Steering head adjustment

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uktom77
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Steering head adjustment

Post by uktom77 »

Right, have read most of the 'fork' related topics but haven't found what I'm looking for. I'm sure I'm about to be pointed in the direction of a thread I've missed.

Here goes anyway!

Having just assembled (1st time for this) the forks etc and reached the 'adjust the steering head (play etc through top nut). The top nut seems very tight but there is still loads of play when you hold the forks and 'waggle' them. What are we missing? Surely it can't be this hard, all the articles just say 'and adjust the steering head' without much explanation for us newbies!

Help......please. Losing the will to .......
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jajo57
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Steering head adjustment

Post by jajo57 »

Have you replaced the steel ball bearings and upper and lower head races? I had a similar problem when restoring my Model 8, I replaced the aforementioned items and it went back together perfectly.
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uktom77
Posts: 393
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:54 pm
Location: BUCKS UK

Steering head adjustment

Post by uktom77 »

A good and experienced friend actually put the 'headstock' together for us. Haven't had a chance to quiz him yet but I'm sure he'll have replaced anything that needed it.

I will ask him though.
Don Madden
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Steering head adjustment

Post by Don Madden »

The top nut is to lock the adjuster, the larger hex just below it. Cheers, Don.
SPRIDDLER
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Steering head adjustment

Post by SPRIDDLER »

You must loosen the pinch bolts on the bottom yoke or you won't be able to adjust the head races!
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Which taken at the flood............'
uktom77
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Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:54 pm
Location: BUCKS UK

Steering head adjustment

Post by uktom77 »

Pinch bolts completely removed for good measure, still no joy!
SPRIDDLER
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Steering head adjustment

Post by SPRIDDLER »

Hmm. Well, you may have undersized balls - there should be 28 in each race.
N.B. It always seems that the races are a ball short of the number which could be fitted.
Is the bottom yoke free to slide up the stanchions? It can help to spread the pinch bolt slots by tapping a wedge into them (remove the wedges before adjusting the bearings!).
Otherwise it seems that there is an assembly error in the headstock which is preventing the yokes closing up to each other.
(That's me; stating the bloomin' obvious ).
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Which taken at the flood............'
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Merlin
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Steering head adjustment

Post by Merlin »

Well, you may have undersized balls ??????????
Chemists do it with test tubes
uktom77
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Steering head adjustment

Post by uktom77 »

Undersized Balls! Blimey it's far more serious than I thought.
itma
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Steering head adjustment

Post by itma »

Is it that the stanchions are too far up?
did you fit the yokes first or did you fit bottom yoke and stanchions first?
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