.

I've had good luck with this one, and it's not much money: https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-24330-8-Inch-ft-lb-13-6-108-5/dp/B00FMPKAD0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521933214&sr=8-4&keywords=torque+wrench+3%2F8

I also occasionally need to use a lighter 1/4 drive wrench, and rarely a 1/2 for high torque nuts. But that one is good for most applications.

I've learned to be paranoid using them; I've missed clicks before. Before you tighten something down, click it a bunch of times in the middle of its range on a high torque nut (that won't turn). I feel safer creeping up on most values... but not so slowly that it won't turn before clicking.

[szabgab]

On my downtown  there was ,  I used  common  screw driver  with a long shank  no bend in it ,     and I used I,  t to tighten the caselated bolt  with a hammer  ,  no torque wrench  needed make it snug so it does not move up and down and does not bind the  steering,   

Good stuff,  all them Goldwings and big bore BMW`s has got the races recessed to the point it seems to be nearly impossible to drive them out. For the castellated nut I have bought a spanner,  I don't even know why,  but I was at the toy oh pardon tool shop and they had the proper size.  At least I know,  that is going to be the only nut not butchered From experience is that tightening method enough?  No binding,  no movement?  How does the bearing holds up after these years?

[szabgab]

I strongly recommend getting a torque wrench.

I've had good luck with this one, and it's not much money: https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-24330-8-Inch-ft-lb-13-6-108-5/dp/B00FMPKAD0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521933214&sr=8-4&keywords=torque+wrench+3%2F8

I also occasionally need to use a lighter 1/4 drive wrench, and rarely a 1/2 for high torque nuts. But that one is good for most applications.

I've learned to be paranoid using them; I've missed clicks before. Before you tighten something down, click it a bunch of times in the middle of its range on a high torque nut (that won't turn). I feel safer creeping up on most values... but not so slowly that it won't turn before clicking.

Yes,  I'm anal about things like that too,  the manual is full of values and I just keep on guessing.  I had rented one before and it was a godsend to know,  I'm doing things as the engineers intended,  no losening bolts or stripped threads.   

[szabgab]

OK then...  I have taken a deep breath and gone in,  removed the steering,  nuts,  triple trees,  old bearing and the lower race from the triple,  which was easy.  Also the upper race on the top of the steering tube,  it protruded as De dee predicted.  Triple is in the freezer for the night it to shrink a tad.  So far so good,  but!  The race on the bottom of the steering tube is a real bitch,  it is not only not protruding or being flush with the rube,  but it is actually recessed deeper,  than the tube itself...  I will try to attach a picture...  How on the bloody earth I'm going to get it out???  I could try to drill the race or something,  but if it doesn't come out I'm f#cked, right? At the mo I do not know,  where the notches come from,  as the races were all smooth as far as I can tell,  and this one is fine too,  so I might just leave it in, but honestly I would like to change it,  if I'm this deep...  Any thoughts?

[CROSSBOLT]

Yeah, De dee! How'dya get THAT one out?! My only clue is a Dremel.

[de dee]

  Is there a notch around the race so you can tap it with a sharp chisel?,to start it down

[hypophthalmus]

Here's an example on a Goldwing (scroll down to 72):

http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23661

They modified their chisel to hook into the top of the bearing.

Reusing the old race sounds like a bad idea.

[szabgab]

OK, job done and dusted and not a busted knuckle in sight. I'm just wondering, what waits to happen, job went so easy. Anyway, there were two things, that hold me up, one was the bottom race the other the installation of the stem race.

I have read the same goldwing docs, the hooked spanner and the modified large washer too, none of them worked for the bottom, there was no clearance whatsoever, so nothing to hook up things to. I cut the race diagonally with a diamond disc on a dremel, but I could not split it, as there was not enough space to cut it deep enough. So I ended up cutting channels on the top of the race left and right and modified an old screwdriver to have a very fine tip and a wedge. Hammered away at the two slits and once the screwdriver digged in, I was trying to hit the body of it, using the bottom of the tube as leverage. Needles to say, it didn't budge, so I heated up the tube with a torch locally, that finally helped. Once I got the race moving a bit, it was a lot easier to carry on, as now I had a slit all around, once I've ran out of the space on the screwdriver wedge I could just about hook in a bent threaded rod, that was filed down really narrow at the bottom. Another 20 minutes later the race popped away, the merriest sound ever - hearing the bloody thing ricocheting off the garage floor.

The stem race was easy enough to get rid of, I cut it with a diamond disc and split with a chisel, put the stem in the freezer for overnight and heated the new race up before putting it on. For some reason that was not enough as it was very tight and I kept hammering more and more desperately away on the bottom of the fork (it inverted and put in a vice, old race against the new).  Again heat helped, I torched the bearing race, this time nice and proper and finally I managed to seat it tight.  I stumbled once more, when I put the fork legs in when the top of the triple was already tightened down, fortunately I realised my mistake a bit later on, as the wheel axle was poking the wrong direction, e.g. 2-3 centimeters away from the opening of the other fork leg, SO I took that bit apart and set the legs with the axle screwed in as a guide.

Anyway, long story short the bike handles like a dream, I've got so used to this heavy-heavy steering the bike falls in the curves a little too fast I started to be happy again, so guess what, I have a coolant leak. How on earth? Anyway, I will investigate, that will be nothing compared to the steam bearing replacement...