Hi Folks,
I'm looking for info on how to remove the steering head (top section of the triple tree).
I have an inordinate amount of play in my handlebars in comparison to other Hypers. This may be the source of a very disconcerting handling problem I've been chasing where the suspension is awful on smooth twisty roads but improves markedly if the roads are bumpy. This indicates that the suspension is actually working, soaking up the bumps, but the initial input to the cornering is not working well (smooth road problems). It's not fun.
One potential culprit is that the vibration dampers within the handlebar mounts have been compromised so I'm planning to replace them. They appear to be press fit into the upper steering head of the triple tree (I could not drive them out with a similarly sized socket). This means I need to remove the part.
The service manual says:
Remove the front brake calipers
Remove the front wheel
Remove fork legs.
Remove the headlight fairing.
Remove the handlebar and the U-bolts
Then, loosen the pinch bolt securing the steering head to the ring bolt and remove the steering head. Note that the ring nut itself does not need to be removed or loosened.
Can anyone confirm or deny? Have I missed anything and/or can I do it without removing all of that gear? i.e. do I really need to remove the fork tubes/front wheel? I've read that others needed to tap the steering head from below with a piece of wood as the buffer, but it's unclear if they've removed fork tubes, etc. first. The headlight fairing screws into the steering head so that's got to go, but if I can avoid the rest it would be convenient.
There are no indications that I need to replace bearings, etc. so I'd rather not go any deeper than I have to.
TIA --
2014 std height Hyperstrada with 21k rather bumpy miles.
I'm looking for info on how to remove the steering head (top section of the triple tree).
I have an inordinate amount of play in my handlebars in comparison to other Hypers. This may be the source of a very disconcerting handling problem I've been chasing where the suspension is awful on smooth twisty roads but improves markedly if the roads are bumpy. This indicates that the suspension is actually working, soaking up the bumps, but the initial input to the cornering is not working well (smooth road problems). It's not fun.
One potential culprit is that the vibration dampers within the handlebar mounts have been compromised so I'm planning to replace them. They appear to be press fit into the upper steering head of the triple tree (I could not drive them out with a similarly sized socket). This means I need to remove the part.
The service manual says:
Remove the front brake calipers
Remove the front wheel
Remove fork legs.
Remove the headlight fairing.
Remove the handlebar and the U-bolts
Then, loosen the pinch bolt securing the steering head to the ring bolt and remove the steering head. Note that the ring nut itself does not need to be removed or loosened.
Can anyone confirm or deny? Have I missed anything and/or can I do it without removing all of that gear? i.e. do I really need to remove the fork tubes/front wheel? I've read that others needed to tap the steering head from below with a piece of wood as the buffer, but it's unclear if they've removed fork tubes, etc. first. The headlight fairing screws into the steering head so that's got to go, but if I can avoid the rest it would be convenient.
There are no indications that I need to replace bearings, etc. so I'd rather not go any deeper than I have to.
TIA --
2014 std height Hyperstrada with 21k rather bumpy miles.
