Steering head adjusting nuts

Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
9
Location
queensland australia
Hi, On the st 1100 pan, has anyone upgraded the original steering head adjusting nuts to hex heads? It would seem much easier to undo and tighten hex heads instead of borrowing or buying the special tool for the original...
 
Joined
Mar 20, 2016
Messages
1,201
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Bike
2005 ST1300
STOC #
8901
Hi, On the st 1100 pan, has anyone upgraded the original steering head adjusting nuts to hex heads? It would seem much easier to undo and tighten hex heads instead of borrowing or buying the special tool for the original...
I don't use a special tool, unless you call a screwdriver and hammer special...

Obviously I do this in a careful manner so as to avoid damaging the nut, but there is very little tension on the trapped nut, but plenty on the conventional top nut above the triple.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
5,046
Location
soCal
Bike
'97 ST1100
STOC #
687
Hi, On the st 1100 pan, has anyone upgraded the original steering head adjusting nuts to hex heads? It would seem much easier to undo and tighten hex heads instead of borrowing or buying the special tool for the original...
I suspect the problem is finding a hex nut in that diameter and thread pitch that is also the required thickness. Just finding the hex nut is probably a big enough task, then you'd need to slice it thinner to fit in the allocated space for each nut. also, one is 24mm diameter, the other is 26mm, so you'd need two different hex nuts. The thread pitch is not specified in the manual.
 
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
1,387
Age
72
Location
Grand Junction, Colo.
Bike
92 ST1100
Hi, On the st 1100 pan, has anyone upgraded the original steering head adjusting nuts to hex heads? It would seem much easier to undo and tighten hex heads instead of borrowing or buying the special tool for the original...
Never needed to, but changing out steering head bearings from just the roller type to tapered roller type WILL keep bike and you ALOT happier;):).
 
OP
OP
ricaroo
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
9
Location
queensland australia
I found the adjusting nut and lock nut are the same diam,maybe 26 mm but the top nut is 24 and that one is a hex. The pitch i would imagine be mostly the same as other bikes in the metric field. When i have it all apart again to replace with tapered bearings, I'll take the neck to the spare parts shop and match with another.
 
OP
OP
ricaroo
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
9
Location
queensland australia
When i pulled it down for the first time, I found the adjusting nut was flamming tight, had to use an extended arm to loosen it. I gathered it should not been that tight as the steering head bearings are tensioned down to get the correct loading. A screwdriver was not enough, had to use a big pair of multigrips and a deep breath to loosen it, which in turn made the nut a little ugly in the end, this is why I,m searching for hex nuts now to replace the crappy ones Honda used.
 
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