Bike is a 2014 250 Racing. Basically, after every ride or three, I'm having to snug the headstock back up. I can watch the collar work it's way loose and know when the front end is gonna start clunking.

 

I'm told this is normal the GG's, but it's a little bizarre. I've taken to using a punch to adjust the collar and snug up the top nut so I don't have to pull the bars off every time. Aside from slowly destroying the top nut, this works fine, but I'd rather not have to do it so often.

 

Do the GG's really loosen up like this so frequently? 

Edited May 12, 201610 yr by heffergm

No.

SOmething is wrong, I maybe check it every half year or so.

Check your bearings for excess play.....

Seen this a load of times in the 2014 onwards with the red yokes, the pinch bolt isn't quite long enough to grip the steering stem, try re adjusting and using a slightly longer pinch bolt.

Edited May 13, 201610 yr by duggan

I kept looking at that stupid pinch bolt wondering if it was long enough to actually put any pressure on the stem. If it is, it looks like it barely is.

I pulled everything apart this morning, and I don't see anything seriously mangled. Certainly the headstock isn't cracked anywhere (and given who the bike has been owned by during its life I'd be amazed if it was).

 

I'll try a longer pinch bolt...

You need to loose the fork top triple clamps bolts before tightening stem nut.

 

In a lot of cases, this is the biggest torque on all bolts in a motorcycle. So, don't be gentile or use a torquimeter.

Edited May 13, 201610 yr by cascao

Yeah, I know how to tighten things. The top triple bolts have been loosened before adjustment.

Actually, I can't recall now that it is all back together. Is the top bolt threaded all the way down? Don't want to damage the threads using a longer pinch bolt if it is. Although I'd assume since there's already a bolt there it's fine.

The standard bolt just doesn't quite reach the steering stem, the replacement bolt only needs to be something like 0.5mm longer to allow it to make contact and grip enough. Yes your correct if a much longer bolt was fitted then over tightened it would damage the threads.

Slightly more expensive option would be to sell the GG and buy a Montesa 4rt! Problem solved ???

Not really, most of the newer 4rt`s come with the same crap parts.

I thought the later racing type triple (same as raga 11 on) had a pinch clamp built in rather than the bolt that winds up against the collar. It could be the collar is too small and the clamp can't pinch it tight.

To close this out, the issue turns out to have been insufficient torque of the stem bolt. Hasn't budged since I put ~30Nm in it.