Suzuki GS400 - Possible Cafe Racer?

One Rolling Chassis, One Blank Canvas.
With an issue (read hatred) of cutting up a perfectly good frame, I've always steered clear of "chops". Built your own frame? Brilliant, love it, but a classic bike that's been ruined, or butchered, isn't my cup of char. Standard sells, and motorbikes should be cherished - but hey, that's just me.

But, when all that's left of the bike is the frame, forks and wheels I figure there's a certain amount of leeway available. So the latest addition to the garage is a bare bones, back-to-basics '79 GS400 (with no engine). Hence the blank canvas.

Are you seeing the potential?
Yeah she's rough, but doesn't that make it all the more worthwhile? Next stage is to edit the photo into a drawing, and start sketching the shape of the tank and seat hump. An engine wouldn't go amiss either. 

Perfect! Time to pick up a pencil and start designing the parts that need to be bashed out of steel.

Some Restorers "Fix Up"... Others Do This.

It ain't about the money.
A successful restoration can be best described as wasting hundreds of hours, spending thousands of pounds, and finally ending up with something that's worth a fraction of what it should be.
But we all need a hobby, and the enjoyment you get from repairing and restoring machinery can only be understood once you've actually tackled it. The day it all comes together more than makes up for the cold, angry nights in the garage where you wished you'd never started.

Excuse the repeat of a couple of these photos, I thought this restoration was worthy of a little more publicity. It's the last of the Model 30's, a 1958 600cc twin (actually registered in '59), and is now pretty much perfect. (It's a real shame I don't have access to the before pics, because it was a nail!) Anyway, to the bike.

Restored by Allen Vaughan, with a little help from me, the complete job took about a year or two. The results speak for themselves, enjoy the pics.

AJS Model 30

Norton Commando meets Transformers

Suspension Upgrades: Does A Six-Year Old Bike Still Cut It?

Can your bike's suspension be upgraded to match the latest technology?


This isn't about using professional racers to test on a short circuit track because that would mean nothing to the average road rider - like me. I want to hear in layman's terms if spending $500 - $1000 on your standard bike's suspension is a waste of money, or the best thing you could've done to improve it. We're the ones out there buying and riding the bikes, and most of us on the public roads only; so, can a basic upgrade to your favourite toy make it a match for the latest kit?


Let's find out.

• The bike: 2006 GSXR1000K6 
• The roads: A mix of fast, bumpy sweepers and the tightest of hairpins.
• The question: Can the oldie hold its own against a newbie?

2006 GSXR1000 K6

Pointless?

Not for the majority of riders who have to battle on with their existing bikes because a new bike is out of their price range. And maybe the riders who think that the suspension must be effective just because it's fitted with Up Side Down forks and a monoshock.

I wanted to know for sure if what I'd heard is true. That spending money on suspension is the best use of readies that a person can throw at their bike. 
Or should you just get a race can? At least it'll sound fast when everyone's on your ass trying to overtake you!

150BHP? That's about 100 more than you need for the road!
That's what I was told by Peter Clements of ProMechA. And I know he's right, strictly speaking, but when did that ever matter?
But to be fair, this guy is very switched on and tells it like it is. When you can get hold of him on the phone, you're in for a great conversation. I had an idea on what the GSXR needed - I just needed to relay it to Peter. It's simple, I wanted the bike to be plush on bumpy roads (after all, it's quite stiff as standard), but have the ability to handle high speeds too but, on top of all that, be capable of destroying anyone else on a track day (should I partake in one)!
Should be easy, just a bit of spring manipulation - or so I thought.


"You can't have it all," says Peter. "What are you going to be using it for? Track days, or the road?"


"Hmm, road work I guess."


"OK, well I can't give you a sports-tourer and a race bike all in one. You need to choose what sort of bike you want." 


And that's when it hit home. There is no best of both worlds, no adaptive suspension that works for every road or track. And that's the first thing you need to understand. 
I've watched videos, read everything i can find on the internet and bought books on the subject of tuning suspension, but until you realise there isn't a perfect fix for every road surface or track, you're bollocksed. 

20km/h? You can do better than that!

And don't forget, your suspension needs to be serviced too. 
Oil deteriorates with use, gets contaminated with metal (from the springs/sliding surfaces) and needs to be flushed out and renewed at regular intervals. 
If, like my GSXR, your bike is well overdue for fresh oil, have the shock and forks serviced before adjusting any of the preloads or clickers. Any adjustments made before this will just not be as effective and will probably put you off the learning process.
It may be daunting to start playing around with the settings initially, but once you get into the spirit of adjusting things, it starts to become clearer and, the more you play, the more you learn. Just remember to write down your original settings so you can always go back to your start point if need be.


