suzuki top yoke

[Coldkiwi]

Hi Guys,

I need to remove my top yoke on my GSXR 600 soon when I get my new handlebar so I can fit it. Looks pretty straight forward to do myself (and then get the bike store to approve it for warranty purposes) but I'm buggered if i can figure out how to loosen the centre bearing. Its got a 7or 8 toothed sprocket looking bolt head on it that also looks somewhat expensive to replace should I root it trying to remove it.
So how do I get the yoke off (what tool?) and is there a trick to doing this handlebar change.... or should I just bite the bullet and take it back into the store for them to do with their spiffy suzuki tool?

[Hitcher]

Hi Guys,

I need to remove my top yoke on my GSXR 600 soon when I get my new handlebar so I can fit it. Looks pretty straight forward to do myself (and then get the bike store to approve it for warranty purposes) but I'm buggered if i can figure out how to loosen the centre bearing. Its got a 7or 8 toothed sprocket looking bolt head on it that also looks somewhat expensive to replace should I root it trying to remove it.
So how do I get the yoke off (what tool?) and is there a trick to doing this handlebar change.... or should I just bite the bullet and take it back into the store for them to do with their spiffy suzuki tool?

May I suggest quietly admitting defeat and taking said Suzuki to your favourite bike shop and getting them to do the mods. Using Sod's Law as a guide, you can surely guarantee that an odd nut is not the only challenge you will face during this apparently straightforward task. In my experience odd nuts are the mechanical equivalent of "Danger Will Robinson, aliens!"

[wkid_one]

Must agree with Hitcher - either that or find someone on here who can do it for you (hopefully they have references) - one may find that the above specified nut is like 2 gazillion dollars from Suzuki to replace! Why don't you get them to do it while it is in the shop?

[Motu]

7 or 8 toothed nut - shit...sounds like it needs a cold chisel and a 2 pound hammer,that's what I'd use....and I bet the bike shop would as soon as you left.Then do it up so it's got no free play,but is not tight(like me)

[Jackrat]

What Motu said.
Use a hammer and be gentle,just like every shop Iv,e ever been into would.
Or you could go and buy the tool, just to find a hammer does the job better.
You will find that nut ain,t real tight,it sets the tension on your neck bearings
so be carefull of over tightning it.
BUY A MANUAL.This is an eazy job.

[mangell6]

Travel to your local Suzuki dealer and buy the special tool that they have in the shop that allows them to replace the 7/8 tooth nut.

It may cost you slightly less than a gazillion dollars.

[Jackrat]

Hell,if you really want to waste your money,buy the tool.
It will cost $10-15 at any bike shop.
Most bike tool kits used to have the things as a standard item.
But beware you could learn something about your bike.
Seems a lot of folks wouldn,t like to take that risk.

[Coldkiwi]

Hell,if you really want to waste your money,buy the tool.
It will cost $10-15 at any bike shop.
Most bike tool kits used to have the things as a standard item.
But beware you could learn something about your bike.
Seems a lot of folks wouldn,t like to take that risk.

its actually 6 teeth now that I look at it. Would love to do it myself because that would avoid me having to trailer the bike to the dealer. I am nervous about retightening it as I don't have a torque wrench (or workshop manual)but I guess I can always get the dealer to check that out.

I appreciate the benefit of having a manual to do your own work and save $$ but since the little bugger is in its warranty period I need to have everything semi technical done by the shop. I'm hoping holeshot will at least be reasonable about this and be happy with just checking it over once I've done the bolts up. Fitting a footrest/indicator/mirror and handlebar are hardly overly demanding tasks (funny sprocket nut excluded!)

[curious george]

its actually 6 teeth now that I look at it. (funny sprocket nut excluded!)

Six sided thing usually = HEX.

Tee hee I know you are an engineer, why can't you just make something?

[Jackrat]

Ahhh,Warranty period Hmmm.
Take back every thing I said apart from geting a manual.
I have no idea how your dealer is about these things,Maybe you could ring an check before you touch it,some of em, can get a bit picky.
What ever,good luck with it.
Nice bike

[Hoon]

Umm if the GSXR front end is anything like a TL1000 then you shouldn't need to remove the triple clamps.

I assume you are just fitting new clipons? If so you can just loosen the fork clamps (in 2 places) and slide the forks down 10-20cms out of the triples, put your clipons on and then slide them back up.

Of course you will need to suspend the front of the bike off the ground (eg. tie down from the roof to your windscreen bracket). You might also need to remove the front wheel to work the forks individually if you can't slide the whole front wheel/forks down as one.

[wkid_one]

Try borrowing a head stem front stand - will make it a piece of piss to do what Ho-Hoon is talking about

[Coldkiwi]

thats an idea ho -hoon. still a bit of shagging around but lots cheaper than dragging it to suzuki.

[gpercivl]

Yep, agree with HO-Hoon...and this way you won't have to change your headstock bearing tension

[Coldkiwi]

thanks for the pointers guys! All sorted now and without a hitch doing it the way you suggested. ...well apart from the scissor jack falling over while the forks were untightened, but these things happen! no damage and the bikes back on road fro no extra money. YAY!