moto steering stem
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- Posts: 0
- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:41 pm
The way to tell if you have the stem with the lower tie rod plate is to jack up the front end and remove one of the front shocks. With the shock removed grab the tire and lift it. If you have the earlier plate which is higher the tie rod will come in contact with the frame before the ball joints bind.
At least this is what happened on the 02 that I have before I switched everthing to 03 specs.
At least this is what happened on the 02 that I have before I switched everthing to 03 specs.
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- Posts: 0
- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:41 pm
Stem Specs
Hello Guys:
All the stems are interchangeable.
This post is correct with the changes:
Original stem has 10* tilt at the bar mount, tie rod plate is higher on the stem.
next version - early 02 - tie rod plate is lowered
version 3 - mid 02 - they added tabs for the steering stabilizer
03 stem has strait top bar mounts, low tie rod plate, and tabs for stabilizer.
They are all considered anti-vibe having rubber mounts for the clamps
They are all chromoly, and where made by Arens Bros.
The original stem had an 18* tilt at the top, and the reason is it moved the centerline of the bars 10mm ahead of the centerline of the steering stem main column. I hated that part, but when Tim Farr tested it and mentioned it should be changed, it was changed rather quickly. ALso, the holes in the tie rod plate were moved forward and a little closer to the center of the main column early in the project, and the tie rod plate was moved almost as low as it can go to help remove bump steer. It don't think it's possible to safely go any lower than the stock stem because of the reduced weld surface for the little support wings.
Hope that helps out!
Jnine
All the stems are interchangeable.
This post is correct with the changes:
Original stem has 10* tilt at the bar mount, tie rod plate is higher on the stem.
next version - early 02 - tie rod plate is lowered
version 3 - mid 02 - they added tabs for the steering stabilizer
03 stem has strait top bar mounts, low tie rod plate, and tabs for stabilizer.
They are all considered anti-vibe having rubber mounts for the clamps
They are all chromoly, and where made by Arens Bros.
The original stem had an 18* tilt at the top, and the reason is it moved the centerline of the bars 10mm ahead of the centerline of the steering stem main column. I hated that part, but when Tim Farr tested it and mentioned it should be changed, it was changed rather quickly. ALso, the holes in the tie rod plate were moved forward and a little closer to the center of the main column early in the project, and the tie rod plate was moved almost as low as it can go to help remove bump steer. It don't think it's possible to safely go any lower than the stock stem because of the reduced weld surface for the little support wings.
Hope that helps out!
Jnine
Stems
Hello again:
I haven't looked at it for a long time, but I know we had the tie rod plate down almost to the step for the bearing surface, so going lower there would be almost impossible. You need that little wing for strength.
Mounting the tie rods on the underside of the tie rod plate would be a huge change in the tie rod angle, and probably would make things much worse. They almost certainly would hit either the lower a-arm brackets, or a frame rail. Changes of only a few millimeters make a huge difference, and every change effects all the other associated parts.
J9
I haven't looked at it for a long time, but I know we had the tie rod plate down almost to the step for the bearing surface, so going lower there would be almost impossible. You need that little wing for strength.
Mounting the tie rods on the underside of the tie rod plate would be a huge change in the tie rod angle, and probably would make things much worse. They almost certainly would hit either the lower a-arm brackets, or a frame rail. Changes of only a few millimeters make a huge difference, and every change effects all the other associated parts.
J9