SuzukiSavage.com - Steering Stem Removal

v-pilot Senior Member Offline Loud bikes rule! Posts: 257 Rexford NY Gender:	Steering Stem Removal 10/23/12 at 09:28:46 Hi, Could use a bit of help here. I'd like to remove the steering stem from the lower bracket on a LS650, just don't ask why...Anyone know if it's pressed in or threaded in? Thanks
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Demin Serious Thumper Offline We need more chlorine in the gene pool Posts: 2435 Warren,Ohio Gender:	Re: Steering Stem Removal Reply #1 - 10/23/12 at 10:12:02 If I'm reading correctly it is a press in.Bad day for concentration. http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1213856449
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v-pilot Senior Member Offline Loud bikes rule! Posts: 257 Rexford NY Gender:	Re: Steering Stem Removal Reply #2 - 10/23/12 at 20:01:48 Thanks Demin, You read it correctly Time to fire up the press!
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Demin Serious Thumper Offline We need more chlorine in the gene pool Posts: 2435 Warren,Ohio Gender:	Re: Steering Stem Removal Reply #3 - 10/24/12 at 04:15:53 If you are not reusing the tree,put some some heat to it.But..if you have a press,you probably already know that.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Steering Stem Removal Reply #4 - 10/24/12 at 06:15:38 Ohhh, come on,, what did you bend & how did you do it? You can tell Uuuusss,, we wont tell anyone,, we Promise..
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v-pilot

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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #5 - 10/24/12 at 09:51:14

No, no...nothing bent. Got a pretty neglected, cosmetically challenged '97 LS650 with 2, 900 mi last month. Going to resurrect it with a Ryca kit but goin all Aluminum tins on it and want to replace the upper tree with a lower so I'll have some additional rake/trail adjustability along with the more secure clamping. completely stripped down at the moment. A lot of the chrome is shot anyway and the aluminum is pretty corroded. Just hate to see an otherwise fine machine go to waste. The Ryca will fit my stable better anyway...3 Guzzi's and a Duck

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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #6 - 10/24/12 at 11:08:02

v-pilot wrote on 10/24/12 at 09:51:14:

No, no...nothing bent. Got a pretty neglected, cosmetically challenged '97 LS650 with 2, 900 mi last month. Going to resurrect it with a Ryca kit but goin all Aluminum tins on it and want to replace the upper tree with a lower so I'll have some additional rake/trail adjustability along with the more secure clamping. completely stripped down at the moment. A lot of the chrome is shot anyway and the aluminum is pretty corroded. Just hate to see an otherwise fine machine go to waste. The Ryca will fit my stable better anyway...3 Guzzi's and a Duck

I will be watching this......keep me posted! I want to be able to lower the forks without the spacer, so the ride will not be so harsh. I have thought about using a lower tree on top as well. I have also been trying to find a suitable triple tree replacment......like a Suzuki TM or similar.

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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #7 - 10/24/12 at 16:25:41

Dave, Changing rake/trail may improve ride a bit,it will for sure change the handling characteristics of the bike. ie it will be quicker turning, possibly even twitchy depending on what you like. My old '87 goose was very twitchy...wanted to fall into corners and felt as if the front was going to tuck. Not very reassuring. I changed the 16" front for an 18" and dropped the forks about an inch...transformed it! Progressive makes springs for the LS650, may be a better option to keep the handling the same

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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #8 - 10/24/12 at 17:01:10

v-pilot wrote on 10/24/12 at 16:25:41:

Dave, Changing rake/trail may improve ride a bit,it will for sure change the handling characteristics of the bike. ie it will be quicker turning, possibly even twitchy depending on what you like. My old '87 goose was very twitchy...wanted to fall into corners and felt as if the front was going to tuck. Not very reassuring. I changed the 16" front for an 18" and dropped the forks about an inch...transformed it! Progressive makes springs for the LS650, may be a better option to keep the handling the same

On the RYCA they install spacers to drop the front end 2" - it leaves very little travel I have read and the front is harsh. I thought I might try dropping the front tubes instead - and keeping the travel intact, although it might require some increased spring pressure since some of the weight is shifted forward.

