Topic: How to remove steering head upper race ?

[Laids]

I have never run into this issue before. The upper race in the steering head is inset from the lip.
Anyone have any tips how to get it out? I’ve read somewhere about tig welding onto it.

[Alan F.]

Normally one would tap it up and out from the bottom with a wooden dowel through the frame neck.
I can't tell from your picture if the race is larger than the neck's ID. Is that the issue? Ouch. I would probably grind a slot with a demmel without worrying much about damaging the frame. Not the best advice for everyone though.

[bryanj]

Dremel a slot or put a run of electric weld round inside the race stick, mig, tig whatever you have

[Laids]

It’s a K1 that has been sitting for about 30 years and appears to have never been molested. Everything so far has come apart without to much effort so I guess something had to come up. Not relishing attacking it with a Dremel.

[rotortiller]

Some of the tapered roller bearings for that modification type are built that way. You are going to have to blast.

[bryanj]

Enlarging that pic i am not even sure a race is in there

[Laids]

The race is there, I wish it wasn’t 

[craz1]

Looks like a tapered race. I use a washer that fits at approximately the center of the race and tac weld it in three-four spots then you can tap it out. With the heat it will normally drop out easy.

[Laids]

Looks like a tapered race. I use a washer that fits at approximately the center of the race and tac weld it in three-four spots then you can tap it out. With the heat it will normally drop out easy.

Sounds like a good idea

[Oddjob]

Enlarging that pic i am not even sure a race is in there

That was my first thought, it doesn't look like a taper race, more like a bush has been fitted. What's the measurement of the frame collar above it, as I'm thinking you may find it's the same as everyone else's.

[MauiK3]

Good carbide burr and a high speed grinder should work. Messy but effective

[Phoenix]

What am I missing.  As someone said, a wooden dowl or screwdriver and some good blasts with a hammer from the other end.

[Oddjob]

It’s inset from the headstock so there is no lip to hit against. Which makes me think it’s not a race but a bush, plus I see no slope like a taper roller has, looks flat sided to me unless it’s the camera angle.

[bryanj]

That is what i was trying to say, a taper would normaly stick out of the top and yes have no "lip" to tap on to remove, the standard ball race has a plenty big enough "lip" into the centre to hit on to remove.

Whats in there just does not look right, do you have pictures of the rest of the upper bearing? They may hep sort out what has been done

[Laids]

Got it figured out, it is a bush and I’m an idiot. Retrieved the races from the garbage, all accounted for. They were removed a week ago and I already had forgotten.😜

[MauiK3]

Good thing, saved you a lot of trouble.
I wonder why the bushing is in there.

[Oddjob]

I'm thinking to enlarge the seating area for the race as the frame lip may have been deemed to be not up to the stress.

[Laids]

It certainly confused me, which is apparently not hard to do. I just did a K4 7 months ago and no confusion .

[craz1]

Looking at it again it ism a bushing. Kinda had a tapered look from the camera angle the first time I looked at it.
Glad you got its figured out.

[Laids]

Anyone have a pic of a KO steering head top without the races in?