Steering stem lower bottom bearing outer race remove removal

[Andrew Vanis]

Steering stem lower bottom bearing outer race remove removal

Found this in the old tech section and it works like a charm...becomes a 5 min no-force procedure.

https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?125139-Steering-Stem-Bearing-and-Race-Removal-Inquiry&highlight=Stem+race

"run a bead of weld on the race and they practically fall out when cool. just a crappy little 110v welder works fine.".

On mine, I just globbed on some wire feed using my less than stellar technique and it shrunk to wobbling in there loose. Basically it seems like to heard the race without affecting the frame paint.

https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?125139-Steering-Stem-Bearing-and-Race-Removal-Inquiry&highlight=Stem+race

[Steve]

Probably works absolutely fantasmagorically if you actually HAVE a welder.

For those of us that don't, a couple of cuts with a Dremel rotary tool with a cut-off wheel, and it falls right out, too.



.

[poofdog]

I just performed this task on a 78 gs750e. It had the original ball bearing design. It didn't seem like a big deal to knock out with the proper punch. Did they change so much after 78?

[Steve]

Not sure if it was larger bikes or newer bikes, but most of the ones I have dealt with had tapered rollers.

.

[bwringer]

I've tried the weld thing a couple of times with my crappy little 110V welder and got blistered paint and no joy. Not a real fun position to weld in, either, with the sparks raining down on you. I guess a better faster welder (meaning both me and the machine) might do the trick. Overall, the Dremel is a lot faster and easier.

Newer bikes have this amazing modern innovation that makes this job 100x easier -- the notch. The place where the race seats has notches in it so you can actually get a punch in there and whack the thing out.

[Andrew Vanis]

I just performed this task on a 78 gs750e. It had the original ball bearing design. It didn't seem like a big deal to knock out with the proper punch. Did they change so much after 78?

my multi-year clymer shows the procedure for the earlier (pre-80?) punch out and for the later (mine was a 81) said to take it in to a pro.

bwringer

I've tried the weld thing a couple of times with my crappy little 110V welder and got blistered paint and no joy. Not a real fun position to weld in, either, with the sparks raining down on you. I guess a better faster welder (meaning both me and the machine) might do the trick. Overall, the Dremel is a lot faster and easier.


Yeah, not the easiest place to weld.
I used my cheapo-Harbor Freight 110 Volt welder.
I over-welded one spot and the paint got altered but the rest of it was fine.
*** the shrunk race makes an EXCELLENT install tool for the new one.

[bwringer]

For installing the new races, I have a bearing driver set from Harbor Freight that works great -- it's a set of aluminum disks with a taper on one side and a handle. Absolutely fantastic, since you can apply solid thwackage yet the relatively soft aluminum can't damage the hardened steel races, and the taper helps keep everything aligned.

The other tool that is a HUGE help is a large copper hammer (I think it's two pounds). I inherited this beast from my Dad, and it's fantastic for these situations where you need a mighty Mjölnir-esque thump but you don't want to damage the metal. The copper is a lot softer than the steel races, yet you get a lot more force than you can with a deadblow or other soft hammer.

[Dogma]

In my mind, the primary value of the bearing driver is that it helps you to drive them in straight. The races are harder than most any hammer's face, so I don't think that's an issue unless you're doing something else so wrong that chipping the race isn't a problem anymore. Just use light taps, working around the race to keep it straight. Always hit it on a high spot. Once it's flush with the tube, use the old race to drive it in until it seats. The hammer blows will sound different when it's seated. Go all the way around a time or two making sure it seated all the way around. And then there's the process of tightening and adjusting the steering after...

[rustybronco]

I've tried the weld thing a couple of times with my crappy little 110V welder and got blistered paint and no joy. Not a real fun position to weld in, either, with the sparks raining down on you. I guess a better faster welder (meaning both me and the machine) might do the trick.

lower the current and hold a tighter arc.

[headsbikesmopars]

I took a piece of rebar which is very hard and bent it into a sort of semi 'J' shape in my vice and ground an angle onto the bottom of the 'J' end that would 'catch' the inside part of the race and it taps out nicely. Used it many times. Works for me.

[Dogma]

I took a piece of rebar which is very hard and bent it into a sort of semi 'J' shape in my vice and ground an angle onto the bottom of the 'J' end that would 'catch' the inside part of the race and it taps out nicely. Used it many times. Works for me.

I made a similar tool out of a small pry bar I found at HF for $3.

[bwringer]

I made a similar tool out of a small pry bar I found at HF for $3.

Yep, same here. It can't always catch enough of the bearing to work, but does sometimes.