Head stem racer removal

I am in the process of replacing my head stem bearings with new tapered bearings. First time I have done so on any bike. So I did my homework and read from the file base here and read two service manuals to be sure I know what I'm doing. However, when taking the racers out, it seems like I may have damaged the head stem bore a tad as you can see from the pictures below (look for the red arrows).

Top of stem:



Bottom of stem:



As I was tapping the racers out, I tried to do so evenly tapping on opposing sides. But one side kept moving out faster than the other. Same thing happened with both top and bottom racers. So this is what caused the burring in the bore where the racers sat. Seems like this operation should have been easier and I heeded the warnings from the manual about making sure to tap evenly around. But no luck.
So my question is, has anybody came across this issue? And what did you do prior to installing the new bearing shells to replace the racers? Did you just sand the burrs down? Just would like to minimize the problem and not cause anymore harm.

I would just sand, grind, or file down the raised edge so it doesn't interfere with installing the new races. Just don't remove more material than is necessary. I don't believe the new races will be affected by the slight irregularities because the damage doesn't extend all the way to the bottom of the seat. Ed

Hi Joe, you can also grind the circumference of the old races, and use them to finish driving the new ones in. This protects them from damage from a drift punch or what ever you use. Bob

650ed wrote: I would just sand, grind, or file down the raised edge so it doesn't interfere with installing the new races. Just don't remove more material than is necessary. I don't believe the new races will be affected by the slight irregularities because the damage doesn't extend all the way to the bottom of the seat. Ed

ed is right on here joe.

had the same thing happen on my z1r and i dressed them down installed the new ones and didn't give it a second thought.


until now :laugh: .

leon

Ed, Leon, thanks for the advise. Gives me a better feeling going forward. Will proceed with your suggestions. Thanks Bob for the tip. In the back of my mind at work today, I was trying to figure out what would be the best thing to use to drive them in. Didn't think about the old racers. That is an excellent suggestion.

Finally got some time and cleaned up the burrs on my head stem. Now looks good and will driving in the new bearing shells when time permits. But I was wondering if I should apply a small amount of oil on the outer circumference of each shell (manual recommends it when installing original racers) in order to make it a bit easier to drive them in? Have seen where people drive them in dry.

Yes, I would put a thin coat of oil on them or the neck. Also, some folks stick them in a freezer for an hour or so before installing so they contract just a little. I didn't do that when I installed mine, so I can't say if it helps. Ed

Thanks again Ed, grateful for your help. Will do so accordingly.

Joe

I finally got the painting done on the frame and was now able to install the new tapper bearings. Having had the problems in this thread removing the old bearings I installed the new shells. However, the bottom shell went in a bit loose. I can move it around with my fingers. Didn't require hardly any force to drive it in. I imagine my cleaning out the burrs had something to do with this. Even though I tried only to take off the burrs and not any more metal than necessary. Will this loose shell (racer) present a problem? Or should I try to apply something like JBWeld. But if I do that? I would hate to be the one to try to remove this shell the next time it needs replacement. Any suggestions will be a great help.

Joe

That sounds very odd; are you positive it's the right race? Normally they are pretty tight to install. Ed

Yup, these are an All Balls set from Z1E. The large on will only fit the bottom racer. I suppose once the bottom bearing is holding it with the head stem tightened to spec it most likely will not spin. At least I hope it will be the bearings that spin and not the shell. I decided I'm not going to try to do anything about it and just install everything. Unless someone tells me otherwise. A bit worrying though. But from a safety point of view, I don't think I have to worry. Its more of the case that if the shell spins when turning the steering, it may cause even more damage to the head stem in the frame.

if there is any movement it will cause wear on your frame.

not good.

so you have a couple choices,imho.

the epoxy jb weld route.
a weld around inside the race when removeing the race at a later date will shrink it enough to release it.

or go around the inside of the frame and put some punch marks inside the neck so that the displaced metal helps to close the hole and make it hold the race tight.

leon