I’m putting this here so people can find at least some info on what’s to be expected, as I don’t recall other threads on the process. Sorry I don’t have enough pics for a step by step tutorial. Please note I am not a professional and if I did not have the help of a mech I would have given up. Be safe. You absolutely need to have a means to hold your bike securely without the front wheel as you will need to be banging up a race with quite some force while laying on the floor…
How to diagnose.
- Step 1) lift front end and grab your forks, check for any play if there is any you will have to tighten your steering stem (and check the bearings)
Step 2) Wheel lifted, turn handlebar all the way on one side then push with one finger (your thumb) your handle bar to the opposite side. Repeat the other way around. It should roll smoothly to the other side with a light push . Check for roughness and hard spots. If there’s any = bearing replacement at minimum.
3) Last and most revealing check: remove front wheel and forks in one piece and the handlebar as well. Grab the steering stem from below and turn it. It should turn as smooth as butter. if it feels stepped, rough, makes grinding noises, it will need your attention.
It is only when we had dismantled the scooter and incidentally dis as in step 3 that we found out how really bad it was- incredibly stepped all the way. Yet I could not tell anything while riding- you adapt yourself gradually and don’t notice the defects of your bike.
If you’ve got those symptoms, it’s time to grab the parts. You guys in the US don’t know how good you have it, below are 100 eur worth of races and bearings, you’d pay half of that with partzilla… (to be continued)