Steering head seems to co.e loose

I see a wee problem, an RGS has a tapered roller top bearing where the inner race extends slightly above the outer race. Looks like you have a sealed ball bearing where the inner and outer races are level, this may cause friction between the two races and the cup. May need a shim under the cup to prevent it touching the outer race.
 
Well I've buggered up something now anyway, I was going to use a large washer to solve that problem legs..

Anyway..

When I was removing the thin nut that goes down into the headstock it was a little stuck on the spindle and the spindle rotated with it for a while, didn't relaise until I heard a click, the spindle had come out of whatever it screws into blelos.

End result is that the spindle is now uneven in the headstock and I cant get the think but back on and screwed down right.

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No idea now.... :o
 
I'm going to quote Pauline Hanson - "Please explain". 

I don't understand what the "thing that goes down into the headstock" is.

Do you mean the threaded tube that the big nut screws onto (aka the steering stem)?
Has it come adrift from the bottom triple clamp?
 
Dellortoman said:
I'm going to quote Pauline Hanson - "Please explain". 

I don't understand what the "thing that goes down into the headstock" is.

Do you mean the threaded tube that the big nut screws onto (aka the steering stem)?
Has it come adrift from the bottom triple clamp?
Click to expand...

Yes I think so Cam, I think it unthreaded! As I heard a small clunk and steering stem is on a slight angle. Good translation.
 
Check the steering lock!
Just had a thought about that cup, reckon the cup should only be fitted to steering that uses an upper unsealed tapered roller bearing which requires some sort of protection, hence the cup. Don't reckon there is any need for the cup as you have a sealed ball bearing fitted.
I would get a definitive answer from somebody who is familiar with your set-up before going any further.
 
The steering stem is pressed into the lower triple clamp, not threaded. It's a tight interference fit and shouldn't come out. Indeed, it's a bitch to get out if you need to for some reason.

If it has come loose (and your observation that it was rotating would seem to indicate that it has) something is very much amiss. If it wasn't a tight fit in your lower triple clamp, then that would explain why your steering adjustment kept coming loose. You didn't break it just by undoing the nut. There must have been a pre-existing problem.

I reckon you need to slide the fork legs out, drop the steering stem and lower triple clamp assembly out and check it out. Put a set of vice grips on the steering stem (below the threaded part) and see if you can turn it in the lower triple clamp. If it turned when you were undoing the nut, then it would be loose enough to turn with vice grips. If you can turn it, then you're looking at some kind of engineering solution.

 
Well as much as it's a pig to have the bike in bits and not know how to fix it I feel like this steering stem issue might have been something dangerous waiting in the wings.
 
Dellortoman said:
The steering stem is pressed into the lower triple clamp, not threaded. It's a tight interference fit and shouldn't come out. Indeed, it's a bitch to get out if you need to for some reason.

If it has come loose (and your observation that it was rotating would seem to indicate that it has) something is very much amiss. If it wasn't a tight fit in your lower triple clamp, then that would explain why your steering adjustment kept coming loose. You didn't break it just by undoing the nut. There must have been a pre-existing problem.

I reckon you need to slide the fork legs out, drop the steering stem and lower triple clamp assembly out and check it out. Put a set of vice grips on the steering stem (below the threaded part) and see if you can turn it in the lower triple clamp. If it turned when you were undoing the nut, then it would be loose enough to turn with vice grips. If you can turn it, then you're looking at some kind of engineering solution.
Click to expand...

The steering stem seems to be pretty rigid in the lower but when you rotate the steering it moves unevenly I.e. it's on an angle. Will go find the manual on how to remove forks etc
 
Yes, you have a problem that's got to be sorted before going back on the road. How about that for stating the obvious :).
 
Legs said:
Yes, you have a problem that's got to be sorted before going back on the road. How about that for stating the obvious :).
Click to expand...

As Cam has said I'd the thing was busted already then it would be an engineering solution, but I feel like I may have dodged a bullet. Seems like it would be related to the fact the steering kept coming loose. 

Girding my courage to take the fecking thing apart..
 
Put the bike up on block of wood then was able to get the tightening nut and crush tube back on as with the weight off the wheel I could straighten it up.

Will put it all back together with new Clip-ons and headlamp bracket and take it to protwin next week.
 
cbertozz said:
Yes I think so Cam, I think it unthreaded! As I heard a small clunk and steering stem is on a slight angle. Good translation.
Click to expand...
If the whole assembly has dropped and then there's no tapered roller supporting it at the bottom, and of course it will be at a weird angle! But if it's rotating in the bottom triple clamp, indeed, not right.

A whole lot easier to pull them right out and check it all out. Not a huge job - wheel off, calipers off, forks out, lower triple clamp out - you can even put a temporarily 'shaft' down from the top to hold the top clamp sort of in place.
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
If the whole assembly has dropped and then there's no tapered roller supporting it at the bottom, and of course it will be at a weird angle! But if it's rotating in the bottom triple clamp, indeed, not right.

A whole lot easier to pull them right out and check it all out. Not a huge job - wheel off, calipers off, forks out, lower triple clamp out - you can even put a temporarily 'shaft' down from the top to hold the top clamp sort of in place.
Click to expand...

I'm going to get someone to do it for me as once it's apart and if it's broken I won't be able to fix it.
 
SimonR501 said:
It might be something simple, like the steering stem isn't pulled through the top bearing inner race?
Click to expand...

It's funny how you see things and can play with them a bit and start to understand how they fit.

It dawned on me what the clunk I felt was when undoing the nut, it was when the crush tube part of the nut came above the bearing, which is when the stem shifted.

When I had the weight off the wheel I could see there was some play without the nut and crush tube in place, which makes sense, that's why they use a crush tube.

Maybe having the missing steering head cover also helps pull the whole unit up more. Anyway feels rock solid but will get someone that knows to take it apart for me. Will get them to take some pics also.

 
So I'm faced with pulling the front off today.

So a question before I do.

With the nut with crush tube off the steering stem should the stem have some play as you rotate the lower triple or should it's movement be fixed in the horizontal plane and only rotate around a fixed vertical axis?
 
I was wondering that myself. I suspect it's the sleeve part of the nut that fits inside the top triple clamp.
Carlo is inventing some new words for us.  :D

So Carlo, did the steering stem actually turn in the bottom triple clamp or did you just imagine it? if it didn't (may just have been the whole lot turning with the bottom triple clamp as it should) then you don't have a problem. Don't bother spending your money on bike mechanics.

 
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