OK, forks and shock serviced, correct weight springs fitted. What now?
Peter has a stack of information on his website covering a good variety of bikes. For me he advised a complete service and re-valve (compression/rebound pistons and shims), a linear rate spring and an anti-squat valve for the shock, and a service and re-valve on the forks retaining original springs (standard being near enough for my weight).
Although you can strip the forks yourself at home, would you know how much porting or changes in shim arrangement are required? A suspension pro will have a fair idea on what works for the chosen conditions which is going to save you time and money in the long run. These are the guys that have put in the hard hours already.


Anyway, let's get on with it. First run out, and I had a play with the rear shock. Leaving the forks at Peter's recommended starting point, I adjusted the sag on the rear and then played with the compression and rebound adjusters. This also involved a quick run with them fully unscrewed, which was against Peter's advice I might add, just to feel the difference.

This caused the Gixer to tie itself in knots coming out of bends hard! 

It wallowed and weaved its way all over the shop so probably not the best testing method, but then it's good to feel the difference:) I'm now at a base/standard setting and it's working quite well.

With only a few weeks on it, the "ripping" effect I had on the rear tyre is starting to clear up with the shock working correctly, but there is evidence of a rebound issue (uneven tread wear pattern). Hopefully fine tuning will cure this, but my idea of fast road work probably isn't the same as a genuine fast rider's - which is what it's valved for. Oops.
The forks are still harsh on most of the low-speed local roads, but then it always was. However, the faster you're prepared to push, the better it gets - is this a good thing? Probably. If the bike is safer and more capable at speed, when there's more chance of mistakes, less time to react and the unknown is lurking around every bend, this can only be a good thing.

Smooth roads, happy days.

This is a learning curve.
What I thought I wanted, and asked for, probably isn't what I actually needed. Having ridden a mate's 2006 CBR600RR, I knew how plush a sportbike's suspension could be on slow, bumpy roads. But until I actually tried pushing down on the front end of the CBR at standstill, I'd never have realised how soft they were as standard! It's like a trail bike, due to its progressive springs, where the GSXR is rock solid all the way through. 
No wonder you meet the nicest people on a Honda.
I wanted something to soak up the slow, bumpy roads and then perform well at high speed, but it's impossible - you have to decide where your trade-off is. 


Forget the bragging rights, ask yourself this question:
How often do you exploit the top speed of your bike? 
Honestly? Not very often.
As a quick comparison, I took the DRZ out for a quick spin in some notoriously tight, uneven bends. The supermoto flies round bumpy, 60-80km/h corners without a flinch whereas the Gixer, although holding its own while you bounce out of the seat, makes you work harder for it. 


Conclusion
I can see why the softer, streetfighter-styled factory bikes are so popular nowadays. Easily as fast in the real world, but with the added comfort to protect you from all the jarring and hits you take from the average, poor road surface.


I guess I ended up with a fast road bike that spends most of its life at slow speeds. In respect of whether this bike can hold its own against a new one, no problem at all, but is that due to the rider, the components, or the fact that superbikes haven't really moved that far forward in the last six years? 
A smidgen of all those I guess, but I will say this for the GSXR, now when you crack it open to make rapid progress, the world underneath it just smoothes right on out. 


ProMechA
If you're looking to upgrade the bouncy bits on your bike, give Peter a call on 03 9574 1164 and let him explain what does what, and why. He'll tell you exactly what's needed to turn your bike into the bike you actually want - and that's far more important than turning it into something you don't need!

Ducati's Desmosedici GP12 - Yum!

Come on Rossi, let's see the old magic!

Harley Electrics Causing Grief? Don't Blow a Fuse, Help is at Hand!

Don't you just love the internet?
I was just pointed in the direction of a fantastic help manual/pdf concerning Harley Davidson wiring diagrams - and it deserves a repost.


