Steering Head Race removal tool

[posplayr]

Finally arrived on the nice long bolt idea. Used the bench grinder to shape to fit the inside of steering head and rest on the bearing race shoulder. Couple of knocks with the hammer with bolt in the vice bent it to get better fit against the sholder. Carefully worked my way around it it was out in about 10 minutes.

Posplayr

 

[litshoot]

i usually hit the races out using a long chisel but i see how a bolt could work. i think that bend may work against you but i have done that on a bike yet. good thinking

 

[posplayr]

Lower Bearing is larger than the top of the tube

Lower Bearing is larger than the top of the tube

On my 83 GS1100E at least the steering head is expands at the bottom so anything straight that is used to drive out the lower bearing race will not catch the shoulder.

That is the point of my post, your bike may be different.
The head of the bolt is ground down to fit the shoulder and still the bolt needs to be bent to get a decent bite on the race. Fortunately the race is not in very tight or something more dramatic might be required.

Posplayr

 

[litshoot]

i've only done then on auto hubs so i wasn't sure its good to know as i just recently starting and will need to go through a lot of the parts and change them. thanks forthe info.

 

[t3rmin]

Good idea.

I Dremeled mine out last time.

 

[posplayr]

t3rmin

t3rmin

Yes I saw that method also discussed. Bad knees I guess ; I like to stand.

Posplayr

 

[jpaul]

I came across this about a week after doing the steering head bearings on my GS750. I used a combination of the bolt/dremel/cussing method to remove mine.

http://www.bikebandit.com/product/1869

 

[posplayr]

I'm always reminded of the saying

I'm always reminded of the saying

"There is more than one way to skin a kat", I dont like the saying (we have cats) but it is still true. That is a great idea, but I'm not sure how long that tool would last (looks thin in oder to bend). With a couple of good hits of a hammer it may just crumple. If used carefully probbaly works well (for a while).

Thanks
Posplayr

 

[Steveb64]

Speaking of different ways to skin a cat... Another method (that I've used a few times now) that works well - Get a hold of a 'stick' type arc welder, and some general welding rods. Run a bead of weld around the inside of the bearing race that you want to remove (ALL the way!), being careful NOT to weld the race to the frame - let it cool, and if it doesn't just drop out of it's own accord, the weld will give you something to get the end of a drift/punch to catch on, and a couple of taps, and the race will drop out! Note that you shouldn't leave it untill it's cold - just till it's cooled down a bit.

Be aware that you need to remove all traces of grease from the area first!

 

[posplayr]

Steveb64

Steveb64

Thanks for that comment; that techniques was noted in the search for steering head bearing remove, unfortunately most of us don't have any type of welder much less an arc welder.

With the frame in bits and pieces, transport is even less likely. Now I will when I strip my frame down and take it down to get sand blasted will have an opportunity to do some welding (broken seat lock tab), but short of that I for one have little opportunity to get close to an arc welder. If fact it would be easier for me to just buy the proper tool for removal.

So as they say "The right tool for the job", but when you don't have one "necessity is the mother of invention".

Thanks
Posplayr

 

[jpaul]

That is a great idea, but I'm not sure how long that tool would last (looks thin in oder to bend). With a couple of good hits of a hammer it may just crumple. If used carefully probbaly works well (for a while).

I went to the Park Tools website to see what I could find about the material the tool is made from. The company makes bicycle tools, and Bikebandit only carries the one tool as far as I could tell. The company claims the tool is made from "Strong, heat treated alloy steel with a nickel finish." If that's the case, it should last a lifetime for a home mechanic who likes to restore old motorcycles, or just keep his on the road forever.

I also wonder if you could use that idea on some conduit or copper pipe to make your own. A couple of bucks at the Home Despot for a one use tool could be worth the time saved.

 

[posplayr]

Park Tool

Park Tool

If you get one, please report back how well it works and how much wear it has after one usage.
Thanks
Posplayr

 

[Steveb64]

Thanks for that comment; that techniques was noted in the search for steering head bearing remove, unfortunately most of us don't have any type of welder much less an arc welder.

