Hey guys and girls, the otherday i took my bike to mechanic to do a fork service. I would have done it myself but internal parts scare me and i didnt have the tools needed or the time needed. They rang and said that the head bearings need replacing, i said i dont have the money at the moment so they were happy to put it back together and do it at a later time. Problem i have is when i picked it up the forks were sitting lower in the trees than i remembered. I rode it home and it felt stiff to turn. When i got it home i measured it and it measured 25mm instead of 31mm. Bit of history. Im a newish rider who only rides 15 mins to and from work with the occasional long ride (200-300km). When ive gone on these long rides the steering gets heavy, not sure if me or bike. Before i took the bike to mechanic it started getting stiff just before i got to work (happening more regular) the bike has been laid down by previous owner but i changed the forks for a good second hand pair so they are straight. so my questions are should i raise the forks that extra 6mm Also does the stiffening steering indicate headstem bearing. thanks for your help
By the way i realised how silly it sounded regarding putting it at correct height so i just went ahead and done it
yes ..... mechanics are useless yes ..... its needs to be replaced ..... it also may have been over tightened .... mechanics are useless it may also just need lube
lol yeah they do seem to be a waste of time seeing as you need to check all their work and adjust most of it. i will replace the bearings myself, just need the special tool to torque it correctly.
Mate the money saved from paying off the mechanics house will buy the tools required and with a manual and the online pit crew here then its done properly .... hopefully bit of discussion on torques wrenches here ..... http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/tools.2178/ triple trees should be torqued also
Bearings are ordered and should be here in a couple of days. I looked online for the steering nut tool and couldnt find one, however i did find a way to make one. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273512 whats your thoughts on this
Should work ok. Ones I have made from a piece of pipe of the right size, cut on the ends as described and a nut welded to the top to fit a socket and tension wrench. Works well for the small amount of tension that is required.
Sweet thanks mate. I have an old socket I'll be using that even has the 1\2 inch drive already catered for.
