ama dual sport ride

[RobertWichert]

Maybe. I'd consult the manual, but to be honest I cannot think of why you would need the upper triple clamp nuts (that clamp the fork tubes) loosened. For tightening the bearing you NEED the lower triple clamp nuts loosened to allow the lower part of the triple clamp to rise as the bearing tension nut is tightened, raising the lower portion of the triple clamp assembly. Robert Wichert P.Eng. LEED AP +1 916 966 9060 FAX +1 916 966 9068 ===============================================

On 12/13/2011 10:14 AM, Jeffrey wrote: > > But, to get to the upper bearing and race and bottom bearing and race > to clean out the old dirty grease(and there was plenty from the > factory surprisingly) and to clean and repack the bearings, DON'T YOU > HAVE TO LOOSEN THE UPPER TRIPLE CLAMP? > > I had already adjusted the steering bearings a couple of times. At > over 35K miles it was time to repack. If I didn't do this, I imagine > that I would be having to change bearing and races within 10k miles > which would have been much more hassle. > > J#3 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Eddie]

It shouldn't matter which set of pinch bolts get loosened when adjsuting the bearing nut as long as the steering stem is allowed to move to compress or realx the tension on the bearings. That's with the bike supported so the front wheel is only just off the ground or perhaps slightly touching. The uppers are just easier to reach. Say you are working at home, in your driveay. You've got the KLR on the center stand or a rear swingarm stand, the handlebars removed and the top triple clamp taken off to get at the adjustment nut that lives under it. Loosening the lower triple clamp bolts at this point isn't necessary. There's nothing to keep the lower triple clamp and it's built-in steering stem tube from moving upward as you snug the bearing nut. Oppositely, if you remove the nut at this point to repack the bearings, the forks can(will) slip out of place if you place a jack under the bike and lift it up an inch or so. I placed a block of wood ahead of the wheel to prevent mine from disasterously falling out completely and used this time to pack as much waterproof grease as possible in both upper and lower bearings. Getting the top inner race and adjustment nut back in place was a small struggle single-handedly. But, it was doable. Once in place, I tightened the nut to the spot where it was originally (I marked it) and then gave it a slight nudge more with a punch and hammer. (maybe 1/4 of an inch, tops) Thus tightened, I reinstalled the upper clamp, chrome nut, pinch bolts and handlebars and checked the steering free play. It was to my liking - so the project was complete. eddie

> [Original Message] > From: RobertWichert > To: Jeffrey > Cc: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> > Date: 12/13/2011 2:44:20 PM > Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Re: steering play > > Maybe. I'd consult the manual, but to be honest I cannot think of why > you would need the upper triple clamp nuts (that clamp the fork tubes) > loosened. For tightening the bearing you NEED the lower triple clamp > nuts loosened to allow the lower part of the triple clamp to rise as the > bearing tension nut is tightened, raising the lower portion of the > triple clamp assembly. > > > Robert Wichert