Hitchcocks Forum

can you get away with cchangeing the head races on a 2000 indian bullet with out the ned for special tools

Steve,
Nothing I can think of apart from the hex rod to undo the fork tubes

ive read some where you can use an old riders footrest insteed of the hex tube spanner aso one od the drain nuts is hard to undo the last time me and two mates did it two of us compressed the forks and the third ramed a tbar down the forks so he could undo the nut

----------- you must ask the "old rider" first though LoL !!! Yes, the hex is the same size but why not BUY a new one and use that, rather than strip down the VERY greasy, mucky footrest assy. ?? It measures 29mm (11.375") and can be cut to suit. Part No.}---- 143303 and is £6.50 etc from our hosts. You get to keep your hands clean AND another useful tool in the box.

Remember sometimes if you remove the footrest bar, often bent, it can be a real pain to refit

Yes,like nearly impossible to refit as the typical British frame sags just enough so the
hex won't line up once you've removed it.The shouldered front engine bolts head fit's and does the same job,
just lock 2 nuts on it.Changing the head races on the Bullets can be a bugger of a job as the Indians
seem to chamfer the races just where you need a good edge to knock them out.Can be near a day job.
Jack.

so its the footrest bar you use not thefoot rest thats handy ive got one of those

Hi STEVE---- yes, that's right. When you get to this part of the operation remember that if it's the first time the stanchions have been out of the casquette then they are likely to be v. tight indeed and the hex. footrest bar might not be up to the initial loosening operation....I have a SNAP-ON extended hexagon socket at 1/2" AF and has a 1/2" sq. drive for the ratchet or tommy bar.9 Part No.}---SA 16A which I use to loosen and tighten with----the footrest bar is for running the legs down or up only.....Also remember to screw IN--ie clockwise from above to remove the stanchions..... When replacing the stanchions be extra sure the threads at the top have actually started SQUARE and are not cross-threaded----I loosen the lower clamps extra wide (wedge into the slot) to allow plenty of movement for initial alignment.

Take care when using the footrest hex bar. The bar has quite a bit of weight and if you let go of it, it can drop into the fork leg. Put a big washer on the top with the nut back on to stop it from falling all the way in.

Tom