a slap of a hammer?

im looking to upgrade my 75z1b from loose ball bearings to a pin bearing set-up but im not sure how to take out the seat (or race) for them in the neck of the frame, is it a few gental taps with a hammer or is a special tool in order?

You can do the special tool but it can be very pricey...or you can do what many of us have done...get a BFH and a large punch and beat the race out of the frame neck...and I mean you cannot be gentle either. This should also beg the question on how you reseat the new race. Fortunately race drivers are fairly cheap (<US$40.00 on eBay)

Either. I did it with a hammer and a punch, but there is also a special tool available that I have seen before that looks like a flared out pipe that has been notched. You push it up through the race until it snaps in place on the inside and then you drive it out with a hammer.

Just make sure however you do it that you do not misalign the bearing race in the frame.

do you think heating it a small bit with a burner might make the install a little easyer or no?

heating the frame and cooling the race that is.

yes,probably not necessary tho.

i have knocked them out with a punch,and back in with a socket that fits the race so that the force is being applied to the lip of the new race.has always worked for me,fwiw.

thanks again guys!

KawiConvert wrote:

Either. I did it with a hammer and a punch, but there is also a special tool available that I have seen before that looks like a flared out pipe that has been notched. You push it up through the race until it snaps in place on the inside and then you drive it out with a hammer

Actually I saw one of these for sale in a HD oriented magazine but was unsure if they were worth the money...I might have to get one (since I have three bikes that will eventually have the steering stem bearing replaced).

Not sure if this will work with bikes but when I worked at John Deere in highschool I had to remove the race from a wheel bearing. After pounding on it for 15 minutes i asked one of the older guys there for advice. He told me to take the welder (MIG) and weld a bead into the inside of the race. Popped right out. He explained it that when you weld in it the metal tries to expand but can't because its held in and then when the bead cools it contracts it and makes it just a few thousandths of an inch smaller. Just don't miss and weld on the wheel (steering stem) or your screwed. I've never tried this for a steering stem though. Has anyone else??

when i did mine, it ended well with only minor bleeding and lots of beating!

jordan wrote:

when i did mine, it ended well with only minor bleeding and lots of beating!

my thumb still hurts. The welding idea doesn't sound too far fetched. I may try it on my throw away frame (old honda) just to see.