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Post by Lagger on May 24, 2017 7:24:59 GMT -6
I'm in the position of not having to replace the top or bottom bearings as the previous owner fitted new ones (he never re-assembled the bike so these bearings are unused) I'll be grease packing with marine grade grease and probably fill up the whole damn head stock with grease to stop the bearings being exposed to the weather.
I've seen that some fit a zerk (grease nipple over here in the UK) to the stem tube and use a grease gun to pump in a load of grease. To the folks that have done this I have a couple of questions: 1) what size Zerk did you use? M6 or M8? and 2) where on the stem is the best place to fit the zerk? any ideal spot?
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Post by Streak07 on May 24, 2017 9:13:17 GMT -6
www.vulcangadgets.com/files/harpo_steeringlube.htmlRealize if you have any electrical stuff like lights grounded on the front forks you may need to relocate the ground wire to the main frame. The grease prevents proper grounding because of the amount of grease removal the solid metal to metal ground transfer to the frame.
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Post by Lagger on May 24, 2017 9:39:15 GMT -6
www.vulcangadgets.com/files/harpo_steeringlube.htmlRealize if you have any electrical stuff like lights grounded on the front forks you may need to relocate the ground wire to the main frame. The grease prevents proper grounding because of the amount of grease removal the solid metal to metal ground transfer to the frame. Excellent, thanks for that! Just what I was looking for :-) (I see Gadget used an M6)
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Post by MeanDawg on May 24, 2017 14:00:58 GMT -6
Lagger you might check with member TTE here also--he did this mod not long ago and detailed it with photos in a DIY thread. A bit of a PITA as I recall
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Post by MeanDawg on May 24, 2017 14:16:04 GMT -6
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Post by Lagger on May 24, 2017 16:52:47 GMT -6
Thanks buddy, I read that this afternoon which is why I commented that I'm fortunate in not having to do the bearings :-) Looked like TTE had a bit of a battle getting the job done and I'm glad I have an easier job ahead of me
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Post by MeanDawg on May 24, 2017 17:38:03 GMT -6
You bet Lagger. Glad you don't have to go thru what he did! When you get it done post up a picture, I'd like to see where you decide to locate that grease nipple!
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Post by Lagger on May 25, 2017 3:28:17 GMT -6
You bet Lagger. Glad you don't have to go thru what he did! When you get it done post up a picture, I'd like to see where you decide to locate that grease nipple! I'll do that, parts I need just ordered so hopefully they'll arrive by the weekend and I can get this job done. It worked out easier to order 10 zerks/nipples so I'll have 9 left over, if anyone wants one just let me know Cheers
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Post by lee on May 25, 2017 8:41:19 GMT -6
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Post by Lagger on May 25, 2017 10:00:56 GMT -6
Sure thing, I'll try to remember to take some photos. I'm working on a pretty much bare frame at the moment so there won't be any images of stripping stuff off the bike.
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Post by Lagger on Jun 3, 2017 11:26:51 GMT -6
So, managed to get some more work done today which included this mod. First job, remove the forks - easy as at the moment I just have a rolling frame and not much to remove. Having done that it was time to decide where to fit the nipple, I opted for the right hand side of the stem tube since the forks naturally turn to the left when the bike is on the stand giving easier access to the nipple. I put some masking tape on the tube and marked a dot where I wanted the hole to be. The tape was to enable me to mark and the stop the drill damaging the paintwork if I slipped. Next I sharpened up a 4" nail to use as a punch to give the drill somewhere to start and to prevent it slipping Next I drilled pilot hole with a 3mm drill bit (took a while as my 3mm drill bit was obviously blunt) Then the correct size hole followed by the M6x1 tap (image is upside down for some reason) Then cleaned everything up to remove any swarf - I didn't want bits of metal finding their way into the bearings (view from the top showing the hole towards bottom left) Then the Nipple (Zerk) itself Finally re-fitted the forks, new seal rings and top seal, tightened everything up except the top not as I need to get a socket for that to torque it properly - at the moment it's just tightened. Total time for this job, about an hour going slow and steady to avoid any damage or cock-ups. I haven't filled the tube with grease yet - my grease gun is currently filled with graphite grease and I wanted to ask here what folks think? Graphite grease OK or what would you suggest?
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Post by Lagger on Jun 3, 2017 11:27:33 GMT -6
I have added some pictures now - I have larger versions available if you would like them. Cheers
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Post by Streak07 on Jun 3, 2017 20:18:03 GMT -6
Graphite is fine, any bearing grease is ok really but I use synthetic everything.
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Post by Admin on Jun 4, 2017 17:57:30 GMT -6
So, managed to get some more work done today which included this mod. First job, remove the forks - easy as at the moment I just have a rolling frame and not much to remove. Having done that it was time to decide where to fit the nipple, I opted for the right hand side of the stem tube since the forks naturally turn to the left when the bike is on the stand giving easier access to the nipple. I put some masking tape on the tube and marked a dot where I wanted the hole to be. The tape was to enable me to mark and the stop the drill damaging the paintwork if I slipped. Next I sharpened up a 4" nail to use as a punch to give the drill somewhere to start and to prevent it slipping Next I drilled pilot hole with a 3mm drill bit (took a while as my 3mm drill bit was obviously blunt) Then the correct size hole followed by the M6x1 tap (image is upside down for some reason) Then cleaned everything up to remove any swarf - I didn't want bits of metal finding their way into the bearings (view from the top showing the hole towards bottom left) Then the Nipple (Zerk) itself Finally re-fitted the forks, new seal rings and top seal, tightened everything up except the top not as I need to get a socket for that to torque it properly - at the moment it's just tightened. Total time for this job, about an hour going slow and steady to avoid any damage or cock-ups. I haven't filled the tube with grease yet - my grease gun is currently filled with graphite grease and I wanted to ask here what folks think? Graphite grease OK or what would you suggest? You really need to use a slow speed bearing grease. This grease will have a higher viscosity base oil. Heavier the oil less likely to leak all over everything.
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