Rewiring a bike can be a pain in the proverbial, and finding a fault somewhere within even harder at times! So, thanks to John Siebenthale, here's a handy link to his FREE pdf designed to make H-D wiring easy easier.


http://www.siebenthalercreative.com/pages/how-to/HD-wiring.html

Bike Designated Parking at Laurel Cottage, Lower Beechmont, QLD

Laurel Cottage's Motorbike Parking


At the top of one of the best biking roads on the Gold Coast, QLD is a cracking cafe that now has a section devoted to motorcycle parking. Lower Beechmont is a small village just 15 minutes from Nerang (turn off the Nerang-Murwillumbah Road), and each weekend the incredible, winding road is packed with all kinds of cruisers, supermoto's, sports bikes and classics.


Mike and Karen Beer, owners of Laurel Cottage Cafe and Restaurant, have now made a small section outside especially for motorbike parking - how welcoming is that? Now you can have a brew while your pride and joy sits safely just metres from your table.

So, when you're looking for the ideal spot for breakfast or lunch, and want to ride one of the best roads out there, plan a ride through Lower Beechmont soon. The coffee is great, the food fantastic and the prices perfect - highly recommended! You'll find them on Facebook here.

How to get there
From Nerang, head out on the Nerang-Murwillumbah Road and take a right onto the Beechmont Road. You can't miss this junction, you'll see the first couple of bends and a broad smile will appear on your face. Ride for about 7km's through beautiful forest and you'll be in Lower Beechmont. Continue past North Road (great lookout area just up there, and to the left) and, after about 500m, on the left hand side you'll see the sign for the cafe. Open on Thursdays thru to Sunday evening with an impressive menu.


For a great ride and unbelievable views, incorporating part of The Scenic Rim, carry on through to Beechmont and down to Canungra for the chance to try out the "Goat Track" which takes you up to North Tamborine. Tight hairpins all the way up! Take a camera, there's lots you'll want to remember.


See you there soon.

How To Polish Your Bike's Bolts - Seriously.

While I wait on the suspension to come back for the Gixer, I thought it might be a good time to start cleaning up a few of the bits and pieces that hold her together.


Fairing bolts always make a bike look tatty when they corrode, or go dull, so I thought I'd give them the treatment. This is one of the front mudguard bolts. Doesn't look too bad in the photo, but could be improved.

All you need is an electric drill, emery cloth (for the roughest of bolts), 400/600 grit wet & dry, a scotch pad and good old Autosol. (Be careful with the drill - I don't want to hear about rags being ripped up in the chuck, or losing fingers whilst holding a bit of emery cloth against a spinning bolt.)


How To Polish Bolt Heads Up Like New.


Fit the bolt into the chuck of the drill. No need to go too tight - we don't want to damage the threads. If the bolt is pretty clean and not too corroded, a scotchbrite pad will be enough at this stage to clean up the head. Spin the drill while holding pressure on the head of the bolt with the scotch pad. Be careful because it will get warm after a while.

If badly pitted, bring it back to a smooth finish using emery cloth first, then followed with fine wet & dry. The finer you go, the better the results, but I only went to 400 grit. It leaves the tiniest of lines, but you can't see those unless you're using a magnifying glass.


Once you're happy, get a rag and apply a small dab of Autosol - again use the drill to polish the head.

They should start to look a little like the one on the right.

The polished mudguard bolts in front, and a dull fairing bolt behind.

It's possible to apply the technique to any bolt, but you'll never get the hexagon section perfect with this method. Still, a vast improvement on what they were!

From one side of the bike. 3 x fairing bolts, 3 x mudguard bolts, 2 x caliper bolts and 2 x wheel spindle pinch bolts. Not too shabby.

Don't Forget, You Can Polish ANY Bolt!
To prove this works on any old bolt, here's a rusty 8x1.25 I had sitting on the bench. The raised letters and numbers still clearly visible.

Rough emery cloth will take most stuff off. You'll probably need to hold the emery cloth as well as support the drill, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

It's working, just needs a little more. Once the head is smooth all over, start with the 400 grit.

A light going over with the finer grade just leaves fine lines.

A quick dab of polish and we've got a great shine!

If I was fussy, I could continue with the wet & dry until all imperfections were gone, but you'll never see those when they're fitted to the bike.


Remember, these surfaces will go dull, and steel will rust eventually. Keep an eye on them and give them another going over every now and again. In the UK, where salt is applied to the roads every winter, it's hard to keep fasteners clean even with regular washing. But even plated bolts suffer there. 


This is a cheap fix that probably anyone can do with a little time. Not only does it improve the bike's looks, it'll add value if you're trying to sell it.

DRZ 400E Supermoto - Tyre Choice.

