Steering head bearing/race removal

[Tee]

Right I'm going to try this forum now coz everyone in the TC forum has been helpful but I still need help and I can't believe that there isn't anyone on this site that's changed their front end.

I am in the process of swapping the front end of my '05 Nightrain for an inverted setup and everything was going smoothly until I got to the bit where I need to put the new bearings in.
I can't remove the races!
If I send to the states for a tool I'll run out of time, and it'll cost a fortune so does anyone have an idea as to how I can get them out without welding bits to them (I don't have a welder)?

[Kiwi]

have you tried the club tool hire scheme ?

[robbiemac]

Hi, saw the other thread about this. What about a longish bit of tube to use as a drift?
Tap round the little bit that protrudes (if there is any) and "walk" the race out then the same with the other one.
Just a thought.
Don't know how well you get on with any dealers but it might be worth a shot to try and borrow the tool. You could always leave a deposit if they think you are not gonna come back with it.
Another way though not tried it, get some small cheapish pullers and hook the puller fingers round the back of the race and tap out from the other end. Need to be small fingered jobs though.
Ain't no doubt, the H-D tool is what you need. Though you already know that.

Hope this may be of use.

[Tee]

Cheers guys - and yes I have looked at the club tool list but I have a real job reading that kind of list as it all looks jumbled up to me, anyway I couldn't see the tool on the list (took me 10 mins to read it so I don't really want to go again)and I don't live close enough to a dealer to borrow one. I'll put out a call on my other 'networks' and see if I get a result, otherwise it's going to be the 'walking' method suggested by Robbiemac.

Just frustrating when you get half way through and then it stops coz you can't find the right tool

[BaZa®]

Have you rang Andy? The list is not updated every week and he is always getting stuff. It's light enough to post if he has one.

[Tee]

OK Baza cheers for that - didn't realise you could ring him (Doh!) I'll call him tomorrow.

[Tee]

Sorry Baza - I'll consider my hand smacked I won't post the same thing in two different forums again mate - it was just shear frustration that's all.

[chopper]

you could always go and get some new ones, then smack the old ones out as hard as you like knowing you wont be using them again! also try a bit of heat on them before you start smacking em

[Kiwi]

I just changed the bearing cups on my shovel

I made up a washer (ground a larger one down on a bench grinder) that had 2 flat sides so it would go thru the bearing cup and then turned would locate on the inside edge of the lower bearing cup holder

used a length of pipe thru the top bearing holder against the modified washer and knocked the bottom bearing cup holder out

top cup holder is easy as you now have easy access to use a steel drift against the edges - difficult using this method if the other bearing cup holder is in place as you are trying to drift it out at an angle

[Tee]

Neil/Graham - cheers for that I'm going to smack them out now. Ran out of patience with the job. I don't need the races anyway as I've got new bearings with the new forks. I just wanted to keep the old setup intact so that anyone I sold it to would get the 'whole thing' and not have to waste time with new bearings if they didn't want to. It (the front end) has only done 16K so the bearings aren't even starting to wear yet