Boxerworks.com

Did you get a socket with six sides Steve?
Standard socket with 12 points will have little to hang on to a damaged nut.

There is always a six inch, sharp, cold chisel when the going gets rough.
Or an easy out (not cheap shite) through the centre hole.
Or my favourite, explosives.

Also, did you try putting a cheater pipe on that wrench, or better yet, a breaker bar? Those nuts are supposed to be torqued to around 90 ft/lbs, so it will take a mighty heave ho before it lets go... Another thing I don't see mentioned, you should use a counter lever to hold the forks and not rely on the fork stop, or you risk introducing a twist to the forks. Especially important on reassembly... I use two hardened bolts lock nutted in place in the handlebar riser holes as the anchor point and a long crowbar with the curved part against my chest as the counter lever, then you can get some leverage!

Sounds 2 me it's time 4 th cold chisel & new cap bolts... My method = 12pt socket (machined flat) & ($15 Aldi) rattle gun - 100% success so far. And I 2ND th comments re bracing th steering b4 2much grunt is applied -u don't wanna stiction up your nice forks!

DucatiPete wrote:Sounds 2 me it's time 4 th cold chisel & new cap bolts... My method = 12pt socket (machined flat) & ($15 Aldi) rattle gun - 100% success so far. And I 2ND th comments re bracing th steering b4 2much grunt is applied -u don't wanna stiction up your nice forks!

R U drvng & txtng agn?

dougie wrote:

SteveD wrote: Nut made for a catchier title though

Got my attention.

Me too - especially after having just viewed Hard Candy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424136/

Native /5 wrote:

DucatiPete wrote:Sounds 2 me it's time 4 th cold chisel & new cap bolts... My method = 12pt socket (machined flat) & ($15 Aldi) rattle gun - 100% success so far. And I 2ND th comments re bracing th steering b4 2much grunt is applied -u don't wanna stiction up your nice forks!

R U drvng & txtng agn?

nope, walking and texting at that time... (testing out new smart phone)

SteveD wrote:No success, despite making the 6 sided 36mm socket as flat as possible. It needs a strong downforce to stabilize it's position, whilst I'm pushin' sideways on the ratchet.

Steve, I noticed you used the word "ratchet" I don't know about anyone else, aside from using an air impact wrench - while yeah, bet that has "possibilities" it also has the possibility of destroying any chance anything will ever fit on it by utterly destroying the hex in a microsecond.

NO RATCHET - you need a breaker bar of sizable length (and that DOES NOT mean ratchet with a piece of pipe on it either!) and a second can of whoop-ass in the form of something to brace between the center where the steering race nut is and the side of the socket. I'd also say that just from only doing that operation three to four times, a second person would mostly only be useful for wiping sweat from your brow or giving moral support. I'd have no other idea what to do with that person if they were in my garage at the time... There is also a technique that Duane outlines better than I could describe about how you get the best mechanical advantage out of each device with the least likelihood of slipping off. I know what he illustrates is true from two standpoints - my bikes and I already knew how to do this from taking blades off of lawn tractors while eating rotting grass laying on my back under a mower deck... Maybe look at his description of the process if the word "ratchet" was not merely a Freudian slip...

My .02 cents is all... And there may (or likely are) other sites online that describe the same technique, I am just aware of Duane's is all...