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v-pilot Senior Member Offline Loud bikes rule! Posts: 257 Rexford NY Gender:	Re: Steering Stem Removal Reply #9 - 10/25/12 at 16:06:59 Yeah the increase in spring pressure is preload...used in fully adjustable forks to set the amount of sag
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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #10 - 10/31/12 at 20:30:37

Hey Dave, Got my used triple trees, pressed out the stem, made a shaft spacer for the top from the one I pressed out and it went right together...OK maybe not quite that easy but took about two hours(mine was already apart). You'll need a hydraulic press and a lathe or someone to make the spacer for the top yoke as the stem necks down at the top so the inner diameters for the top and bottom yokes are different

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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #11 - 11/01/12 at 05:00:03

v-pilot wrote on 10/31/12 at 20:30:37:

Hey Dave, Got my used triple trees, pressed out the stem, made a shaft spacer for the top from the one I pressed out and it went right together...OK maybe not quite that easy but took about two hours(mine was already apart). You'll need a hydraulic press and a lathe or someone to make the spacer for the top yoke as the stem necks down at the top so the inner diameters for the top and bottom yokes are different

Glad that it worked......now I need to get a find a used Yoke to do the same as you did. I have noticed that most bikes have two clamping bolts on the bottom triple tree and a single one at the top.....while ours only has a single clamping bolt. I am curious to see how yours works....will there be enough clamping force to keep the tubes from moving up in the yokes......or is the extra clamping there to keep the forks from twisting?

I am also going to modify a set of turn signal mounts to use as headlight mounting brackets.

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v-pilot Senior Member Offline Loud bikes rule! Posts: 257 Rexford NY Gender:	Re: Steering Stem Removal Reply #12 - 11/01/12 at 15:53:37 Dave, All my Italian bikes have one bolt on each side, top and bottom. Maybe depends on the height(thickness) of the yokes. So one per clamp spot should do fine. I got mine on flea bay (ebay - $10 plus shipping) complete set. You running a Ryca set up or stock Suzuki?
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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #13 - 11/02/12 at 12:00:11

As for the RYCA rake/trail, it works fine. The tiny tires on it let it drop in plenty easy enough. If you went a lot steeper, I'm not sure the rest of the bike can handle it, the forks and frame are rubbery. It will never be sport bike as you know, but, I don't mind the geometry. I don't like the reduced travel and bottoming out though. I like your idea of putting another bottom up top. Post some pics when done. On my bike though, raising the forks would hit my handlebars. So I'm going to look at progressive springs. By cramming the long springs in the reduced tube length, I believe my spring coils are just bottoming out on each other. They are not far apart.

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Re: Steering Stem Removal
Reply #14 - 11/02/12 at 19:56:14

SinglesGoinSteady wrote on 11/02/12 at 12:00:11:

As for the RYCA rake/trail, it works fine. The tiny tires on it let it drop in plenty easy enough.

So you are running a Ryca conversion? High mount bars?(not the clip ons). Good to know about the suspension issue. I think the LS frame is stout enough...basic backbone design...My Gizzi's are the same but with double down tubes instead of the "Y" design...stiff enough, my Ducati frame is a trellis, engine as a stressed member...very rigid. Where you attach the swing arm also affects the stiffness. Hp and cornering forces are what tweak the frames, which can upset the suspension and vise versa. Rake and trail affect the steering response...more will be slower, less will be quicker. The LS forks are a bit spindley though. Ryca does have a fork brace for it. I'm going with an 18" front also so I can trim down the spring spacer by an inch so not so much preload on 'em. I've heard of guys trimming off a couple of spring coils too. Maybe try a different weight fork oil? Completion of the bike is still months away but I can post pics of the spacer for the top yoke.

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