Steering bearing in the triple tree
 

Hey guys, I've got the front end off my bike and am planning to replace the steering bearings w/ All Balls stuff. I've been told that I can get the old bearings out w/o special tools but it'll take a little elbow grease which I don't mind. The one tool I think I do need is the socket or whatever tool you need to get the nut off the top of the triple tree that holds the upper and lower together. The one that has 4 little notches in it. I think I could get this loose w/o the special tool but torqueing it back up on reassembly would be a problem. So, where does one find the tool/socket that has little tabs that will lock into the 4 notches so that I can get an accurate torque on things? Any other tips on how to get the old bearings out is also appreciated.

Looking forward to getting the RC51 brakes and revalved/resprung forks back on the bike.

Thanks

That is called a spanner wrench.

I just used a good channel lock on mine.. But I am not sure I would recommend that to everyone.

Getting the bearings out is easy... Hammer and a flat ended punch (there probably is a better english word) and a whole lot of patience and finesse... There is a channel inside where you can carefully tap the race out...

As for the crowned nut... The easy solution is an old worn socket and a grinder and you make your own...

A sweet trick I learned from an old timer when I was growing up was the "rag-socket". If he didn't have the exact size socket he would thow a shop rag over the top of the nut and put the socket back on. If it slopped too much we would double the rag over and reapply the socket.

I did this one night working on a local kid's CBR and he was shocked. We were trying to get the top nut off the triple so we could lift the bridge and remove the tubes. I had nothing metric to match. All I had to work with was an 1 & 1/8" socket that I had left over from my Dad's tools. These date back to the early 50's.

I threw a shop towel over it - I knew it wasn't prob torqued to more than 40-60 pounds. Checked the fit while the kids held the forks and off we come. Just that little bit of extra grip kept us from rounding the nut and ruining the day.

The All-Ballz stuff is top-notch. This is NOT a one-time install. Because the bearings are tapered they will seat in and need to be adjusted two-three times as they "set-up".

It depends on how your suspension is set up but with my bike if I can get two-three thousandths out of tightening the neck bearings it makes a huge difference in how the front end responds. If I think my bike is feeling "piggy" I go find a bumpy parking lot and ride around.

If you feel or hear anything over small, slow speed bumps it's time to tear off the top bridge and tighten the bitches up again. They are soooo smooth when they are perfect.

Like Tweety, I just use a flat nosed chisel to tighten the castle-nut. It is best if the front end is "unweighted" for this to work the best.