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I’ve done some stupid things in life but this one rates up at the top. Was putting a Ride Engineering Triple clamp on my 24 KX450. Removed the OEM bottom steering head bearing per instructions and installed the one sent the clamp…… but I installed it upside down.
I know what I did, as I was tapping it in I dropped it, must have turned it the wrong way when I picked it up
What a freakin mess. I’m going to try and grind a slot for a chisel and drive it back out. It was a bitch to seat. It’s not coming out easy.
When I worked as an instrument mechanic in a refinery we had expanding pullers. I’ll check harbor freight but doubt they have anything.
I can’t believe I did this.
Anybody have an ideas throw it out.
I'm assuming that the lip of the bearing race is hidden by the frame since it is in backwards? These are the options I would try:
1. Blind bearing puller with a slide hammer.
2. Grind a step in 2 sides of the inner surface of the race with a dremel so that you can walk the race out with a punch. They make oval shaped punches which engage more than a round punch. You could also try an air hammer.
Take your time and it will come out.
I had this happen once helping a friend. Everything was going too well and realized I put the bottom bearing race in upside down. Heat on the frame, thousand glancing blows, she came out.
Don’t let panic make the situation worse
Motion Pro does make an expanding collet puller specifically for these races.
My plan was to try #2.
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This happened to me, same situation with Ride Eng clamps. Ended up having to cut out with a dremmel, just had to be very careful. But man was i pissed and disappointed in myself when I realized what I did.
I have 2 Ride Engineering clamps, one for my KTM and one for my Husky, and I just left the OEM bottom steering bearing race in place. I have two buddies who have done the same and we haven't had any issues (anecdotal evidence!!). I'm not recommending anyone to do that, just sharing the information. I compared the OEM KTM bearing race to the RE provided race, and I could not determine any difference. Yes, I know they are "designed as a set" and should go together, so if you want to be 100% sure, just use the race provided by RE. But don't install it backwards 🤣
If I ever get this upside bearing out, I’m going to look at the OEM I removed. They looked the same to me. On my Honda with a Luxon clamp, it came with a new bottom bearing but it was a Honda bearing in plastic with a Honda written all over it, not after market. So I never changed it.
If I go to a bearing store for another bearing, it won’t be a set. Might as well use what was factory if it’s the same.
I don’t do stupid shit very often but when I do it’s really stupid.
This is one of the main reasons we don't cheap out with a Chinese bearing on our clamps. Luxon clamps use OEM bearings, so there's no need to change the OEM race if it's in good shape. You're also not getting a downgraded bearing from stock.
Some of the Chinese bearings have the same dimensions as the OEM, so you don't necessarily have to change them out (KTM, I think), but a lot of them are different dimensions and must be changed out (Yamaha for sure).
Considering the cost of a set of triple clamps, is it really worth it to save a few bucks using an inferior Chinese bearing? I would prefer the manufacturer just charge me $10 more and use OEM. Seriously, $810 vs $799 is not a deal breaker, lol. If the product you're selling is only $50, then I could see using a cheaper bearing as it's a much larger percentage of the product (although if it were my company, I still wouldn't do it).
So here is where I ended up. After getting a 30% off Ride Eng clamp and installing the bottom race upside down, I’m back to square one.
I ground a notch, see pic and drove it out with a punch. Took a little work but not as bad as I thought.
I measured the OEM race VS the Ride Eng race which is a Timken race. It was close best I could tell. Even with old school grease test it was good.
So I got a Timken bearing and OEM race. I’m fine best I could tell, it’s a steering head bearing not a wheel bearing on an F1 car.
I could have went to a bearing place and got a Timken race, but doubt I can live on the difference.
I appreciate the comments guys, Thanks Billy
wwdiii : " I don’t do stupid shit very often but when I do it’s really stupid. "
Cripes I can relate to that!
I'm so cautious, and, well, very experienced at my age, but every couple of years, I do something that I can't understand how I managed to f**k up so utterly comprehensively.
