Steering Head Socket

A few on here have cut up a socket to copy the Honda Steering Head tool, used to torque down the locknut above the head bearings.

Any body able to tell me what size socket it needs to be?

Thanks for the help.

Bren

Veefer800Canuck has that listed in his front end conversion post, might try searching for that.

I bought the tool myself. :cool: (but I have a bunch of bikes to use it on)

Thanks Seb. Yeah, I built the tool, works 100%. Don't remember the socket size though.

Could maybe have a look at it tonight after work.....


[image: Posted Image]

would appreciate it.

Bren

btw I easily made a stem nut drive tool out of a piece of heavy wall tubing, I just marked off only 2 drive pins(one on each side) and ground off all the excess metal between. Then welded a big fender washer and a drive nut to the opposite end. Works like a charm. :rolleyes:

BR zoo tool #317 :biggrin:

I carved down a wheel bearing nut socket (cheap, from auto parts store), think it was 38mm or so. As previous, mark it for the prongs and carve it down with a grinder.

I recall discussion about an adjustment needing to be made for proper torque as the factory tool has some leverage built in? Don't remember for sure though...

My two cents: I do it by feel. I installed a set of All Ballz tapered steering stem bearings. Put it all together with just the lower triple clamp. No upper clamp, no fork tubes, etc. Tighten it down until it drags/binds, then back the nut off an RCH. You want it so it turns freely but with no slop.

My two cents: I do it by feel. I installed a set of All Ballz tapered steering stem bearings. Put it all together with just the lower triple clamp. No upper clamp, no fork tubes, etc. Tighten it down until it drags/binds, then back the nut off an RCH. You want it so it turns freely but with no slop.

For tapered bearings, yes.

For factory-type ball bearings, follow your shop manual's instructions. :rolleyes:

My two cents: I do it by feel. I installed a set of All Ballz tapered steering stem bearings. Put it all together with just the lower triple clamp. No upper clamp, no fork tubes, etc. Tighten it down until it drags/binds, then back the nut off an RCH. You want it so it turns freely but with no slop.

Whats RCH mean?

Pleeze consider that Chinese-made allballs are inferior in quality to the Japanese bearings you removed.....stick with OEM

I carved down a wheel bearing nut socket (cheap, from auto parts store), think it was 38mm or so. As previous, mark it for the prongs and carve it down with a grinder.

Thats exactly what I want to do but before I buy the socket it would be good to know the correct size.

Anybody who can 100% confirm the size?

Bren

My two cents: I do it by feel. I installed a set of All Ballz tapered steering stem bearings. Put it all together with just the lower triple clamp. No upper clamp, no fork tubes, etc. Tighten it down until it drags/binds, then back the nut off an RCH. You want it so it turns freely but with no slop.

Whats RCH mean?

I was afraid someone would ask that question after I made that post.

An RCH is a very minute amount.

Human hairs come in different thicknesses: brunette hair is the thickest/largest, blonde hair is the next smaller diameter, while red hair has the smallest diameter.

Also, hair on the human body is different diameters in different areas. Head hair is much thicker than say hair in your private parts.

Therefore, RCH is an abbreviation for Red C*nt Hair which is an inexact but very small measurement. It's kind of a catch all phrase we use here at work when we want something adjusted by a very small/minute amount.

Therefore, if you were installing tapered roller bearings on your steering stem, you would tighten them down until they drag and then back off your tightness just an RCH.

Make sense now?

I must work in the oilpatch or something, because I got the RCH designation immediately. :rolleyes:

I didn't catch the "R" designation right away, but the CH rang a bell... :rolleyes:

I recall discussion about an adjustment needing to be made for proper torque as the factory tool has some leverage built in? Don't remember for sure though...

This refers to the swing arm/chassis tool, which has a "wing" welded onto it with a 1/2" square-drive hole in it for the torque wrench. The idea is that you're meant to hold an inner bolt with an Allen wrench whilst applying measured torque to a locking collar, hence the special tool with the offset drive. To make it more fun, the torque setting in the workshop manual is keyed to the particular amount of offset in the official tool, so if you want to make your own, you need to know that offset...

