I need help with steering head clunking
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From: usa
I need help with steering head clunking
Ok last yr I had a little clunking that I could feel in my hands when hitting the breaks or small bumps. So I removed my chrome fork stem cap and tighten down the fork stem nut.
So today it came back. And this time I looked at the situation of why it's happening. So here's some things I don't understand . Why is the steering stem so much smaller then the hole in the upper bracket / triple tree ? It looks like its missing a sleeve. This is where all the movement is at .
Next question, does the upper bracket / triple tree have a recessed rim or round slot in the bottom where the top of the adjusting nut would fit ? To keep the upper bracket from moving.
This is on a 2005 Deuce with 24000 miles , I do have the service manual but the pic 2-103 doesn't show how they fit.
So today it came back. And this time I looked at the situation of why it's happening. So here's some things I don't understand . Why is the steering stem so much smaller then the hole in the upper bracket / triple tree ? It looks like its missing a sleeve. This is where all the movement is at .
Next question, does the upper bracket / triple tree have a recessed rim or round slot in the bottom where the top of the adjusting nut would fit ? To keep the upper bracket from moving.
This is on a 2005 Deuce with 24000 miles , I do have the service manual but the pic 2-103 doesn't show how they fit.
Last edited by Iron lHorse; Mar 12, 2016 at 05:20 PM.
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From: Honah Lee
My 04 clunks a little but mine does it on the end of the stroke like when you hit a dip at a bridge transition. The extra rake and small trees contribute to it. Those tapered bearing do not like being tight either. You want little preload on then. Handles and sounds better at the minimum fall away. However, if you have yours tight, it will fill strange at first but after a few hours up, it's like night and day different and makes bike fill 100lbs lighter in the front. It also corrects at speed with just a tad lean rather the handle bar input.
There in a flat washer with a turned down tab. One side is bent to lock the nut. Its real easy for the washer to stick to the nut if you try to reuse it and it will shear that downward lock off and unless you watch it as you torque the nut, you will not see it. There was a recall way back when for that lock washer being too soft. The one at the dealer should be OK now but watch it. Remember, no pre-load on tapered roller bearing unlike the old ball bearing of long ago. Check the fall away with the tie back of the clutch cable loose. Does not have to be centered, just total.... The lock washer (28) tab fits into a drilled hole in the upper bracket(29) I can post a picture if you like.
There in a flat washer with a turned down tab. One side is bent to lock the nut. Its real easy for the washer to stick to the nut if you try to reuse it and it will shear that downward lock off and unless you watch it as you torque the nut, you will not see it. There was a recall way back when for that lock washer being too soft. The one at the dealer should be OK now but watch it. Remember, no pre-load on tapered roller bearing unlike the old ball bearing of long ago. Check the fall away with the tie back of the clutch cable loose. Does not have to be centered, just total.... The lock washer (28) tab fits into a drilled hole in the upper bracket(29) I can post a picture if you like.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Mar 12, 2016 at 05:26 PM.
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From: usa
thumping problem
This is what i'm seeing after i removed the stem nut and washer. In the pictures you can see the large space between the fork stem and the bracket. To me the fork stem way to loose , so is it fitting into something on the bottom of the bracket ? With the bike on a jack and the wheel off the floor , I can push hard on the handle bars and move the upper bracket / triple tree because it's not tight to the stem like a wheel axle is to a bearing. This bothers me.
Also at this point I have never touched the stem adjusting nut.
Also at this point I have never touched the stem adjusting nut.
Last edited by Iron lHorse; Mar 12, 2016 at 06:22 PM.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2013
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From: fort walton beach
Under your top tree is the spanner bolt that puts tension on your neck bearings. It is how the fall away is set. Odds are if your fall away is right then your neck bearings and races need to be replaced. Jack your bike up and give your front end a tug to see if there is any play.
Last edited by stal94gt; Mar 12, 2016 at 06:34 PM.
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From: Detroit
It sounds like your neck bearings are way loose. If I'm not mistaken, the nut you tightened before is just a lock nut, and it's a different nut that actually adjusts the tightness of the bearings. Since you said you have a service manual, the procedure for adjusting the neck bearings (what they call "fall away") should be in there.
Among other things, you need to loosen the fork clamps on the lower trees to allow the upper and lower clamps to move closer together as the slop in the bearing is take up.
Among other things, you need to loosen the fork clamps on the lower trees to allow the upper and lower clamps to move closer together as the slop in the bearing is take up.
