Removing Forks from Top Yoke

Replacing my Headlight Ears. Any trick to removing the forks from the Top Yoke on a 74 850 Mk2? Top nuts are out , front tire , guages, handle bar removed. I've been wailing on the Bottom Yoke with a rubber mallet expecting the top ends to pop out. More elbow grease? Thanks in advance

have you loosened the pinch nuts on the bottom yoke?

JD

Top of the tube is tapered and sits real tight.
Usually it works by undoing the internal hex bolt in the bottom yoke, screw out the top nut a thread or two and give the top nut a good wack.

Niagara850 said:

Any trick to removing the forks from the Top Yoke on a 74 850 Mk2? Top nuts are out ,

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Screw the fork top nuts back into the forks, and then hit the top nuts with the mallet, although you may need a hammer and wooden block rather than a rubber mallet to shock the tapers apart?

If I understand correctly you are trying to remove both the fork legs at once from the top yoke while they are still attached to the bottom yoke. Not sure, but I think you would find it easier to undo the pinch bolts on the bottom yokes and remove fork legs individually first and then separate the top and bottom yoke. As stated above replace the top chrome bolt at least six threads and use wooden block to protect the chrome and a couple of blows with a hammer will see them out (I tried with rubber mallet to no avail) once the fork tubes are out of top yoke the top chrome bolt stops the tubes shooting out completely onto the floor.
Hope this helps
McVic

Its in there real tight, probably a bit of corrosion after 37 year too. I removed the steering stem bolt and pinch bolts and the the bottom yoke slid down to the fender. Put the top bolts back in and let it have it with a hammer as recommended. Then tightened up the bottom yoke and wacked at it from there. No success yet. Sprayed some lube from the outside bottom and having a beer before going at again. The rest wants to come apart. I have may enough room to pull the stem right out, take it off the frame and go at it upside down but would have to disassemble the headlight shell to fit it through the forks...

When you have the top nut on, make sure it is screwd in almost all of the way leaving just enough for release or you could hammer the thread right off. Use a piece of hard wood and a mallet rather than a peening or claw hammer for a more applicable force. Soak as you have and tappy tap around the area to help with absorption.
You may also wedge a screw driver in the pinch area below, working one side at a time. If you have a heat gun, warm it up a little, No flame though.

Sucess! Thanks all. My mechanical engineering sense was off. Didn't realize the Top Nut threaded into the taper not the Yoke. Released after a few good wacks. Should get a piece of hardwood as well, have pine splinters all over the garage. Now to inspect the damper assembly , cleanup and repaint the Yokes and put on the new ears. Does the Top Nut also thread into the Damper Rod as well on re-assembly?

Niagara850 said:

Sucess! Thanks all. My mechanical engineering sense was off. Didn't realize the Top Nut threaded into the taper not the Yoke. Released after a few good wacks. Should get a piece of hardwood as well, have pine splinters all over the garage. Now to inspect the damper assembly , cleanup and repaint the Yokes and put on the new ears. Does the Top Nut also thread into the Damper Rod as well on re-assembly?

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Good Job! Yes the nut threads onto the rod and the jam nut holds it in place and then screws into the tube as an assembly. Are you saying thart this was not the case when you took it apart?
Make sure all the spacers, guage holders and the like are in place or you'll taking the nut back off the rod to do it. Common.

No! The Top Nuts came off by themselves. I assumed that this was normal and the rod unthreaded when I removed the nuts. There is no evidence of damage to either the nuts or the rods from banging into each other. The rods were likely threaded into the nuts, but certainly not tight! Rereading the shop manual I see a reference to loosening the jam nut and removing the rod.

The bike is relatively new to me and I'm new to Nortons. I've only rode it a few hundred miles last summer and didn't recall any knocking or other issues with forks, but then I don't quite know what normal is. I compare it to its Japanese stablemate and it seems to be a nicer handling machine. I am going over it from head to toe to get it ready for the season hopefully without going into the engine and transmission at this point, leaving that to next winter. I wonder what other suprises are in store. I've had a few others, but working on these old beasts is half the fun.

The threaded rod should have a separate nut on it underneath the top nut locking the two together. Make sure they are secure before you put them all back together.


Tim_S