Cool article on the Ram "Built in the Neck" steering stabilizer.

[onformula1]

Yes, a self contained hydraulic unit that slides in after you remove the old bearing races, then the bottom triple clamp goes on and is bolted from the bottom like the picture, then the top triple clamp goes on and was the nut at the top, drill a hole though the stock neck, weld on a tab and bolt it down.

I don't think the stock neck is even shown in that picture.

It would be difficult to use the stock neck as the outer canister, they are not square, not machined and don't have the ability to seal a piston band or seals, plus the stock welds are not great and some frames have hole in them going into the upper top tube or lower down tube.


Just my 3 scents...lol

I want one!

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[bkm]

I wish NWrider would chime in and tell us how his was on that tecate. I'm sure he had his apart when the frame was getting powder coated.

[nstyle73]

Patience grasshopper. Dmitri has NWriders bike now, but maybe he took some pics before assembly.

[bkm]

I know there are a few out there and if anyone has had one apart it would of been NWrider. Terry Hillen has Mendenhall's old bike, but he's never had it apart. Hopefully NWrider took some pics while his was apart. I sent him a pm asking about it.

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[barnett468]

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...m+white+tecate

The first pic in this thread is one on a Tecate. This one has two external bolt stops, I wonder if there is some sort of dual piston design? Looks like a stock neck to me though.

This bike has a stock frame and the steering head is stock as you thought . . Also, there was no such thing as a "works" Tecate frame as the owner claims.

It is not a dual piston design.

[bkm]

What do you think the top "stop" screw was for? The article only shows one.

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[onformula1]

What do you think the top "stop" screw was for? The article only shows one.

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Thanks, another wrench in this mystery.

I don't think its for a second piston due to room available and not being needed.

The bolt looks shorter in length.

I don't think it's a range of motion adjustment.

So I guess-
Fluid fill/bleed or fluid replacement port or they had a issue and changed to double mounting points.

[bkm]

Big thanks to NWrider for getting back with me so quickly. He provided pics of his but said this was as far down as he had it.

[bkm]

[bkm]

I doesn't look like the Kawasaki stabilizer was an oil bath bearing setup. I'm guessing a steel sleeve held the piston and was sealed on top and bottom. Then a steel shim went on top and a snap ring under the bearing races held it in place. He said the top bolt was a fill hole for the fluid.

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[onformula1]

Wow there are many things differently then the magazine article.

I think the article is the newer set up. They may have just improved it and made it easier for a company like White Bros. to install.

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[bkm]

Well where's the protoype? It's been almost 5 hours. lol

I'l have to look at my stock stem when I get home, but it looks like they just cut the worm gears into the stock stem. What I don't understand is where the fluid holes are. They look to both be above the piston and I'm curious as to how the dampening works and how it is secured inside the stem?

[barnett468]

Well where's the protoype? It's been almost 5 hours. lol

I'l have to look at my stock stem when I get home, but it looks like they just cut the worm gears into the stock stem. What I don't understand is where the fluid holes are. They look to both be above the piston and I'm curious as to how the dampening works and how it is secured inside the stem?

I just took a quick look now that I am on a regular computer and can see things better, and it likely works as described below, or at least the following will work.

El Camexican had it pretty much figuered out in his first post.

the piston likely has a seal on the outside and the inside which is on the top of the piston . . the outer seals against the stem or sleeve . . the inner seals against the smooth part of the shaft.

the upper hole in the steering stem is above where the piston would stop at its upper most position.

the lower hole is below where the seal on the top of the piston would stop at its lowest position.

the oil fill hole is above the upper hole in the steering stem.

the adjustment rod has to be threaded just below the knob and is likely coarse threads . . there would be an 0 ring probably at least 3/6" below the threads which seals against the inside of the stem.

the rod extends just below the upper hole in the stem.

just below the upper hole, the stem either narrows so there can be a seat machined into it like a tapered hole for the end of the rod to go into . . the hole might also remain the same size and a brass seat cold be pressed in stopping at the correct elevation.

either way, the hole in the stem continues down to the lower hole where it stops . . the lower hole could also be located below the worm gear splines on the stem.

the rod could have a tapered end with a fairly steep taper so it would have a fairly wide range of adjustment over a narrow rotation of the adjustment knob.

the single biggest problem i see with the setup i described, is that there should be no air in the system, otherwise there would be some degree of rotation on the bars where there would be no damping.

[barnett468]

.

Like a sleeved insert?

it could have a sleeve or "sealed unit assy", however, one problem with a sealed unit assy, is that the steering neck has two holes in it. . . One for the bolt that locates the piston and one to fill the unit with . . Both of these would need to go thru the sleeve or body of the sealed unit, and unless the steering head was machined and the sealed unit was a press fit, it could leak/weep between the sealed unit body and steering stem . . I’m not saying it isn’t a sealed unit, just that it would have this issue that would need to be addressed.

[El Camexican]

So looking at this thing torn down it would seem that maybe the threaded female section is held in place only by one of the bolts in the steering tube? You would have to install the female section onto the lower triple tree before you push it into the steering head and then secure it from turning with the horizontal bolt that passes through the frame but still allow it to move up and down inside the steering head with the bars as they turn? I guessing that's how it works because it would be impossible to spin the lower tree into the inner tube as it would hit the frame.

Good news is you seem to have found someone willing to share photos. It might also help if you have some compromising photos of that machinist buddy of yours