Headstem tool

[Sime]

Hi all,

Does anybody have a Honda headstem nut tool for removing/tightening up the top headstem cap nut (that sits under the upper triple tree)? It's a four pronged tool. I do not want to use vice grips, as I need to torque the nut to spec.

If someone has one, I would be happy to either buy it outright, or pay you a nominal fee to rent it for a few days, plus give you a deposit to assure you the tool will come back!

Any helpers? Thanks in advance!

[NIHILator]

You tried American Kowa Seiki? They got almost any specialty tool for motorcycles.......Thats where i get my stuff. They got all the specialty socket adapters for engine mounts and everything.

[Sime]

Thanks! Ya know, for a minute there, I thought you were being a smart ass!! Because I thought you were saying that I should talk to American 'Kawasaki'!! :D :D :D

Then I realized you were actually posting about a real company! I went there, but could not find the socket. I did find the tool at an online Honda sales place for $48 shipped. Guess that's not so bad.

But now I am thinking that maybe my problem is not related to the headstem nut. When I ride in high speed sweepers, I get an oscillation in the steering, like a really slow wobble kind of like the side to side waving motion that a fish does with its tail that transfers to it's body.

The only mods I've done to my bike have been replacing the fork fluid/seals, upgrading to the 17" wheel (but I lowered the front by 5mm to compensate), and I took the headstem off to get it powdercoated. But I did clean the bearings and relube them. My headstem turns perfectly fine lock to lock. No resistance and no binding.

The factory manual shows the torque figure for the top nut (the one that you can see on/in the upper triple/bridge) is a pretty high 108 ft lbs or something like that. But when I put the nut on, I just tightened it up with a set of adjustable pliers, probably not to 108ft lbs. Maybe I'm getting the oscillations because the top triple is not tight enough?

Would that cause my problem? What do you think?

Cheers! :cool:

[wingnut1]

I use a spanner wrench I got from an army navy store for 2 $

[NIHILator]

Thanks! Ya know, for a minute there, I thought you were being a smart ass!! Because I thought you were saying that I should talk to American 'Kawasaki'!! Hey no problem.... Also keep in mind that most online stores don't have the entire product line. You might want to request a catalog, it might be helpful later. And if you didn't torque your headstem properly after doing some refinishing, that could be exactly your problem. Especially if it didn't do it before. That would be highly indicative. Too loose, and you get unwanted motion laterally in corners that could cause exactly what you're talking about. So i suggest either getting the proper tool and doing it yourself or paying a shop to do it. How much could they charge for tightening one nut? Knowing dealers probably more than you would think though..... Stupid gougers.

Also i would mention that if the torque is not right on the nut it could cause premature wear on your steering head bearings......Not good. It could get more dangerous if that continued.

[Matt-954]

Sime --> Please post the site you ordered the socket from.

Here's the link for American Kowa Seiki. I've searched through their site looking for various tools, but never had any luck there in the past.

http://www.kowatools.com/

Here's another site that has some motorcycle speciality tools.

http://www.komotodraggin.com/products.htm

Our local motorcycle dealer will lend out tools. It may be worth asking your local dealer if they will too.

[Matt-954]

Sime PM'd me the link, here it is:

http://hondadirectlineusa.com/stores/product.asp?pid=5430&str=4&ID=738214327