With the frame in bits and pieces, transport is even less likely. Now I will when I strip my frame down and take it down to get sand blasted will have an opportunity to do some welding (broken seat lock tab), but short of that I for one have little opportunity to get close to an arc welder. If fact it would be easier for me to just buy the proper tool for removal.

So as they say "The right tool for the job", but when you don't have one "necessity is the mother of invention".

Thanks
Posplayr

Kiwis (NZ'ers) tend to be quite good at doing things without the proper tools or parts... It's the end result of being so far from the rest of the world - equipment often arrives without either the proper tool or the proper parts to maintain or repair it, so we tend to be quite good at finding 'workarounds'.

I didn't have a welder the first time I did my steering head bearings either...

So why not hire one (next time?)? Most hire shops should have some nice small ones - and you can buy welding rods in small packs too. Then (if you haven't done any arc welding before), visit a local engineering shop, and beg/borrow/buy some of their scrap steel out of the off-cuts bin, and take that home for a bit of practice (or get a mate who knows how to arc weld to do the job), before attacking the bearing. It's not like it needs to be anything special - just a weld running ALL the way around the inside of the bearing - welding a bit, then repositioning yourself, then welding some more is OK.
Note: You may need to clean off some of the welding slag before starting the next bit of weld...

Having struggled to get those damn bearing races out in the past (and NOT having access to anything LIKE a 'proper' tool), you'll be gob smacked at how easily they drop out (IIRC - my lower one literally fell out) when this method is used!

BTW - it was my local (at the time) bike shop that taught me the trick!

BUT - I'll also file your method away for future reference - looks like you were lucky they came out so easily! Now - how about getting the bearing itself off the stem? (That was never a favourite job for me either...):-D

Cheers!

 

[posplayr]

Steveb

Steveb

To answer your question on the lower race, after planning on getting a local shop to use a puller, and reading here about a $150 shop charge for doing it, I decided to try it myself :-s.
I tried a Dremel bit, then a drill bit in the drill press and neither did much of anything to the lower hardened race. I then took out one of the cute little abrasive disks from my Deremel and I could not believe it would cut through the bearing race with only light pressure. Details provided at this link. :-D

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=115510&page=2

Well it seems that working on these bikes (I have all of the vast experience that one can stuff into 3 months learning8-[) half of the trick is figuring out how to keep the bike on the road without spending a ton of money in the process. I have to admit this has been part of the joy of learning to work on the old GS's ; I have just about bought what ever I have needed (fuel tanks, carb balancers, feeler gages, tappet tools, timing light, rotor pullers, and I'm sure there is more) but getting into the frame there are so many special pullers identified that part of the challenge is getting it off inexpensively with the least hassle. And taking a 25 year old bike into a shop these days is not without hassle. Also "hiring" (renting in the US), a piece of gear has it's own sent of hassles.

Anyway to each his own , I was only providing another means that I found successful. Next time i will try it the same way as well. If that doesn't work I might have to find a welder method as a fall back. It might only take 5 minutes and it drops out but transporting my bike in pieces is going to take longer than that.

Good Luck.
Posplayr

 

[Steveb64]

Yeah. Sometimes, the fastest way to get something done, is the way that you've done it before (if it worked that time!)... Sort of like finding your way on the road. :-D Oddly enough - I had easier access to an arc welder than a grinder and decent vice the first time I did my steering head bearings. 8-[

...and I've done the dremel tool thing too - it was the only way I could get the swingarm bearings out on my Ducati (2x needle roller brgs on each side) - had to smash out the bearing cage and rollers, then use the dremel to cut through the outer... only to find (when I re-assembled it) that the bike shop that had worked on the bike previously had left out some shims from the swingarm pivot (My Duc uses a swingarm pivot 'shaft' rather than a bolt, and the swingarm uses a 'pinch bolt' method to clamp onto the shaft), which caused the free play that was diagnosed as "worn swingarm bearings". GRRR!

