Steering head bearing replacement: Difference between revisions

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==Removing the old bearings==

Once the nut is removed, remove the dust cover, the upper bearing race, and all the ball bearings. Keep it all, in case it can be reused. Watch for balls rolling around your workspace. Slide the triple tree down and remove the lower race and balls. Be prepared for the bearings to fall out of their own accord. Inspect these and set them aside for now.

Once the nut is removed, remove the dust cover, the upper bearing race, and all the ball bearings. Keep it all, in case it can be reused. Watch for balls rolling around your workspace. Put a box under the steering head to catch the ball bearings when they fall out.

Slide the triple tree down and remove the lower race and balls. Be prepared for the bearings to fall out of their own accord. Inspect these and set them aside for now. There are 20 ball bearings in the lower race and 19 in the upper. It's fairly obvious if you are missing some (which is quite likely, since they love to run and hide).

You now need to knock out the races that are stuck in the frame. Use a piece of steel rod and a hammer to push out each race. Just set it against the race in a different place for each whack of the hammer. Be especially careful not to knock the bike over when hitting upwards.

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Removing the race that's stuck on the lower triple tree can be a bit harder. The steering tube and lower triple are all one piece. Clamp the tube that goes between the two triples (henceforth know as the 'steering tube') in a vice. Vice scuffs on that tube will not affect anything, as it doesn't come into contact with anything except at the ends through the bearings. There's a large enough gap between the outside of that tube and the inside of the steering head so burrs on the tube from the vice will not matter. So, turn the part upside down so it looks like a 'T', with the lower triple on top, then clamp the vertical portion of the 'T' in the vice.

Use the same punch method as you did above. Hammer with the metal rod through the bottom of the triple, then slide the race off down the steering tube. Don't worry about damaging the seal or washer, as they will also be replaced. Clean everything that will be reused.

==Installing the new bearings==

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 ==Removing the old bearings==
-Once the nut is removed, remove the dust cover, the upper bearing race, and all the ball bearings. Keep it all, in case it can be reused. Watch for balls rolling around your workspace. Slide the triple tree down and remove the lower race and balls. Be prepared for the bearings to fall out of their own accord. Inspect these and set them aside for now.
+Once the nut is removed, remove the dust cover, the upper bearing race, and all the ball bearings. Keep it all, in case it can be reused. Watch for balls rolling around your workspace. Put a box under the steering head to catch the ball bearings when they fall out.
+Slide the triple tree down and remove the lower race and balls. Be prepared for the bearings to fall out of their own accord. Inspect these and set them aside for now. There are 20 ball bearings in the lower race and 19 in the upper. It's fairly obvious if you are missing some (which is quite likely, since they love to run and hide).
 You now need to knock out the races that are stuck in the frame. Use a piece of steel rod and a hammer to push out each race. Just set it against the race in a different place for each whack of the hammer. Be especially careful not to knock the bike over when hitting upwards.
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 Removing the race that's stuck on the lower triple tree can be a bit harder. The steering tube and lower triple are all one piece. Clamp the tube that goes between the two triples (henceforth know as the 'steering tube') in a vice.  Vice scuffs on that tube will not affect anything, as it doesn't come into contact with anything except at the ends through the bearings.  There's a large enough gap between the outside of that tube and the inside of the steering head so burrs on the tube from the vice will not matter. So, turn the part upside down so it looks like a 'T', with the lower triple on top, then clamp the vertical portion of the 'T' in the vice.
 Use the same punch method as you did above. Hammer with the metal rod through the bottom of the triple, then slide the race off down the steering tube. Don't worry about damaging the seal or washer, as they will also be replaced. Clean everything that will be reused.
 ==Installing the new bearings==