Dunlop Arrowmax's - slipperier than an oil-soaked banana!

When I bought the DRZ it came fitted with brand new Arrowmax's, so I never really knew any different. It was always really twitchy - enough to put people off riding it in fact, but the lack of grip was becoming a real concern. Mates were riding WR450's and 450 EXC's, with decent rubber underneath, and to stay in front with a lack of power and poor grip was pretty difficult to say the least.

Cornering hard always made the little 400 step out at the rear (this could be quite amusing unless trying to make progress), and the front would protest at the slightest hint of a stoppie but, being tight, I battled on until they were worn out. I must just add that although the grip was extremely poor in the dry, in the wet it was horrendous! Has anybody actually bought these out of choice?

Sizes fitted at this point were a 140/70-17 on the back, and a 120/70-17 on the front. So what next?

Well a search on eBay came up with a place in Australia selling a pair of Pilot Powers for $302 delivered - bargain! It was time to take the rear up to a 150/60-17, and retain the 120/70-17 on the front because I didn't want it to be any more twitchy that it already was.

Michelin Pilot Powers - grip[pier] than a glue-soaked grippy thing!

The service from Kelly's Rubber was exceptional and the tyres turned up in less than a week. So a couple of hours later and they were fitted. Time to ride and try them out. 

WOW!

I've never felt such a difference from just fitting a couple of tyres. It's transformed the whole bike! 

It feels much more mellow, nowhere near as twitchy and just grips and grips! I tried everything on a few local hairpins to make it step out, and only once did it bite me in the ass because i was leant over too far! Awesome doesn't describe how good this bike is right now!

Power can be applied really early in a corner and even Dave, who swears by his WR, actually likes to ride it now. In fact I'd say he's quicker on it than the WR! So far I'm running at around 32psi and it feels great. I've heard a lot of supermoto riders use 29psi so I might have a play around with pressures - then again, if it ain't broke.

The best bit? Rolling stoppies are now easy enough because it actually grips! Should've bought them years ago.

GSXR 1000 K5/K6 Tyres - What do you use?

Can you outperform your tyres?


Having used Pilot Sports, Pilot Powers, then Power Pures, I was more than happy with the performance of Michelin tyres. Now I wanted to try another of their brand - the Pilot Road 3.


Why?


Two reasons: more mileage, and the need to see if a touring style tyre could do the same as the sports tyres in the real world. I see so many bikes parked up on the weekend with the latest soft rubber on, and the edges all balled up, only to wonder. 


"Are these geezers actually fast, or do the tyres just inflate their ego?" Inflate - get it? Pfft.


I loved the Power Pures, but they don't last forever and the front was starting to move around when leant right over, and the rear would occasionally light up if a little too enthusiastic out of a bend.

They wore well, actually taking the sides out before the centres. Not a bad looking tyre either, still prefer the old Pilot Sport tread pattern though. 


But then to choose these? On a Gixer? Have I gone nuts?

Time will tell. There are already some signs of uneven wear on them, but this is probably due to the worn shock and undamped forks. I'm hoping the revalved suspension components will soon start to clean up the tread to give me a clean, round (not stepped) profile.


Revalved suspension? 


What's this I hear you say? Let's just say I had a great chat with Mr Peter Clements of ProMechA. I have a feeling he's going to cure the Gixer's handling woes.

GSXR 1000 K5/K6 Suspension - Swingarm and Shock

Boing Boing Boing!


Although there wasn't much wrong with the rear of the bike, apart from the tired shock absorber, I wanted to replace any worn needle roller bearings in the swingarm and linkages. While the swingarm was out, I could also repaint it because of a few scratches.

With the bearings all ordered, replacement was pretty straightforward. I replaced the two main swingarm bearings too because I could feel the tiniest amount of play in there. This was exactly the same afterwards though, so I guess a tiny bit is normal.

Bearings were removed with hammer and punch when necessary, and using sockets with 12mm threaded bar. They were all pulled back in with the threaded bar, sockets and large washers. Here's the finished linkage.

Scratches were flatted out with 400 then 800 grit paper and etch primer applied to the bare aluminium. Next it was primed, and finally painted with satin black. It came out well considering the chain was still wrapped around it!

The shock, although in need of a freshen up, was going back in. Maybe a rebuild in the future.

A lack of pics doesn't help, but the job was relatively simple and the swingarm pivot tool is definitely needed to avoid damage to the swingarm spindle nut.

