[shrike]

So now I got a slight clunk when braking. I also feel it in the handlebars. I dunno if it is THE CLUNK or just steering that needs adjustment.
I know about the 200-500 g pulling force required to start moving the handlebars. But for now I do not have a spring scale.

I put the bike on the lift and when the front wheel is straight it takes a slight force to start turning the handle bars. This seems fine with what I read until now.

My question is, when the steering is properly adjusted, do you have to push it slightly so it starts moving and after maybe 15-20 degrees the bars fall by themselves all the way to the left or right?
Or whenever you stop pushing, the bars stop wherever you stopped pushing, i.e you have to keep pushing all the way to make the turn completely.

 

[greywolf]

That initial force measurement is with only the triple clamp installed. The weight of the forks and wheel is way more than enough to drop the steering to the lock.

 

[shrike]

OK, I didn't think of it this way. Thanks Greywolf, you are faster than my internet connection!


So until I get a spring scale, things don't look much out of normal.

 

[PTRider]

I tightened my steering stem bearing lock nut and made the bike much more stable. I didn't have a clunk or any looseness that I could feel in the front end even when looking for excessive bearing clearance, and the spring scale tension was about spec, but I checked the lock nuts anyway. The lower nut, the one that preloads the bearings, was barely hand tight. I tightened good-n-hand tight (spec is 32.5 lbs-ft, 45Nm), reassembled everything (upper lock nut 58 lbs-ft), and the bike rides great. The bearing preload isn't a damper, but correct adjustment is necessary.

 

[richw]

suck balls

wait til winter put in the tapered rollers

 

[shrike]

So it ended up being my steering that was too loose. I tightened the bottom nut by hand . I did not have a proper tool for the nuts, I cut a pipe as black lab said in his post about steering bearings. I am guessing the top nut is somewhere areound 5x pounds.

I used my mother in law's spring scale to measure. I now have 350g on one side and 550 on the other. But I am guessing on one side one of the cables is slightly pulling and on the other is slightly pushing. So I think it is more like an average of 450 which should be in the specs. Now the steering bars don't fall to the sides, you have to push them all the way to contact the lock.

The clunk I had is gone and maybe it is too early to say this but it seems more stable. I thought the front shinko 705 made it less stable but it seems to be ok now.
we'll see. I did not have the chance to run it much at highway speeds.

Anyways, just wanted to say thanks to everyone!