Headlight Reflector

Might be an idea to modify the fairing mount that goes down the centre of the steering stem. The one I built for the RGS based track bike I put together a few years ago was pretty much a copy of the way Ducati did it on the MHR. It just has a little bush in the dome nut thingy that goes on top of the steering head. The shaft is just a short M6 socket head bolt though that bush. Doesn't go right through the steering head. It's a pain in the arse having a long bolt that you have to fiddle around under the steering head to get at.

I can draw up a sketch if you like.

cockpit.jpg
 
That's what I have, easier to mod an existing bit, just about all my fairing mounts are ex-Ducati. Mine has a stepped plug-like pin that goes through the top steering head nut that's approx 12mm dia and holding it down is that broken 6mm long stainless threaded rod with what will be a hardened washer below the lower triple tree. What I am adding is a couple of those super thin sealed needle bearings one on that steering nut at the top and another sandwiched between 2 hardened washers at the bottom. It takes F all load but I do want to take out any drag on the steering. I absolutely don't want to have to pull the steering top nut to remove the fairing mount, mine just pokes into that nut. I think originally they had a circlip holding that plug-like pin in. For my sins, it has 2 tapered rollers for the bike steering and adjusting that takes so much trial and error to get perfect that it's a nightmare to muck with. If you like go for that Sketch, always keen to see if it would be better. All my stuff grew like Topsy, it's designed as I go.
 
Blimey Vince. Putting little needle rollers in that fairing mount is overkill. I admire your commitment to perfection! :)

As you can see in the photo, I just made mine out of nylon (or whatever that slippery black plastic is) to limit friction. The Ducati original I copied is aluminium and it doesn't have enough rotational friction to cause a problem. They're a pretty loose clearance fit so there's bugger-all drag on the steering. Actually, I had to tighten up the fit of the Ducati fairing bearing (love the rhyme there) because it was rattling in its hole and driving me nuts. The noise was amplified by the acoustics inside the fairing. It sounded like the bike was falling apart every time I hit a bump.

I understand your point about not wanting to disturb your steering head tapered roller bearing adjustment if you remove the fairing mount. But it's only in the top domed nut which you can remove without disturbing the adjusting nut that's underneath it - er, in theory anyway.

One advantage of keeping stuff out of the bottom end of your steering head tube is that you can then use the type of paddock stand that engages in the hole in the bottom triple clamp to lift the front wheel off the ground. I guess that's not a big deal if you don't have one of those paddock stands.
 
I went for that flat needle bearing because on my Pantah I tried lifting the fairing when I jacked the Handlebar higher and that caused a lot more pressure on the fairing mount, they're pretty cheap to buy, I first saw them as a standard part of XT500 Yami swingarm bearings to reduce friction from side thrusts and liked their idea in this kind of case. What got me looking at this was way to much slop in that fairing mount, any movement of the fairing distorts the rear vision mirrors so it's all mounted on rubber grommets as well. And that came from a comment from a Cop who said when he pulled me over after a did a slightly aggressive pass on a distracted driver once. Apparently, the Cop was right behind me and to Quote, Didnt you see me right behind you? I hadn't and from then I made it important to have the best rear-vision mirrors I could.
 
Dellortoman said:
I understand your point about not wanting to disturb your steering head tapered roller bearing adjustment if you remove the fairing mount. But it's only in the top domed nut which you can remove without disturbing the adjusting nut that's underneath it - er, in theory anyway.
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Setting headstem brgs has always required checking AFTER the top nut is tightened down, as it always adds more load to the adjuster nut.
 
Tippie that's 100% right with top and bottom tapered rollers, the first time I did it took a couple of weeks. Plus you need a very thin 32mm open ender to stop the lower nut from moving when you tighten the upper. It's incredibly finicky to get right. Just to add to the complication I used Andy Wagner's slightly undersized steering head-bearing kit. I used it as I had egg-shaped bearing sites in my frame, their undersized bearing fit to the slightly small diameter of that egg shape and you pack out the rest with Loctite bearing fix. They worked well so you avoid detorsion pressures as you tighten up to fitting size.
 
Yes, I agree about the finnikiness of the double tapered roller bearings. That's why I added the comment "in theory". My Guzzi has double tapered roller bearings in the swing arm. You have to be precise when adjusting them too. Fortunately, they don't tend to wear or get out of adjustment once set.

The oval steering head bearing housing must be a common thing with Laverdas. My brother's 3C had notchy steering so I got new bearings for it. When I went to install them, I found that the top housing was oval. The long axis of the oval was aligned fore and aft, so there was a chance that hitting the front of it with a hammer might make it more circular. I gave it a couple of kisses with a ball-pein hammer with no effect, so I grabbed a lump hammer and gave it a good wallop. The result was near enough to perfect! The diameter measured the same side to side as it did front to back. The new bearing went in beautifully and was no longer notchy.

