Royal Enfield METEOR MINOR STANDARD 1958 Workshop Maintenance Manual page 48

4. Spring
Solo and Sidecar springs are available. The
free length of each is 20.1/2 in. The spring
should be replaced if it has closed by more than
1 in.
5. Reassembly of Parts
When refitting the oil seal, or fitting a new
one, great care must be exercised not to damage
the synthetic rubber lip which forms the actual
seal. If the seal has been removed from the
upper end of the main tube and is refitted from
this end, a special nose piece (Fig. 3) must be
fitted over the end of the tube to prevent the
thread from damaging the oil seal.
The spring stud is a tight fit in the hole at the
lower end of the bottom tube. Once the stud has
been entered in the hole, push the bottom tube
up sharply against the spring until two or three
threads on the stud project beneath the end of
the bottom tube. Now fit the nut and washer and
pull the stud into position by tightening the nut.
If necessary fit the nut first without the washer
until sufficient thread is projecting to enable the
washer to be fitted.
SHOWING THE POSITIONS OF THE CLAMP BOLTS
SECURING THE STEERING STEM AND FORK TUBES
Fig. 4
6. Steering Head Races
The steering head bearing consists of two
deep groove thrust races each containing
nineteen 1/4 in. diameter balls. The bearing is
adjusted by tightening the steering stem locknut
after loosening the ball head clip screw and both
the fork crown clamp bolts. The head should be
OUTER COVER CENTRALISING
BUSHES
adjusted so that, when the front wheel is lifted
clear of the ground, a light tap on the handlebars
will cause the steering to swing to full lock in
either direction, while at the same time there
should be only the slightest trace of play in the
bearings. When testing for freedom of movement
the steering damper, if fitted, should be
disconnected by unscrewing the anchor plate pin.
Do not forget to tighten the ball head clip screw
and fork crown clamp bolts. Before tightening
the latter make sure that the cover tubes are
located centrally round the main tubes so that the
bottom tube does not rub inside the cover tube. A
pair of split bushes (Fig. 5) is useful to ensure
centralisation of the cover tubes.
7. Removal of Complete Fork
The fork complete with front wheel and
mudguard can be removed from the machine if
necessary by adopting the following procedure.
The leads to the lighting switch and ammeter
should be disconnected from the battery,
regulator, tail lamp, etc., at their lower ends or by
means of the plug and socket connectors when
Fig. 5
Section J6 Page 3