GSXR1000 K5/K6 Suspension - The Forks

This is where the fun started.

All I wanted to do was chuck another couple of seals in (not that they were leaking), and change the oil. A cartridge revalve, and maybe even a spring change would have been nice, but costs needed to be kept down so I decided to keep it basic.

Some form of spring compressor is needed to disassemble them properly so it was out with the welder to knock up a quick tool. It ain't pretty, but it works. The bolts, filed down to 8mm on the ends, screw into locating holes on the plastic tube above the fork spring allowing you to push down and compress the spring to allow access to the locking nut below the fork top. 

At least that's the idea. It's useful if you're generously proportioned too because those springs take some compressing! In the end I reverted to two ratchet straps around the tool and then around the wheel spindle reinserted in the bottom of the fork leg. This works a treat, but it's still a two man job.

The following picture will give you an idea of the assembled unit within the fork leg itself. This is what you'll get if you just remove the 8mm Allen bolt from the bottom of the fork leg instead of removing spring first. You can see the cartridge, the spring, the plastic tube and the fork top nut complete with rebound and preload adjuster.

Unfortunately, once engrossed in the forks, the pics stopped, but here's a brief description of reassembly. 

I'd already bought new fork seals off eBay (43x55x9.5/10.5), but as Davey always says "The poor man pays twice" and, sure enough, they were useless... but I was yet to find that out. 

So, cartridge refitted (spring must be removed beforehand), fork tubes together and now we just needed to fill with oil and bleed the damper assembly. This involves filling the fork with the correct grade of oil - don't just risk a "5W" hydraulic oil, this was also my undoing... but I was yet to find this out too. Buy a well known, or recommended, fork oil from a motorcycle dealer because every make of oil and grade has a different viscosity even if it says 5W on the bottle. Another lesson learned.

Around 600ml of oil is poured in, and then you can bleed the damper. The damper rod must be pulled up and pushed back down several times steadily until the resistance is the same all the way through the stroke. There are fork bleed tools you can buy to make this easy. My advice is to leave the fork for ten minutes at this point and then retry to allow any bubbles/cavitation to disperse. 

Now you can set your fork oil height. Check manufacturers recommended heights and ensure the outer leg is as far down as possible. Hold the fork upright and check how far down the oil is. A plastic tube zip tied to a piece of welding rod and a syringe is the ideal way to remove the right amount of oil. Just mark the welding rod at the right height, insert it into the fork leg and suck out excess oil. All good? Cool, time for the spring.

Refit spring, washer and plastic tube. Compress spring, pull damper rod back up through (another piece of welding wire) and fit the special plate (in the pic) above the spring and under the locking nut to hold down the spring while you refit the fork top nut (don't forget to refit the rebound adjusting rod). 

On the GSXR, the lock nut must be exactly 11mm from the top of the damper rod before tightening the fork top nut assembly; this allows for the correct amount of rebound adjustment.

Now the plate can be taken out, the spring compressor removed and finally the top nut can be screwed back into the fork leg. Reset your preload, compression and rebound screws to standard positions, or to your own preferred settings if you'd already experimented previously, and refit in the bike.

So what went wrong???

Where do I start? Well the bike was sat on the stand for about a week while I was carrying out work to the rear suspension when the right fork began to leak! DOH! 
By now the bike was almost back together so I decided to give it a shakedown run first before stripping the fork again. By the time I got back, the leg leg had started leaking - not impressed.

Forks back out, seals obtained from a dealer (not genuine, but Japanese made and a better feeling material), filled with oil, bled again - back in bike. No leaks, but not impressed with feel from front end. Doesn't appear to be any rebound or compression adjustment, bike reacts like a pogo stick. You can still make progress, but the front feels likes it's losing grip when leant over at high speed.

Forks back out to check lock nut adjustment (11mm remember?). All good, and oil height ok. Refit into bike, but no matter what I do to the adjustment, I can't improve the comfort and the bars are hammering my hands on every ride! So at this point I'm considering a different grade of oil, but the more I read about the K5/K6 Gixer, the more I understand that the forks are a weak point unless revalved... interesting. 

Time to give ProMechA a ring.

GSXR1000 K5/K6 Suspension - Steering Head Bearings.

Gixers and Suspenders - Part 1


It's all going on with the K6. A few months ago I decided to carry out a service on the suspension - with around 60,000km on board, it was well overdue. The bike still felt good on the road in fairness, but I like to keep it in optimum fettle (especially with the '10 R6 on its heels). 

