Torque spec

[Gliderjohn]

Can someone tell me what the torque spec is for the steering head on a 2002 Stone?
GliderJohn

[pehayes]

Is that WITH or WITHOUT lubricating grease?

 

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[pehayes]

Just enough knowledge to be dangerous.  I just helped someone who wanted to test or adjust his torque wrench.  He knew it was bad because it broke some bolts in a plumbing application with over-torque.  I asked him about the bolts.  Smaller diameter than my little finger.  I asked him about his specification.  80 ft-lb.  YIKES!!!  I helped him back to the manual where is shows INCH-POUNDS!.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[fossil]

That´s why the rest of the world uses Newton-Meters. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Just enough knowledge to be dangerous.  I just helped someone who wanted to test or adjust his torque wrench.  He knew it was bad because it broke some bolts in a plumbing application with over-torque.  I asked him about the bolts.  Smaller diameter than my little finger.  I asked him about his specification.  80 ft-lb.  YIKES!!!  I helped him back to the manual where is shows INCH-POUNDS!.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

I haven't seen many plumbing applications that needed a torque wrench..

[Mike Tashjian]

Generally speaking a steering head should be tight enough to have no play and loose enough to move freely.  If you have just serviced the head, I would tighten the head snug to displace the fresh grease and then loosen and then re tighten until you have no play but still easy movement.  My old Harley needed to be able to swing in a certain pattern when released from full left or right.  It doesn't take much to go from too loose to too tight.  Mike

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yes, it's fairly fussy. Too tight, and the bike will weave. Too loose, and it may shake it's head at about 40 mph. With the weight off the front end, a gentle push should move it side to side without dragging.

[Groover]

The manual for the G5/SP/LM says:

Bush, Steering Lock 17-18kgm (122-130 ft/lbs) - that's for the top lock nut.... I know, seems extremely tight, but it can handle it. I think I settled at around 100 ft/lbs on mine once I was all done with the adjustment.

As far as how tight to make the steering head nut (below the top triple) then as other have already mentioned, it's by feel. I think it was Rdkyll here (where is he, is he ok?) suggested the bike to be on a stand, tighten, then loosen until the steering flops with a tiny bit of resistance on its own from left to right, or something along those lines and I could be quoting that incorrectly too. In my experience, I got mine too loose at first (not intentional) and it's pretty obvious when hitting the front brake only as the head will feel as it pops out a bit, so I made that my indicator; I'd tighten a bit, go around the block on a straight stretch then hit the front brake multiple times almost as pulsating (on safe surface of course :-) ) and see how it would feel, repeat until it felt right. I ended up being happy with the results. I think a lot of people develop a technique, so this is just how I do it now.

[Wayne Orwig]

I was taught, for tapered bearings like the steering head and swingarm. Tighten them until they start to bind a little. This is to seat them. Then back off until they just move freely. More of a feel, then any specific value.