04-04-13, 10:40 AM
(04-04-13, 12:37 AM)Lawrence link Wrote: How big a job is it to change them? Mine were an advisory on the MOT...I'm halfway through doing mine at the moment.
It took me a couple of hours to get decent access... fairing off, wheel off, mudguard off, brakes removed completely. Bars unclamped... they can then be pulled forward and hooked over the instrument binnacle.
Loosen the clamps and slide the stanchions out, wedge the lower clamps further open with a screwdriver if necessary. The top yoke comes off and can be hooked onto the left hand side fairing mount once you've detached the wire loop on the underside that the throttle cables pass through.
Pry the lockwasher off the steering head and undo the pair of nuts to remove it.
In the absence of any specialist tools, get an expendable, sturdy, flat blade screwdriver with a long shaft and bend the end inch over by about 15º. You might need to file or grind the end square and reduce it in width to 5 or 6mm. This makes an excellent drift for knocking the bearings out of the headstock. The lower one is easy, there are fore and aft notches to give reasonable purchase on the bearing, just take it a bit at a time so it comes out square... knock one side too far in one go and it'll jam. The top is a bit harder, they didn't make notches in the headstock there, but sharpen your drift and there is just enough lip available to tap on. It's probably easier with a third hand to press the tip of the screwdriver against the edge of the bearing, but it can be done on your own... just work your way round the edge to drive it out squarely.
I ran out of time at that point, but I'm not expecting any major problems getting the inner bearing off the steering head or fitting the replacement bearings when I get back to the job on Friday.