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From: Honah Lee
Directly under the top aluminum bracket is the adjuster. It's simply a flat nut with the outer slots for moving it. directly below it is a simple metal dust shield and then the bearing race face. You simply jack front off the ground. Lay a ruler on the ground at the back edge of the fender. Tie a string to the hole in your finder (my 04 has one, not sure about your 05) and put a plumb bob pointer or worm sinker on the end . Un-clamp the clutch cable. Unclamp the bolts that hold the lower bracket to the slider tubes. Now center the bars and slowly push to right till it falls away. Now, recenter and push to left till it falls. The distance between them is the distance you are looking for. Remember that when you re-torque the top nut,it tends to make the distance greater. It is also what locks that slotted bearing adjuster. If you really can see a looseness below the top bracket, you are way too loose and need to drop bearing out and probably need to replace them since if they were that loose, they have probably belled the inner races. Check you fall away. If you have any, the are not too loose but may need a little more pre-load. Does your lock washer still have the tab that goes into the hole? It also should be replace if the faces are grooved or rough.
You really need to know what you are doing if you replace the bearings and races. It's a big job and done wrong can get you killed or worst.
You really need to know what you are doing if you replace the bearings and races. It's a big job and done wrong can get you killed or worst.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Sep 14, 2018 at 11:12 AM.
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From: usa
Directly under the top aluminum bracket is the adjuster. It's simply a flat nut with the outer slots for moving it. directly below it is a simple metal dust shield and then the bearing race face. You simply jack front off the ground. Lay a ruler on the ground at the back edge of the fender. Tie a string to the hole in your finder (my 04 has one, not sure about your 05) and put a plumb bob pointer or worm sinker on the end . Un-clamp the clutch cable. Unclamp the bolts that hold the lower bracket to the slider tubes. Now center the bars and slowly pus to right till it falls away. Now, recenter and push to left till it falls. The distance between them is the distance you are looking for. Remember that when you re-torque the top nut,it tends to make the distance greater. It is also what locks that slotted bearing adjuster. If you really can see a looseness below the top bracket, you are way too loose and need to drop bearing out and probably need to replace them since if they were that loose, they have probably belled the inner races. Check you fall away. If you have any, the are not too loose but may need a little more pre-load. Does your lock washer still have the tab that goes into the hole? It also should be replace if the faces are grooved or rough.
You really need to know what you are doing if you replace the bearings and races. It's a big job and done wrong can get you killed or worst.
You really need to know what you are doing if you replace the bearings and races. It's a big job and done wrong can get you killed or worst.
The front end is tight and the fall way is good and the fork stem has no play in any direction.
What I'm seeing is with the fork stem nut and the lock washer removed. If I push down on the hand grips hard the the fork stem doesn't move at all but the upper bracket does . There does not seem to be anything holding or locking the upper bracket in place . There for it can slide back and forth even when the stem nut is tighten down . I believe that the clunking noise is come from the upper bracket hitting the stem when the fork nut get a little loose . Because the lock washer fits tight to to stem it shears the tab on the washer do to all the play around the fork stem. So why is there so much room aloud around the stem ?
To me Harley should have come up with a shim for that space when they had the recall on the lock washer.
Is this just a Deuce thing ? Does Harley want all that movement there so when you hit a bad bump you don't crack the upper bracket at the stem nut ?
Last edited by Iron lHorse; Mar 14, 2016 at 03:55 PM.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: New York
Mine used to do the same thing, pulled the bearing and repacked them and readjusted them to my liking. End of story that was about 7 years ago. Very easy to do
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Thread Starter
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Seasoned HDF Member
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From: usa
I believe the bearings are just fine . My bike has a grease fitting in the frame neck . I'm still wondering why the fork stem does not fit tight to the hole in the upper steering bracket/ triple tree. This just doesn't seen right to me .
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From: Honah Lee
If you put a new lockwasher on there, a dab of EP grease on the nut face and tighten down slowly with a 35ft lb torque wrench, the upper bracket will lock on the lower adjuster nut. Watch that the tab in the hole to make sure it does not turn. Now that you are there, recheck fallaway. If still OK, bend tab to side of hex on one side. It will stay tight. Now that you have determined it was not too loose, I am sure your bearings are fine. Just hit it with a grease gun till you fill column and see grease at top and bottom. Make your you front bolt on the gas tank is tight. You are going to hear some clunk on the Softail Duece skinny sliders after 20K or so. Probably has some wear in the bushings also. I would stay off that 100 mark. These bike were never designed for that speed. Eighty with two and 90 with one is Harley's call out. Even 90 is dicing with death in my opinion.