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Does anyone know how to torque the stem locknut? My manual says the upper nut should be torqued to 33 ft-lb. The only thing it says about the locknut is:

"If the steering is too tight, loosen the stem locknut a fraction of a turn; if the steering is too loose, tighten the locknut a fraction of a turn. Turn the locknut 1/8 turn at a time maximum."


That's it? No torque spec?

yup. you want the bearings to run smoothly with no play in the headset.

did that KX500 fork just bolt right in? You needed a KX500 wheel too, right?

heckler wrote:yup. you want the bearings to run smoothly with no play in the headset.

cool,... I'll take a stab at it.

heckler wrote:did that KX500 fork just bolt right in? You needed a KX500 wheel too, right?

The 2001 KX500 clamps (upper and lower) and stem with forks bolted right on. No modifications required (thanks to reading boat loads of threads ).

I ordered the 2000 KDX 2000 bearings for the 2001 KX500 stem,.. fit perfectly.

Yes, I needed a wheel as well. I snagged a '97 wheel from ebay. I haven't posted pictures of the front end yet because I haven't received my new tiers/tubes in the mail yet. Once I get the new rubber on, I can start assembling the bike.

I'm doing this re-build in my backyard with my 22 month-old walking around, which means the bike needs to be mobile so I can roll it back into my shed when I'm done working on it for the day. It would be too difficult to move with the swingarm and forks without wheels.

I also snagged a '98 KX500 front axel as well. (ebay,... $19) with axel, spacers and nut.

just make sure the stantion bolts on the upper crown are loose when you torque the upper nut, so the upper crown tightens down onto the lower locking nut. Then tighten the stantions.

What are the stantions?

I think he is talking about the top fork clamps.?

Stantions are fork tubes

Got it,... thanks for the clarification. I believe it's "stanchions".

When you first tighten that nut, you need to gronch it down real good with a wrench to seat the bearings. Then, back it off, and just finger tighten it until the head moves freely, but not too freely.

If you have just replaced the steering head bearings, you may find that things "loosen up" a bit after the first ride as the bearings seat, so check them after you ride the bike.
I usually tighten the spanner nut up pretty tight, then back it off just a little bit.

gregp wrote:If you have just replaced the steering head bearings, you may find that things "loosen up" a bit after the first ride as the bearings seat, so check them after you ride the bike.
I usually tighten the spanner nut up pretty tight, then back it off just a little bit.

Good advice,.. I had a feeling it might "settle" after the first few rides.

The lower bearing's outer race is particularly difficult to seat fully, unless you have a good driver. Sometimes the cone is not seated all the way either. Between the two, it is quite normal for this "loosening" to occur.
Like others have stated, be sure to loosen the fork clamps on the upper tree when you tighten up these bearings. Sometimes I will tap the upper tree with a soft mallet to make sure that things have found their home.

gregp wrote:The lower bearing's outer race is particularly difficult to seat fully, unless you have a good driver. Sometimes the cone is not seated all the way either. Between the two, it is quite normal for this "loosening" to occur.
Like others have stated, be sure to loosen the fork clamps on the upper tree when you tighten up these bearings. Sometimes I will tap the upper tree with a soft mallet to make sure that things have found their home.

Sounds good. I also used a hydraulic press to install the races. I'm pretty sure they're completely seated. However, I'll still loosen the forks before tightening the upper nut.

yeah, sorry - I threw in some mountain bike lingo there. I did mean fork tubes.