Ok, I am in the process of adding my 21 inch rim and changing my triple-trees. Can you guys that have done this tell me the best way to remove the trees? I am not sure if I should remove the nut from the top tree or get the channel locks and remove the bottom first......or do i have to do go at this from both sides.


Thanks J

 

You take off the top nut, the bottom Allen head holds the brake line.

 

Lay a thick blanket over your tank. Remove your front wheel, fender, unbolt the caliper, and remove both fork legs. Remove the top tree, leaving the handlebars attached, and lay them on the thick blanket that is on the tank. Now you will see the stem nut so use a drift and hammer to loosen the nut and you will see the lower drop as you loosen the nut. Use one hand to hold the bottom tree and spin the nut off with your fingers. Draw the stem out of the neck and you are done.

 

Thanks Guys!!!! I will do it that way. Right now I'm taking the handle grips off, so I can unhook the wiring and pull it out of the middle section of the top tree. Pain the a$$

 

slow down.. pull the wiring out from the frame and disconnect from there!
do you have a service manual for this? remove bars, light, and then risers.
you need to remove front wheel and downtubes before you loosen stem nut and separate the trees. be sure you keep the brake master cylinder upright or you can get air into the line!... put cardboard in the brake lever or you'll mess up the plunger for the brake light.
Don't leave the handlebars attached to the top tree!!!!

 

[QUOTE=rounder;4076016]slow down.. pull the wiring out from the frame and disconnect from there!
do you have a service manual for this? remove bars, light, and then risers.
you need to remove front wheel and downtubes before you loosen stem nut and separate the trees. be sure you keep the brake master cylinder upright or you can get air into the line!... put cardboard in the brake lever or you'll mess up the plunger for the brake light.
Don't leave the handlebars attached to the top tree!!!![/]

I took off the grips just enough to see that it might suck getting them back on. I do have the manual Rounder. Let me take a look to see what you are talking about.

Thanks!

 

I didn't read that you were changing trees as I read the thread title. Remove the wheel, brake caliper, and front fender. This sounds crazy but will allow you to back bleed your brakes and they will have a much better feel at the lever after you reassemble, pump your brake lever until the brakepads contact each other. Before removing the top tree, unbolt the brakeline from the tripletree and then remove the headlamp. If you are changing bars or wiring the bars internally then remove the handlebar clamp but if you aren't leave them alone. Pull the switch housing wires out of the frame and unplug them. You can slip them through the slot in the top tree. Then unscrew the risers from the top tree. Lay the bars and risers on the thick blanket that is protecting your tank. Do not worry about air in your brakeline because of a set you will perform during assembly. Start the disassembly as described above. Follow the manual on fall away settings, bearing removal and race removal if you are installing new bearings. Assemble the reverse of disassembly following torque specs in the manual. Get the bars mounted on the top triple tree and install the front wheel but do not tighten the two bolts that retain the axle on the right leg all the way yet, just 2 or three turns from the torque spec. Using a large flathead screwdriver, pry the brakepad backing plates to push the pistons back in the caliper bore. Do not pry on the brakepad material as you will trash the material because it is soft. This will force any air in the lineor caliper back into the master cylinder. Install the caliper and pump up the brakes. It can take quite a few pumps but the brakes will be rock solid. Make sure your pich bolts on the trees are tight and lower the bike to the ground. Grab the brakes and make the front suspension work by rocking the bike back and forth. This will align the forks and now you can tighten the right axle clamp bolts. Jack the bike up again and set fall away, remember to follow the manual and fully read the insructions that come with the new trees.

 

So, I can just pull these connectors out of the holes on both sides of the frame near the neck? There is no need to take the tank off?

Thank You for all of the info; I have the manual, but having someone go through the steps really helps get a visual.

 

As outlined in the service manual... have one? Okay, brutally honest: These are the kinds of posts I do not give DIY advice to because the question itself tells me 1) you do not know what you're doing and/or 2) you do not have a service manual because it's outlined there how to remove the tire, forks, and triple tree. Assembling the front forks or brakes incorrectly can lead to handling problems which could result in damage to the motorcycle or serious bodily harm called death. Following brief "how to" posts on a website is not a good substitute for manual in hand!

 

No worries; I have had the manual for 2 years and have read over it. I'm just looking for a little help here. I can see all of the above in the manual, but It really helps to have some of the guys on the forum that have done this, briefly explain there experiences that they have had in doing it. I totally understand the risks, but I can reduce the risk by doing this myself and knowing it was done right. It never hurts to have some input from the forum.