TC: Nice cat. I especially like the chiaroscuro effect you've achieved with different shades of blue. :)
 
After some insanely complicated mucking about with the combined steering stop and lower fairing mount, finally seeing daylight with that compound curved nightmare I finally pulled the headlight reflector to find a completely shatter headlight bulb tinking about inside. I am guessing it's a victim of the pothole plague we have after what is definitely 3 record months of crazy rain in the wettest year on record. Too many broken records lately, record drought, record bushfires and now record rain and floods. Might need Jet Skis for The Snowy Ride instead of bikes. Right on queue thunder in the background and a radar check shows purple coming. More bloody rain.
 
Another pain in the arse today. While I am at it I decided to jack out the Suzuki GSXR fairing mounted mirrors 25mm so I can see past my elbows by adding some rubber car suspension rubber blocks and longer mounting bolts. But that means to get through my shed door these mirrors now must fold in. That's when I discovered there seized solid and won't move. So after multiple hits with Penetrating Oil, not WD40, and also a heat gun they haven't moved a millimetre. I bought these accessory mirrors from the biggest bike wrecker in Oz, who now have a disconnected landline and no one answering their mobile number. I am holding off drilling the mirror pivot bolts till I see if I can buy replacements. Just got a text, they don't sell them anymore. So it seems both old Japanese bits, as well as Italian bits, are hard to find.
 
A mad dash across the city in peak hour and I managed to order a couple of mirrors, arriving in 3 or 4 days, fingers crossed they work.
 
Don't go encouraging me to think about that, makes me kind of ropey thinking about making a mirror pivot bolt in mild steel so it rusts to shit and seizes. It also has a nice depression so water can pool to encourage that rusting. First thing to do when and if the new mirrors arrive and fit is to replace THAT BOLT with a stainless one and lube the pivot, finding the point between firm and saggy mirrors might result.
 
MUST BE FLEXIBLE. After 2 days of high-tech penetrating oil applications and brut force with a lever the old mirrors now pivot easily in and out. BUT the car rubber body mounts don't fit under them. It seems they have a steel base under the rubber and won't flex enough to fit on the mirror bolts. So it's on the back burner for spacing the original mirrors out to see better, FOR NOW. And I also have 2 new mirrors coming, better that now than unobtainium sometime in the future. Simple job but so complicated, almost finally finish.
 
Another easy job, no it's a real pain is fixing the backlights in the tacho. The rubber bulb holders have been dead for years and I bought some replacements also a couple of years back but haven't done the job till now. Heading home from Bellengin and doing the last 100ks in the dark with no headlight, a broken bulb, also found me struggling to see the speedo. Probably my poor eyesight so I am looking at LED backlights. I know there very direct and don't spread light but I found a shop that specialises in LEDs and apparently they sell multidirectional ones that might work. Cannot hurt to ask. I am also trying their rear brake taillight LED, Tryed doing this years ago but the new LED lasted less than a day so we will see. I pulled my good STD rear bulb to measure it and now its tail light function has died. It must have been right on the brink of failing, good to fix it now before the coming 4-day ride. I had a brain wave about finding better-sized rubber blocks to space out my fairing-mounted mirrors, it's been staring me in the face. Must have fitted thousands of them over the years, 25mm x 25mm black rubber house door stops. Cheap as chips and the perfect size to see past my elbows.
 
Vince said:
I had a brain wave about finding better-sized rubber blocks to space out my fairing-mounted mirrors, it's been staring me in the face. Must have fitted thousands of them over the years, 25mm x 25mm black rubber house door stops. Cheap as chips and the perfect size to see past my elbows.
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They're also perfect to stop the centre stand clanging on the exhaust.
 
The Sock said:
They're also perfect to stop the centre stand clanging on the exhaust.
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and jacking up the fuel tank rear to clear carbies, also as lower steel support bumper stop on upright double bass, not the white hard rubber type, skid on the stage and dance floor... done a few splits with the bass, black door stop fixed that.. yes Vince the world is slowly being conquered by black door stops....j
 
I have ordered 4 / 360-degree so that's 4 light emitters combined in one gadget in all directions 9mm dia Warm White LEDs, only drama is there 26mm long and the original bulbs are 22mm. They throw a full circumference yellowish light but are a bit longer so I hope they fit and show a brighter defused style of light behind the speedo and tacho. They do a cool white as well but I guess that's a bit harsher on your eyes. I also ordered an LED tail light as well, now all I need is for them to arrive in time to fit before the Snowy Run in 8 days.
 
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