Headrace Removal

... with a sharp-edged drift at an angle which will usually catch the inner edge of the race which does protrude slightly. The usual advice is to run a bead of electric weld around the race which causes it to drop out and shouldn't damage the paintwork.

You do need to change them as there are slight indications of brinelling.

I have long  managed to grease the head bearings of  several bikes using  foaming spray grease  from halfords  . The long tube allows  the grease to be applied accurately at several points , it  flushes out grit  and solidifies  to protect and lubricate . Grease applied by gun usually just finds the path of least resistance  and misses the rest.

I had the same prob, Mark, Tried everything including walloping with a sharp edged implement from below after heat gun application. No joy. Gave up in the end so would be delighted to hear of any further solutions

Not something I'd like to do, but it could be cut using a slitting disc in a Dremmel. But to go all the way through would do some damage.  I would not like to see a notch in the headstock tube. The prewar ones had a convenient grease nipple.

The easiest way if you have the equipment is to MIG weld a bar across the bearing. There is a good chance that it will drop out due to the expansion and contraction, but if not then you have something to put a drift onto from behind.

I've not actually used this but may be worth considering.  From plumbers merchants you can buy cans of spray to freeze water pipes so that repairs can be made to the system without draining down the pipework. 

Otherwise Ian's advice with the a ring of weld to contract the bearing as it cools would work.  I like Richard's suggestion as well.  But both of these need welding equipment.

Good luck with this.

Mine came out fairly easily on the 99,but I probably had the frame  supported so the force was not dissapated  with the frame springing. Am going to do the Atlas ones  soon so am also  interested.

.. had much success with those freezing sprays myself.

This I found to be a very time consuming job.. I have just this week [over several days] replaced the head races on my pre featherbed model 50.  Very hard to budge, but I knocked the top one out by drifting underneath and then using the socket to drift the bottom one out.  I found gently warming with a hair dryer helped.  That was the easy bit!  Very difficult to drift the new ones in as again very tight and must be kept square.  I now find that when play is just taken up then the bars no longer swing freely.  Any suggestions?

Many years ago I used to make the correct tools for Churchills for the Trade. Very expensive to buy, so it was a ground off socket extension and two pound hammer. Easy to get back in with two steel discs and a length of five eigths inch unf studding and two nuts. The Pump for the Hydrolastic BMC cars was £40 trade, very popular in those days, motorcyclists were spendthrifts, hence the big hammer and chisel!