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Outter Race neck bearings (GS650G)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Seaking
  • Start date Start date
S

Seaking

Guest
Hi again, I'm in the process of tapping out the bearing races in the neck as the steering has a feel of crunchy to it..

I've managed to tap out the top neck bearing race with relative ease (rusty as it was) but baffled how to get the bottom one out since I can't seem to get an angle on any of my drift tool to contact the surface of the bearing race. Putting any sized drift, tool or screwdriver as a last resort down through the neck doesn't allow it to catch the lip of the race.

So what's the secret handshake trick to removing it? I did a forum search here and search Cliff's site without finding anything.. (neck bearing, neck race etc)

If I were a machinist, I could probably make a drift with an inverted cone shape on the end to reach in over the lip of the race but that's not gonna happen soon..

thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
 
yeah no kidding and it's not expensive! On the Park site they have two versions,
http://www.parktoolmotorcycle.com/frame.html for which the RT2 seems to be the size I require? Bottom race measures close to 2 1/8" diameter.. $26 with free shipping at one Canadian source. I have to add this to my list of useful tools ;)

Cheers
 
Useless tool.. managed to get my hands on one and it's a no go on this GS650G

The bend in the neck just prior to the bottom bearing race prevents the pawls from springing out enough to even come close to touching the race itself, let alone the top of it..

So, how hard are these things to cut out?

This is what I'm facing

www.eastcoastphotos.com/gs650g/picture0139.jpg
 
Last edited:
yep, just bracing for the nor'easter to hit later tonight.. it might turn into a weather bomb depending what the jet stream does.. then we're in trouble.. sigh.. heavy snow, then heavy rains and immidiately after that freezing temps.. nothing like moving snow in a torrential freezing downpour.. (big sigh)

I checked the images, looks like the tool required. but gees, that race is in an ignorant spot.. reminds me of some aircraft parts that seems to have been placed by dangling it from a string and then building an aircraft around it, with no regards to how to access it later.. Luckily I inherited my buddy's newer dremel and tons of bits so I may end up cutting it out later on.. what else does one do during a storm eh? ;)

Thanks again!
 
Unfortunately no. The problem is that the top of the bearing race simply isn't sitting proud enough (sticking out) to put anything against it.. I might be able to get the edge of a small common screw driver onto it, but the flare in the neck defeats getting any angle onto the race so that won't work. I tried an upside down L shaped tool, that will touch the top of the race but there isn't enough space tween the neck and the race to get a thick enough tool to grab onto the top of the race..

Someone had suggested mig welding a bead around the inside circumference of the race as the heat will shrink the metal in some way and it will fallout.. He uses this method on heavy equipement stuff and smaller equipement.. (kinda goes backwards of what I thought heat would do, expand the race making it even harder to remove..?)

Worse case scenario I'll get the machinist guy to do it for me if all else fails. Might be able to trade the new tool for his services ;)

Anyway, I'll tackle it later during the storm when I'm really bored.. gotta get some paint finished while the humidity is low before the storm hits.. Using the new 'origami paint booth' set up..

Thanks!
 
Solved!!

Solved!!

Well that was fun, quick and easy.. finally got that ^%$*& bottom outter neck race out of the bike.. My son happened to be visiting and was able to provide the '3rd' set of hands needed to get the job done.

All it took was the hook end of an allen key to catch the top of the race from the bottom while hitting it with a drift at the top.. around and around we go and once the space opened up enough, it allowed us to get a larger allen key in there to really give it a proper smack abouts.

In less than 5 minutes, the &^$%^ thing is out.. a bit of rust on it and bearing impressions on the inner face.. Good time to change it out.

Getting the new one in there shouldn't be tooooo much of a hassle, right? Freeze the race, tap it in.. we'll see when we get to that stage..

So if you get stuck like I was trying to devise a way to get a pesky lower neck bearing race out, grab an allen key.. don't have to cut it down to size.. Just have to have an unsuspecting allen key holder available.. it does sting the hands a little, even with gloves on.. but he's young, and he'll survive ;)

Thanks to the folks who provided advice and suggestions.. But in the end, the mighty allen key wins the day.
 
I modified a $2 pry bar from Harbor Freight for that job. Steve likes to split them with a Dremel, just like you do on the lower race on the stem.
 
The modified pry bar works about half the time, but quite often it's time to get the Dremel out.

I've tried the welding trick. Didn't work and blistered the paint on the frame.
 
Welding - If You Have One

Welding - If You Have One

Welding worked for me. See thread.:

Welding to remove race thread

P1060801.jpg


P1060802.jpg


P1060792a.jpg


P1060789.jpg


P1060793.jpg
 
Basically how buddy described it being done.. unfortunately no welder here (yet) but lickily the allen key trick worked..
 
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