trying to set fall away, neck bolt won't tighten fully

Energy One

Bhawkins854

Member
Just completed a fork rebuild and replaced my neck bearings without touching the outer races in my neck frame. Put everything back together to check my fall away and the bottom cap is tight as it will get but my front end is loose as hell! Noticed a big gap between my top tree and the frame..took everything apart, with the new bearing on top (Timken L44643) installed, the top triple tree won't fall fully into the frame for some reason. It also doesn't feel right, the top tree rocks around and doesn't want to seat down far enough. With the bearing removed, the top tree sits flush and there is no gap. Did I get a bearing that might be too tall by accident? That's the only thing that makes sense. The bottom tree seems fine, no gap. Maybe someone can look at their top tree and tell me if they have a gap like mine
 

FrankBDPS

Well-Known Member
Read you're first sentence. That might be you're problem. Bearings are sold in sets for a reason. You should always change both pieces and use the same brand parts. You're steering is too critical of a thing to not do correctly.
 

Mr. Wright

Knows some things
Supporting Member
Also, this may sound stupid, but I did it. The washers that are supposed to be under the bolts, on top of the fork tubes. did they end up under the top triple tree?
 

Bhawkins854

Member
Nope they are on the top side. I have a diagram I'm following. I should probably grab new outer races you're right. I just bought bearings cuz the races looked great to me
 

Mr. Wright

Knows some things
Supporting Member
The easiest way to get the old races out, is to take a welder and put about 4 or 5 tack welds on the inside of the race, and they will just fall out. I just did mine.
 

Mr. Wright

Knows some things
Supporting Member
Yea, sat them right on the tank.:eek:
Actually I can't lie about this, I didn't weld on them. I handed them to my boy, and said put some weld in there, and get them races out for me.:up:
Makes him feel needed.
 

Mr. Wright

Knows some things
Supporting Member
Ok I was being sarcastic last night, I was drinking. I woke up at 2:30 this morning wondering if that was a serious question. The bearing cups on my bike, are not part of the frame, they come out.I'm not for sure on the older bikes.
 

FrankBDPS

Well-Known Member
Welding on races does shrink them sometimes to the point that they actually just fall out. I would not recommend it on a bike with a custom paint job,chrome parts and 4 gallons of flamible liquid close by.
 

Sven

Well-Known Member
A bearing is a bearing? How many bearing companies in japan? Say the big4 contract with one bearing company and say they need this bearing as in an ounce is an ounce and a taper with cup is a match to match. I go to NAPA and buy an aftermarket bearing for the front wheel and am I not receiving the same measurements via a different brand cereal maker is the same oats is oats from the same acre, right?

The only downside of keeping that used bearing is the divot is now half a divot it wants to drop into. There is correcting the bars out the divot is one and now the other hard kind of steering is fuck the drop, if not just to check the race sent home in the cup. If it rides up before the stop... Get it? That's drop to me: no drag up the race.

I want to do one of 2 things and that depends on design of the fork and how it stops or slides.

1. The stopped fork in the upper crown/stem/upper-upper is that 1/2 of the triple tree. No matter how I look at it, I pinch the upper forks to the top crown, I keep the triple tree pinch bolts loose. I now bring my bearing up from the bottom is tighten the center nut so this brings the lower triple crown up and you lose the gap.

2. This is where the forks can slide up and down and have no top stop, sans what the factory says to set the gap at for clip on bars added anshit. So who gives a shit who's pinchers are loose. All you need is both forks pinched at the bottom or top crowns, take your pick, then set the center nut at the stem.

And I'm going to look the fool is I assume you have all the bolts pinched and you are now struggling to bend the top crown down on the... See that movement is where I assume you are at. Are all forks at their pinch stations tight? And how can you drop the one crown onto the other if both are now bolted and where is your fork drop?

Fork Drop? Get the bearing so packed with grease and now fore and aft is take the bang out of the bearings... period. Do not load the taper. Bang is eliminated and now there is your clearance is no bang, no drag, no constant corrections when tight... See it?

Unless I am 100% turned around on two ways a fork sets in the upper crown is you tell me?

And then the deal with the front axle is if it does not line up and you can blow it out of the other leg is adjust one leg up or down to achieve a sliding 90 to 180 degrees of squared that fucker right up! See all of it yet?
 
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