Steering Head Bearings

[Guest ratchethack]

If you have any patience left for ICYCLESUSA, they have another 32mm wrench near the end of Closeouts, page 2, for $4.99.

I can get to it from the homepage, ( http://www.icyclesusa.com/ ), by searching on (  X-Axis Headset Wrench  ) and choosing option 121B for the 32mm size.

Troy 

Damn! Thanks again, Troy. I picked up a really nice Park Tool USA headset wrench from the local bike shop on my way back from lunch. 'Course, the bastards robbed me - it was a whopping $15 USD!!!

[Guest ratchethack]

Now here's something I didn't expect that made me pretty happy to've been robbed that $15:

 

I'd last hand-tightened the headset bearings (with the top triple off) about 2 years and 20K miles ago to what I guesstimated was ~20 ft-lbs. It took a quarter of turn or so. I figured that might be all it needed for many years.

 

Checking them today with the new wrench (triple clamp in place but fully loosened up at the steering head and hex-cap taken off), the adjuster nut was amazingly loose, though just as it was the first time, I could feel NO PLAY WHATSOEVER in the head bearings with the wheel up off the floor prior to tightening it.

 

The nut had ZERO torque on it! This time it took a half-turn before the felt torque started to give resistance and then spike up sharply to around 20 ft-lbs.

 

:!: :!:

 

BTW, ~20 ft-lbs. doesn't put any resistance into the headset!

 

For those in doubt, you might want to put this on y'er "to do" list. . . . . .

[BrianG]

BTW, ~20 ft-lbs. doesn't put any resistance into the headset!

 

For those in doubt, you might want to put this on y'er "to do" list. . . . . .

93072[/snapback]

 

My Honda VFR manual suggested that 20 lb ft to the steering-head-stem nut will provide the desired 4 lb ft of resistance to turning the headset.

 

I found this correct on the VFR, although you don't even want to see the riggin' I used to check this out!

 

I'm not sure whether to go for the 20 lb ft torque setting or the 4 lb turning resistance. I suspect that it's the 4 lb ft resistance that is the actual bearing preload parameter. And I suspect that the Honda steering-head-stem's thread pitch is much different than the Guzzi's.

[Guest ratchethack]

. . . you don't even want to see the riggin' I used to check this out!

Brian, by any chance, were a fish scale and block & tackle involved?

 

(. . . . been there, done that . . . . )