Dude it is a piece of cake...this is comming from a NON- Mechanic!!! Jmac650 has pulled mine out straightened and welded it in less than an hour... AND ONE WEEK LATER... CRASH,Roll,roll, roll, roll...ETC. Yes sir bent another one. I had to learn on the fly myself!!! If you have any trouble, PM me and I'll take you through the steps, I type to slow to do it now and have you already have fixed the damn thing already!!!

 

YOu only have to loosen the oil tank bottom, you will see it when you come to it, no other way around it... Remember you kinda got to scrape it against the radiator screen its tight but it will go. YOu and me both CARIDER67, most of my friends will ride with it bent, IT JUST ANNOYS ME... That nut on the bottom aint bad, and I'm a NON-mechanic, BUY SOME FRESH COTTER PINS BEFORE YOU START... I re-used mine but they say not too! 2 bucks(cotter pins)+$125(staight stem)+1hour(your time)= BACK TO NEW AGAIN!!!

 

Hey Bo, Maybe you should change your screen name to 650Crashtester. Bent the stem twice in a row? Is there anything you havn't broke or bent yet. just kidding[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] I actually think mines a little bent also. Its hard to tell if its the bars or the stem. Im just going to live with it awhile until I really tweak it.

 

Piece of cake, huh? So now that your an expert, how long does it take you to change one out?

 

Well, haven't messed with it yet. Looked it up and down the other day but never put a wrench to it. I'm not seeing how it can be pulled through though, the handlebar assembly plate doesn't look like it will go through?? Maybe I'm missing something?

 

I can get 'er done before I can get through a six pack, Shoot but everything takes me about a six packs worth of time!

 

Keith... Whats HAPPENING my man!!!! Shoot ya, man It's so funny, I may very well be the worst DS Driver there is on the road, but the good thing is the only thing that happens to my DS when I crash is I bend the damn steering stem, needless to say its THE ONLY thing I know how to fix on her so we get along OK!!! Man I miss Sand MT. like crazy I'm headed to Pismo this weekend thank god!! We got to get together before next year damnit. Be sure to say whats up to Adrian for me.

"I like to ride stoned, I feel more in tune with the bike.... either that or I'm just HIGH!!!" LOL

 

CaRider~

1) Remove all Handlebar Controls from handlebars(starter button, clutch lever, throttle deal) Let them hang, maybe zip tie them in two groups Left side cables and RIght side cables.
2) Remove Nose Plastic, Gas tank(turn gas off undo gas line at petcock- one little metal clamp), Skid Plates(if you gots), remove bolts from dash
3) 4 bolts(maybe its 2, sorry no bike to look at, im at work) just below handle bars on that plastic bushing deal remove splitting the 2 pieces that cupped the stem leaving 2 rubber washers on the steering stem.
4) Might as well undo that bottom bolt on the damn oil tank now.

Sorry about the being so vague during the next few steps I dont have a bike to look at to be real specific.

5) Remove all Cotter pins from the main stem bolt and the two a-arm bolts
6) Break all bolts loose underneath stem and a-arm connecters and remove
7) Now you should be free to try to get the darn thing out.... As you pull the stem up through the mess you will first run into that oil tank if you didnt loosen the bottom bolt.
8) I turn the stem so the bottom triangle shaped base is sideways instead of straight forward like normal.
9) Pull up further until you hit the radiator screen, it will, but damn your almost out
10) Now its a wiggle while pressing the stem in against the raidiator screen to free up some space(it flexes) and out it comes( IT WILL BE TIGHT, but I have done 3 stems the same way and I own an '05 too) Be FORCEFULL on this part. This is probably the hardest part and the longest i struggled was about 5 minutes.
11) Remember to remove and re-use the rubber washers that will be on the stem from that plastic stem guide bushing thingy just below the handle bars(step 3 above, that part!!!), when I re-assembled I used some grease, I bet thats where it is bent too, all mine bent there.
12) PUT NEW ONE IN!!!

 

Still pretty funny. I think your just High man. I'll tell Adrian you said Hey.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

There is no need to remove controls from the handlebar. Just remove the handlebar and lay it on the gas tank or forward.
Remove the front cover.
You must remove the bolts for the gas tank but you do not need to take it off. Just move it back a couple of inches.
Almost everything else is right except removing from the top is the hard way.
Save yourself some grief and just stand on the front bumper and pull it out from the bottom.
Make sure when you put it back together you use a little grease on the little o-rings up top.

It's really not that hard. (remember me coming on here all frustrated??) You just have to start digging in. It goes back together much faster!