fork swap help.

[TXspeedDemon]

ok so i'm putting a sachs 125 leading link fork set onto a kawasaki ke100.



well here's the issue. it bolts right up minus the upper bearing set up.

in the kawasaki the bearing race *pardon my terms if i get them wrong* sits on top of the bearings and the steering stem

*bearings sit in the neck and are held in place by this piece*




its the exact opposite on the sachs forks

the bearings actually fit onto a threaded piece and are pressed against a flat surface on the steering stem

this piece actually.


see how its domed? the bearings fit inside there.


now what im thinking is if i mill out the race from the first pic then machine down the sides of the bearing cup thing from the second pic so it will tighten into it and apply pressure it would work



basically the sides where it hits the neck so it cant go down any farther would have to be milled off so it can press down on the bearing race from the first pic.

heres the issue.

that would leave a small amount of thread exposed from the steering stem and you cant adjust the triples in relation to the forks to eliminate it because its all welded in


is that thread going to be an issue? would a small almost cosmetic dust cover over the threads be enough to protect it?


thanks again for the help. its just a weird piece and ive never dealt with ANY fork swap before.

[TXspeedDemon]

ok so random ass thought here. i could actually probably get a second stock ke100 bearing race flip it over and use the bearing cup as designed. but that would give me 2 sets of upper bearings which seems a little off

[ericrat]

Are you using tapered roller bearing or ball bearings?

[ericrat]

You do know if you aren't careful you'll put an eye out right?

Here is how I think it should go. First, the bearings go into the frame head tube, where they are on picture number two. Then a bearing nut threads onto the outside of the steering stem, this gets torqued lightly to preload the bearing. A second bearing lock nut goes on top of that and gets torqued real tight (so you don't put your eye out).

The upper triple clamp/plate then goes on top of that. Hopefully the top of the forks and the top of the bearing lock nut are level


Kind of like this.





The fact that it is an Earles doesn't really change how the steering stem works.

What I don't understand from you milling and cutting theory is how do you handle the bearing preload seperately from the clamping pressue to keep the upper fork brace on? The bearing preload MIGHT be 5 foot pounds and the clamp nut is 40 foot pounds?

Seriously, leave the bearing in the frame neck. Bolt it up with locknuts then figure out how to mount the upper plate. The upper plate doesn't take all that much stress. Look at the wimpy one BMW used forever.

Eric

[Kwizard]

What did you come up with??????????