Sh*t Happens...........
It happens to all of us! Anyone who says otherwise, is full of it. I hesitate to admit this here, but I'm an engineer, so I'm supposed to be at least somewhat intelligent, but you wouldn't know it based on some of the dumb things I've managed to do, lol. I try to look at my dumb mistakes as an opportunity to find an interesting or unique solution to fix them! I used to get angry, but I've realized that only makes it worse.
I honestly thought I was going to have to order a collet to get it out. Rocky Mt ATV had one for cheap that might have worked. I went to Harbor freight bought a new punch and some extra dremel discs. It didn’t budge first few licks, had me worried for a while. All the time I was banging on it reminded me how stupid this was lol.
I’ll be the first one to admit I’m not as good mechanically as I once was. My age isn’t helping either. The first 15 or so years of my working career I worked as a Journeyman Instrument Fitter and Instrument Technician. Most do one or the other, was lucky enough to learn both kinda at the same time. I thought I was pretty good till I went to work in the Instrument shop in an Oil Refinery. Some of the process units were new with electronic controls. Some were built in the 1930’s all pneumatic. I’ve turned wrenches on some strange stuff over the years. We had to do everything, lapped seats on a relief valve one day, electronic controls the next. Once I gravitated to distributed control systems, software, it was white collar all the way to retirement. Yeah I played with race cars, dirt bikes and 4x4’s. But hobby stuff is not like working on your tools everyday. I’m not as sharp mechanically as I once was.
I finished up installing my Ride Eng Clamp last night. Bent a lever few weeks back, Flo had black Friday discount on levers. I’ll install those tonight and try not to mount them upside down!
dude, this happened to me a few moths ago doing the same thing, Ride Eng clamps. I was so upset, fricking dumb ass!!!! It took a few hours of prying, chiseling, throwing shit. It was a ktm so I had a notch to help, kind of. I will never ever do that again!
Ride Eng Clamps must be popular. It’s an easy mistake to make. At least it was for me.
I didn’t have to worry about installing the Flo Motorsport clutch and brake lever upside down I got a screaming deal on lol. ProTaper Windham bend bars don’t have enough room to slide the perch down. Perch has to be positioned further in than OEM. Flo levers are nice, hated to send them back but had to. Didn’t want to swap bars just so they would fit. KX OEM levers are pretty nice so I’ll stick with OEM.
Here's a trick used every day by heavy equipment mechanics all over the world...
If you have a MIG welder, you can shrink the bearing race by welding around the inner diameter, then letting it cool.
Clean off all of the grease.
Stuff some fiberglass or aluminum foil down inside your steering stem and get the fuel tank off the bike.
Cover the bike with a welding blanket or something fire-resistant that will prevent hot weld-spatter hitting the bike.
Do a lap with the welder around the inside surface of the bearing.
Since you're looking at the edge of the race, weld a bead all the way around along that edge and favor the inner surface if you can.
Let the race cool down to room temperature, it will shrink circumferentially and that will reduce the outside diameter of the race.
If the race won't come out after it cools, weld another lap around that previous weld and try again.
If you fail at weld-shrinking, you can use the weldment as an edge to tap the bearing race out of the frame.
I grew up in my dad’s welding shop. He’d tacked a piece of scrap metal laying around to the race, tapped it out and been done with it. I thought about it but welding machine was on the top shelf, I’d had to move gas cans and other stuff around. Dremel and punch was easy enough.
I thought the technique was to press the stem out of the bottom clamp?
This cheap tool works great for removing bearing races in the head tube. “tighten” the bolt til the black pieces of the tool are tight to the edge of the race. Now you have something solid to strike with a hammer, rather than the tiny edge of the race and a punch. I believe it would work to remove the race even if it was installed upside down.
The motion pro race puller looks nicer but at ¼ of the price, this tool is effective and quick too.
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