Hitchcocks Forum

Hi Im trying to fit this top yoke (Indian) to my 1979 Bullet frame, but the steering stem ( 1979) does not protrude through the top yoke far enough to thread the top nut on. If I fit the pinch bolt as is it will tighten against the stem thread, which is not good. a bottom yoke with a longer steering stem would solve the problem. do they exist ???? I can partially solve the problem by using Mr H's long top nut and machining a deeper counterbore in the yoke, but this doesnt solve the pinch bolt / thread issue. thanks in advance

stem thread detail- thanks

That looks like the type of yoke which uses a slimmer bolt than what you have there, passing through two opposing cotter clamps, one with a thread inside, their clamping areas are radiussed to suit the stem and they lock onto it when the bolt is tightened, clamping the top yoke to the stem, to prevent them slewing against each other, which would cause very wobbly steering and handling. There may well be a bottom yoke with a longer stem, certainly there are different lengths to be had. Take a look here at items 9, 10 and 11 ... https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/p ... pages/1488

thanks for the info BW- I should have posted a better photo. the thread you see in the picture is actually the thread at the top of the steering stem. i was concerned that the pinch bolt would damage this thread. cheers

Hi Mart,

that's the steering stem pinch bolt sorted, now what about the steering stem top nut not meeting the top of the steering stem.

Yes, bottom yokes with longer steering stems DO exist, the Superstar Bullets from the 80s/early 90s hadsomething, the top yoke used is not counter-bored for a sleeve nut, there is a dome nut with a lock nut underneath. The Indian home market 500 and 535 lightning before 2003 had a similar arrangement. The AVL Thunderbird also had something similar but won't be suitable for the older frame as the steering stops were in a different position. Our hosts parts list claim this yoke/stem is in stock according to the relevant page of the parts book, but as they're quoting the same part no. as the standard Bullet yoke/stem, check with them it really HAS the longer stem.

https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/p ... pages/1602

Hmm, would a top sleeve nut with a longer sleeve which actually reaches down to the threaded top of the stem be a better idea? They were fitted to some Redditch and our hosts have found me some in the past. Try part no. 43600.

https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/8073

A.

Hi Adrian
thanks for the comprehensive reply- you should write a book !
I have just found that the pinch bolt hole has been machined in the wrong place, so it passes through the stem too high up- hence interference with the thread.
I have tried part no 43600 and this will work if the counterbore is made deeper- which is easy enough to do.
even then the thread will only engage on the stem by approx 14mm, as the depth of the counter bore is limited by the pinch bolt hole.

I will investigate the longer stem though the easiest solution is to buy part no 92591
https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycl ... orks/18921

serves me right for buying cheap Indian copies!

thanks again

Hi, what type of yoke did you originally have? The reason I as is that the yoke in photo 1 does not look any thicker than the standard casquette . How do they compare in depth? Vince

Sorry should be photo 5!

Hi Vince- the bike came to me with this yoke but I no longer have it so cant compare. The trials yoke came from eBay India. I also have a '94 bottom yoke and that is also too short. thanks

You can probably get away with 14mm of thread if the fork stanchions are securely screwed into the top yoke and the bottom yoke and steering stem pinch bolts are securely fastened. That might not be do-able on that particular alloy yoke with the steering stem pinch bolt hole in the wrong place!

Meanwhile here's a parts list extract which includes the Lightning front end parts.

http://jainenfield.com/cat/frame.html#headlamp

The bottom yoke/steering stem part no. is 801067, Top yoke 801100, etc. The parts you want (where they differ from the standard Bullet parts) are in the list below the diagram under 500 and 535 K/S Lightning.

The only point I would make about the Lightning and Superstar top yokes (apart from their weight compared to Mr H's alloy top yoke) is that they move the handlebar mounting in front of the steering stem and also a bit higher than the normal position, which might affect your choice of handlebars.

You can try our hosts and see if they have any in their unlisted stock, which does occasionally come up trumps. If our hosts don't have any, Henry Price might be able to get these in for you.

Or just get your wallet out!

A.