I just finished my stem and let me say, it was more complex than I thought.

A couple of questions for those who've been down this path.

3rd nut location on Oil Tank was designed by an idiot. I flared the frame channel out with a cresent wrench to simplify reassembly.

The top handlebar base plate, did you re-use or make a new one? To re-use, I had to torch the inside tube piece out.

The lower piece. Did you cut the 2" alignment slug off at the base and best effort weld; or slowly cut the slug out to re-use?

Start to finish was <3 hours, not counting the over-night paint drying time. I settled on a shaft length of 30" (+1.5").

Looks, feels and rides great, hopefully the bars will clear the IMS tank thats on order....


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slow ride, i just got the old oil tank off my bommb today, what a pain in the a$$, your right who the hell came up with that idea with putting the nut in the channel?any way im replacing the sterring stem bearing hope its not a pain in the a$$. did you replace the whole sterring stem?let me know how things turn out. hey where in nevada?

sparky

 

dude, ive repaired three stems for people, and the job at most takes 1 hour, all thats involved is copying the bolt pattern onto a piece of 3/8" plate and drilling the center hole, do a skip weld along the outside or bottom joint and do a weld along the inside of the tube where it goes through the plate, just lop off the bad 2 feet of the stem and trash it, i'm assuming you got a piece of right sized tubing, get on a lathe and make a tube that will fit in both ends of the tube, the good lower section of the stem and the new upper piece you made, do a plug weld thru a couple 3/8 side holes, align and join the two sections with a weld around the perimiter of the tube, grind the welds smooth and throw on some paint, 20 min.s for the top plate, 5 minutes for the tube, 20 minutes on the lathe for the junction tube, 10 minutes welding everything and 5 minutes for paint, let er dry and git er done!
on second thought i do stuff like this all the time and it just might be a little easier to me then most peeps. i need a beer, latersssss, josh..........................................[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I cut the custom fittings off the top and bottom and replaced the whole tube. Sure wish I had access to a lathe, I just haven't been able to come up with the room in my garage or justify the expenditure, yet.

I'm talking about the 3hrs including removal and reinstallation on the quad. An hour on the stem is about right.

I considered using a tube union so next time I didn't have to pull the stem. But then I was thinking I shouldn't plan on bending so many dang stems. If it bends again, I'll modify it for two piece with a union.

lvsparky, I'm over behind lone mountain. (Alexander and 215)

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