Aluminium top yoke fitting

[alan.moore]

Trial assembly of the forks, alloy top yoke with Speedo hole. Headlamp shrouds tapered at top to fit into top yoke. When assembled without the anti rattle rubbers and washer on top of shrouds the underside of the tope yoke steering stem hole sits against the steel washer that sits on top of the steering bearing adjustment nuts. This is how I would expect it to fit i.e no gap between underside of yoke and stem nuts/washer(the presence of the washer shown in the parts list would support the yoke fitting against the adjusting nuts)
But with the rubbers fitted there is a gap under the yoke which does not seem right.
Can anyone shed any light on whether a gap as described is correct.
Cheers
Alan

[Roger Gwynn]

Is that with everything tightened up as the rubber on top of the shrouds will compress and I think that is the only thing you have changed?

[alan.moore]

Roger....yes that's with it tightened up. The addition of the rubber and washers lifts the yoke up off the stem double nuts.

[will_curry]

The top yoke shouldn't touch the two nuts which adjust the steering head.

The yoke should be a snug fit on the top part of the stem. If the adjusting
nuts are proud of the thread on which they sit there is a good chance you
have BSA and not Ariel steering head bearing fitted.

[Simon.Gardiner]

.... that's with it tightened up. The addition of the rubber and washers lifts the yoke up off the stem double nuts.

Alan: I think the rubber and washers will lift the yoke up by some way. The rubber washers get crushed down considerably, especially when they're new. You might need to have the fork legs in place (and set a bit low in the bottom yoke) and use the top nuts to help pull the top yoke down.
When you say tightened up, is it tightened 'firm' or tightened completely, absolutely and finally!

SG

[alan.moore]

Thanks will and Simon for the info.
Head bearings are correct Ariel and double nuts fit onto stem correctly.
And yes it's tightened properly.
What I don't get is that the parts book and drags diagrams both show function. H113-51 that sits on top of the double nuts. If the yoke sits with a gap between the underside and the nuts with the rubbers in this washer has no function.
Also the top of the steering stem sits just below the upper surface of top yoke without rubbers, which appears to be correct as the yoke is the clamped between the double nuts and the stem nut. With rubbers this is not the case.
Just trying to understand from an engineering aspect the reason for that washer if there is a gap
Enough rambling for now....got to get on with it

[Simon.Gardiner]

Alan
There shouldn't be any gap above or below the washer on the steering stem, the top yoke tightens down onto it. Your description of how it goes together when the anti-rattle rubbers aren't in place is correct.
There has to be a problem around the way the anti-rattle rubbers and washers are sitting. It's difficult to see properly but it your pic it looks as if the top yoke is too elevated at the front, over the headlamp shrouds.
For info, a quick measurement from the top of the bottom yoke to the bottom of the top yoke (ie along the visible height of the shroud) on my VH is almost dead on 7" (might just be a smidge over). The position of the lower edge of the top yoke could well vary between bikes so that measurement might not be dependable but it might help indicate whether you're a long way out or not.

SG

[will_curry]

As I understand it, H113-51 was intended to provide some protection
for the alloy of the top yoke where it bore down on the change in diameter
of the steering stem and wasn't needed with the earlier steel yokes.

[alan.moore]

Simon
Ah....the length of my shrouds is 7 1/4 inches so that's quite a difference from yours. They came in the boxes of bits. Could be BSA? That's probably why it doesn't fit right.
Thanks
Alan

[Simon.Gardiner]

Alan - not sure if I'm mis-reading you, but the measurement I've given isn't the full length of the shroud, it the distance between the yokes with shrouds fitted.
Full length of an unfitted shroud that I've got is 7 5/16".
(So the top 1/4" of the shroud should disappear into the top yoke even with the anti-rattle rubbers and washers fitted,)

SG