Hubmeister, the book details steering head bearing inspections done with the front wheel off the ground obviously but then it goes into adjustment and it's a little vague on whether the adjustments are done with front wheel still in the air or on the ground to load the bearings. I've done several of these and always did the adjustment with front wheel off the ground with good results. What sayeth the Great One?

I agree with the wheel off the ground. Steering jobs like knock inspection and/or grease maintenance time goes something like this:

1. I pack the bearings with very thick bearing grease.
2. I spin the steering cup down on the bearings until the fore and aft knock is taken up.
3. I line up my locker rings and tab bend, but do all these preliminary steps before I bend the tab.
4. I install one fork up both upper and lower stems and only tighten the one pair of fork pinch bolts at the lower stem.
5. I send the other fork up both stems and bolt down only the one lower pinch bolt.
6. I now take my torque wrench and torque to spec the upper crown center nut.
7. This collapses the top stem down, the lockers, lock tab, lower spin collar, and finally onto the bearing balls.
8. I now flip the front end from lock to lock and see if that hangs up on the swing, then fore and aft for knock?
9. I am done with the upper crown sliding down on the forks so I now tighten those upper pinch bolts on the one fork only.
10 I again, fore and aft the forks so I hear no knock, know the balls are not being crushed upon but that ever so dropped on the balls is that static feel. That's what I want on the torque is to compensate for that crush of the torque. I have to imagine by the time I torque the center nut, I'm hardly kissing those balls on the squeeze down.
11. I found my shadow at the lower fork or I take a measurement from the book so as to set the one fork to the correct height of book spec... Is what I did to the one [master] fork, initially.
12. I pick up my front axle, slide it into the forks and now float the one [slave] fork so the axle fits into the threads at the most horizontal point that makes the leg float square to the other fork and is square to the axle slide. I now pinch the fork down and recheck my static float of the axle into the other fork.
13. I can now lower the bike down so i line up the wheel bearings to the fork holes, slide the axle thru like butter, torque the axle to the one fork.
14. Without touching the front brakes I now push down on the front end so the one static fork leg, floats to its static setting on the axle.
15. I now work my way down starting with the top pinch bolts and and end with the static fork's lower pinch bolts. I use a magic marker and write the torque numbers near the pinch bolts somewhere, rather than look up the specs all over again.
16. I hand tighten the 4 brake caliper bolts, squeeze the lever and let the calipers float and statically line themselves up.
17. I release the brake lever, begin to pull the brake lever one more time, hold it as I torque all 4 caliper bolts down.
18. I test ride and lock the front brakes hard to hear any kind of knock? No knock, I then lift the tab up to lock both locker rings from moving. Done.

Good write up Hub.....butt dang I asked for the time and you tell me how to build a watch....

You expected a brief overview?

Negative sir, remember I pay attention to detail as I'm a former Crime Scene Investigator from Miami.

I'm a former Crime Scene Investigator from Miami.

;)

Thanks, Kruz, I thought I'd expose the vague a little.

The back story was I got into an argument over on ZX10r.net on the subject, I followed the book, front wheel off the ground for the inspection and retorque procedure as that as how I read the manual. That was two years ago, no more knock and settings have held. The Gen4s came from the factory with loose steering head adjustment, e.g. adjuster rings finger tight. Most over there insist front wheel up to inspect, down to adjust. I don't see this anywhere in my manual.

Most over there insist front wheel up to inspect, down to adjust. I don't see this anywhere in my manual.

No offense to the reversengineering of those idiots, but how do you set the bearings on the ground? How do you line up other fork to the axle? How do you feel how the crush is when all that mass will mask the crunching over onto those balls, let alone floating the top crown so it does not bind, they tighten the upper crown pinchers first?

You had it correct, Kruz.

Thanks Hubmeister, I tried to explain to them that in the air you're hanging maybe 50 lbs of fork/wheel weight on those balls, on the ground those same balls are supporting maybe 225lbs assuming 50/50 weight distribution. Hard to feel the crush on those balls as you say.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 9/26/2014 @ 7:58 PM *