IN THE CLUB TOOLBOX
OCTOBER 2021
51
By Tony Gray, Member #3905
Steering Head Bearing Puller & Installer
T
he following picture does not display items of medieval torture leftover from the Spanish Inquisition. It does show an essential suite of tools that makes the job of replacing the steering head bearings in a conventional front end set up motorcycle very easy. This tool set has been out on loan twice in the past month and used on an older airhead and K bike with equal efficiency. The steel ring in the picture sits on top of the steering head and provides a ‘platform’ for the serrated jaws of the puller to rest. I dare say it has been used many times over the past decades by club members and the protective ring had cracked. The club owes thanks to Les Fitzpatrick who has professionally welded and repaired the damaged section so it is ready for many more years of service.
Exhaust Collar Spanner
T
he second tool on display here is a spanner for removal of the threaded collars on the exhaust pipe on airhead engines. It is good preventative maintenance practice to annually remove these collars to prevent the collar from ‘seizing’ onto the threaded stub of the cylinder head. A smear of ‘never seize’ on the threads when reinstalling is also recommended. This tool was also pressed into service on two bikes at the recent club service day. I wouldn’t recommend trying to remove the collars without this spanner. If you were lucky you might only snap off a tab or two from the collar but you also risk damaging the threaded stub which is part of the cylinder head – ouch!
