Removing headstock bearing races

[MarkJ]

Afternoon all. The RSV I'm doing up has slightly notchy head bearings which I noticed when I was pushing the forks through the yokes. I've never changed bearings before but the tutorials on here and the internet make it look fairly straightforward.

My main worries are getting the old races out of the headstock and off the bottom yoke stem. I don't have any special drifts or tyre irons to get them off. I was wanting to know what the best tools are to buy for doing this. I have a longish (approx. 12") flat head screwdriver I could maybe use for the headstock races, would this be any good? Are tyre irons the best for levering the race off the stem? And can you just use a hammer to put the new race on the stem as I don't have any scaffolding poles to knock it down evenly.

Does heating the new bottom yoke race help in getting it on easier?

Cheers

[yen_powell]

The best thing to remove the races from the headstock (if it has a visible lip) is a long steel rod with a flat face. This is less likely to slip than a screwdriver. With this you'll get them out with 2-4 blows. If you see a punch/drift set, it's length and a flat end you want (ooer).

The easiest way to get the bottom bearing off the lower yoke is to part cut it with a Dremel. It will break on it's own when you are nearly through. You can then lift it off.

I have used a hoover tube to put a new bearing on. Hide it afterwards if the end is damaged.
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[Pete.]

The problem with using a sharp implement for drifting bearing races out of the headstock tube is that they tend to burr the edge of the seat over that the new race is supposed to sit against. This causes the bearing tosit cocked and not fit up properly. What you should use is a round bar slightly smaller than the hole you poke it through to get at the back of the bearing, so that it can't cause that damage.

If you do happen to mar the edge of the bearing seat be sure to file it back down. It doesn't matter if you go too deep on a small area but it is important to make sure there are no raised parts.
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132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[MarkJ]

Thanks gents, really helpful The dremel method certainly seems to be the best for removing the stem race. I'm going to have a rummage around the garage tonight for a suitable drift, if I can't find one where is best to get one? I can't see the local tip letting me sift through their scrap metal pile, and all the proper drift sets you can buy off the internet seem to be expensive for what is essentially a set of metal bars.

[yen_powell]