So on the list was change the fork oil, steering head bearings and any worn swingarm/ linkage bearings. Tyre wear was good so I assumed the shock was ok...


Three things I bought before starting any of this work were the castellated sockets for the swingarm pivot, the steering stem nut and the engine bolts/nuts (although I didn't actually need the latter). All came from Turbosuzukis in the UK in incredible time! The fit, finish and quality of these tools is second to none. Very impressed and not expensive - kudos to you guys. 


Here's the steering stem tool in action:

Tyre Wear - Pilot Powers, Road Use Only.

Where do we start?


So, first thing's first, the bike needs lifting so all suspension is hanging free. Paddock stands are ok to get the wheels out, but not when you need to remove the swingarm or triple clamps.
The only option I had available was:

1. blocks of wood under the engine/exhaust (make sure the wood is touching the sump, not just the exhaust system)
2. blocks under the sidestand (in its down position)
3. a steel bar bolted to the right hand of the engine (near the front there is a large hole cast into the crankcase) long enough to reach the floor or blocks of wood
4. scrap wood wedged under right hand rear of frame

It's not perfect, but as long as you concentrate on one end of the bike at a time, the bike should remain stable - for the next photo I actually had the entire bike balanced like this. 

Forks or Shock First?


I decided to start with the forks first. Having already ordered linkage bearings for the rear, I wanted to get the yokes out to measure up for taper roller bearings. With only the lower fairings removed, you'll find there's easily enough access to the forks, triple clamps and steering head.


Just remove the calipers, the wheel, the mudguard/fender and the forks are ready to slip out. Undo the clip-on clamp bolt, the top yoke and finally the bottom yoke (triple clamps) and the fork leg should just slide out (twist if necessary to help it along).

It's actually very quick and easy to get the forks out which just leaves the triple clamps. A 36mm nut on the top (if I remember correctly) allows the top clamp to be lifted, and this can just be moved aside leaving it attached to the ignition barrel etc.

If you haven't already done this, unbolt the steering damper, brake hose clamp and the plastic cover from underneath the triple clamp and then you can remove the adjusting/locking nuts. See the very top photo for the castellated lock nut removal (special tool). The lower triple clamp should just drop out, but mine needed a few good taps with a rubber mallet due to corrosion on the stem.

What did amaze me was that Suzuki still use ball bearing races in the steering head - I thought they'd been left back in the days of BSA's etc. So measuring up, I found the dimensions to be 30x55x17 which equates to a 32006 taper roller. Down the local bearing shop and $40 later I leave with a pair of Timken bearings - superb quality, I'm happy.


Order new seals for the bearings when you carry out this job or you'll need to take special care when removing the bearing from the steering stem. I didn't, and needless to say, it took hours with a hammer, chisel, angle grinder and a Dremel just to save the seal. What a waste of a time for a few dollars worth of seal!

A suitable drift is needed to tap the outer cones of the bearing out of the frame (there are slots in the frame to facilitate this), and I actually used a piece of flat bar similar to the makeshift stand bolted to the engine. Tap them out equally, not just from one point or you'll damage/spread the frame tube. 
As you can see, the bearings are badly worn, being heavily pitted and rusty from a lack of grease and, possibly, the odd wheelie. Just fitting new bearings will improve the front end feel a lot.

Triple clamp cleaned up and ready for the seal and new bearings. Tap new bearing on carefully and try not to damage the cage that retains the rollers. Using the old bearing (upside down) to tap the new one on is a good method. Cutting a slot through the old bearing with an angle grinder will ensure it knocks back off easily too (once the new bearing is hit home).


If you're using a hammer and punch when fitting the new cups in the frame, tap them around equally (I use 4 different spots) and work up a rhythm as in North, South, East and West. This allows the bearing to go in square and true. If you knock it in at an angle, you can scrape aluminium from inside the frame, or spread the tube. This could result in loose, or misalignment, of the bearings. 


When a bearing is fully hit home, there will be a distinct difference in tone - normally sharper, or higher-pitched. Listen out for it and give a final few taps to be sure. Now you should be ready to apply a good quality, high melting point grease to the bearings and refit the triple clamps. 


On no account should they be over-tightened. If you're unsure of how to set up adjustable bearings, leave slightly slack until the forks are back in and check for play - then recheck. It's better to be safe and spend a little more time getting this right. Over-tightened bearings will wear out prematurely and impair the steering.