Good luck with the rest of the project!

 

[mikluha]

I'am thinking about making one of those from a piece of steel pipe. Can someone tell me the ID of the top race so I could pick the right pipe?
Thanks

I also wonder if you could use that idea on some conduit or copper pipe to make your own. A couple of bucks at the Home Despot for a one use tool could be worth the time saved.

 

[posplayr]

The ID doesn't matter

The ID doesn't matter

You need to make the pipe OD as small as possible so that the interior angle formed between pipe centerline and the bent fingers is as large as you can get it (i.e. small pipe is better). The bigger the angle the more likely you can get a good grip against the bearing race. This is the reason I just bent the bolt. The obvious problem will be the smaller the OD of the pipe the smaller the fingers will be (in width) and the weaker your tool will be. Unless you can find a very thin tube with really thick walls. This might be a PITA to slice the fingers though.

A piece of 1" steel pipe with 1/16" wall thickness would probably be strong enough that if you cut the tube to form the fingers the part would be able to drive the bearing without collapsing.

If the pipe were 2" and could still fit into the steering head tube, the angle would be too small and you could never get a bite on the bearing.

Reading the tool description, you are supposed to pull the tool thru the head tube so it also needs to be semi flexible so it can be pulled through.

Posplayr

Edit: 5/6/08 I was at Home Depot. It looks like the 1" galvanized electrical conduit would be a good choice. They only sell it in 10 ft sticks and since I did not need the tool I did not bother. I will see if my neighbor has a smaller piece.
Good Luck

 

[mikluha]

Thanks for the reply.
I atually think that the largest possible OD would be better because with a small angle your blows would be directed straight down rather than to the sides of the steering head. Plus you get stronger fingers.
I was thinking about making an edge on the outer surface of the fingers for better grip.

You need to make the pipe OD as small as possible so that the interior angle formed between pipe centerline and the bent fingers is as large as you can get it (i.e. small pipe is better). The bigger the angle the more likely you can get a good grip against the bearing race. This is the reason I just bent the bolt. The obvious problem will be the smaller the OD of the pipe the smaller the fingers will be (in width) and the weaker your tool will be. Unless you can find a very thin tube with really thick walls. This might be a PITA to slice the fingers though.

A piece of 1" steel pipe with 1/16" wall thickness would probably be strong enough that if you cut the tube to form the fingers the part would be able to drive the bearing without collapsing.

If the pipe were 2" and could still fit into the steering head tube, the angle would be too small and you could never get a bite on the bearing.

Reading the tool description, you are supposed to pull the tool thru the head tube so it also needs to be semi flexible so it can be pulled through.

Posplayr

Edit: 5/6/08 I was at Home Depot. It looks like the 1" galvanized electrical conduit would be a good choice. They only sell it in 10 ft sticks and since I did not need the tool I did not bother. I will see if my neighbor has a smaller piece.
Good Luck

 

[posplayr]

Well OK

Well OK

but I think the reason the tool has the fingers expanding is in order to catch the edge of the race which has an ID that is larger than the head tube ID. If the bearing ID was smaller than the head tube you could just drop a straight pvc pipe section down and beat out the lower race.

Your bike may be different but this is how my GS1100ED is. The tools is trying to "make the bend" between the narrow tube ID to the wider bearing ID to catch a part of the race to knock out. For example if the OD was at the maximum of the head tube, you would not even touch the lower race.

When you get it apart you will see.

Posplayr

 

[Will_GSX]

Getting back to the first suggestion about the bent bolt.

Why not leave it straight, turn it around, put a nut on it, screw it all the way down then a big flat washer and another nut to tighten it all together. Now you force the washer into the edge of the bottom race by levering the bolt against the top of the steering head. Once the race starts to move a mm the washer will slide even further in and give you something to really hammer against.

Never failed for me and I've done hundreds of them. Just be careful not to put your fingers too far down the bolt. If the washer slips out your fingers will come down hard on the top of the frame and get sandwiched by rapidly descending the bolt head and hammer. Ouch!!