Going to get the trees powdercoated, and I was wondering if I'll have to take the steering stem and lower bearing off of the lower one. I have the service manual, but it doesn't say anything about disassembly of the lower part. I took off the retaining ring on the bottom, but can't seem to get the steering stem with the lower bearing on it, to budge at all.

For anyone who has had theirs powdercoated, did you leave that on there, or do I need to get that out before sending it off?

Bike is an 07 night train.

Thanks

 

good question

 

The bearing needs to come off one way or the other. The Stem can stay on just tape it off.

 

Anything that can't be masked off, or that can't take 400 degrees for 20 minutes needs to be removed. Also, for some items, the part *may* needmedia blasting, so one needs to think about that, as well (bearings wouldn't be too happy!).

 

Whatever you do DO NOT try to remove the stem. The lower bearing must be removed but the stem is not to be removed or you could ruin the tree. At the factory the lower tree is heated and the stem frozen then pressed together. It's a one-time good deal. The snap ring on the under side is only a bit of "insurance" so you should put that back on.

Your powder coater should use duck tape to mask the stem for media blasting, then use powder coat tape to mask it along with the fork tube holes to coat them. It would be a good idea to talk to them about that before leaving your parts!! Not all powder coaters specialize in motorcycle parts and may not mask properly.

If you have any more questions please ask before taking your parts in.

 

I would like to know if it is possible to powder coat trees as when you do so, the clamps would get too tight on your fork tubes with a coating on them. You may wish to tape up the clamping surface but I do not know for sure how you would do it. Maybe you should ask questions first? Just a thought. I for one would like to know the answer..Thank You

 

I was told by a friend that the lower bearing is pressed on using a hydraulic press, and I might not be able to get it off of there. Do you think it would be a problem if I removed all the grease, and repacked it later when it's done? Meaning, would the bearing be ok in the oven for however long if I removed all the grease from it, and it was masked off?

 

More than likely you will not be able to get all the grease out of that bearing. Any grease left in there will flow in the oven and ruin the finish, even after repeated attempts to clean and bake.

True, it's pressed on, but all you need to remove it is a drift punch and hammer. Lay the tree on the work bench with the stem facing towards you, the top of the stem resting on the bench, and the bottom of the stem raised in the air from the front of the tree. Tap the bearing little by little in a criss-cross pattern until it slips off. If it's REALLY stuck good you may need a buddy to hold the tree while you tap it off.

You may damage the bearing while removing it but they only cost a couple bucks. If you do any damage to the cage or inner race just replace it rather than taking a chance. The last thing you want is a front end failure over a $3 bearing.

 

Cool, I'll give that a try. Thanks for the advice.

 

If you have a big vise see if you can put the bearing race (inner part) on the top of the jaws, not in them. Then use a soft faced hammer to tap the stem out.