More info on that tool is here.

Ciao,

Bump!

Anyone?

Bren

Bump!

Anyone?

Bren

Sorry, got tied up last night (no, not literally) but I forgot to look at the socket. :goofy:

Tonight, and I will post up tomorrow. :cool:

Pleeze consider that Chinese-made allballs are inferior in quality to the Japanese bearings you removed.....stick with OEM

thats a negative. even a cheap tapered roller bearing would be better in that application than a ball bearing.

Pleeze consider that Chinese-made allballs are inferior in quality to the Japanese bearings you removed.....stick with OEM

thats a negative. even a cheap tapered roller bearing would be better in that application than a ball bearing.

I second that, I still have my pitted up races where the ball bearing wore a grove into them with only 30k miles on them. I just inspected my all balls tapered set I installed after I removed the OEM set - they still look at some 105k miles, the races are clean with no signs of groove marks where the bearings come to rest. More then twice the milage and in better shape!

Bump!

Anyone?

Bren

Sorry, got tied up last night (no, not literally) but I forgot to look at the socket. :happy:

Tonight, and I will post up tomorrow. :cool:

Arrgh, I looked and looked in my garage and I can't find the dang tool. I know it's in there somewhere but..... :mad:


Sorry Bren, but it's pretty easy to size up a likely socket. Take your locknut off the steering stem, the one pictured above in my first post, and take it to the tool store. Find a deep inpact socket with the same I.D. and you're set.

I say an impact socket because they have greater wall thickness and there is more material available to cut away the 4 "prongs" you'll need to form the business end of the tool.

I used a 4-1/2" angle grinder with a thin ZipCut disc to cut away at the socket, which was secured in my bench vise.

Measure, mark, carve, check, eyeball, lather, rinse and repeat. :cool:

This is the simple tool I made.
[image: Posted Image]

I didn't catch the "R" designation right away, but the CH rang a bell... :pissed:

Seb:

CH is little vague and not nearly as precise a measurment as an RCH.

Pete

I didn't catch the "R" designation right away, but the CH rang a bell... :pissed:

Seb:

CH is little vague and not nearly as precise a measurment as an RCH.

Pete

And, as we call know, Red is the fastest color. :angry:

Arrgh, I looked and looked in my garage and I can't find the dang tool. I know it's in there somewhere but..... :goofy:


Sorry Bren, but it's pretty easy to size up a likely socket. Take your locknut off the steering stem, the one pictured above in my first post, and take it to the tool store. Find a deep inpact socket with the same I.D. and you're set.

I say an impact socket because they have greater wall thickness and there is more material available to cut away the 4 "prongs" you'll need to form the business end of the tool.

I used a 4-1/2" angle grinder with a thin ZipCut disc to cut away at the socket, which was secured in my bench vise.

Measure, mark, carve, check, eyeball, lather, rinse and repeat. :laugh:

Thanks for looking Rob :491:

As I�m away for work for a few weeks I thought I�d gather some info for the future, plus I have access to cheap prices for tools at the mo. Abu Dhabi. Sunny 28 C, no bike. Damn!

Good info on the impact socket.

If anyone else knows...dont be shy!!

Bren

Too funny.

I was thinking C.H. too, but the R (Red) threw me off.

OK, I found the tool, it's made from a Westward brand socket (other brands might have a different O.D.)

It's a 3/4" drive impact socket, size 1-3/16"

PSD3460 inscribed on the outside. Looks like the P/N.

Thanks Rob :biggrin:

I had resigned myself to waiting till I actually needed the tool and then start looking for it. Always like to be a bit prepared if I can.

As always the people on this site make it what it is and thats all good!!

Bren

This is the simple tool I made.
[image: Posted Image]

What is the inner and outer diameter for this ?