feeling like a novice! - grease gun won't load and work???

[StephenG80]

no - its retained by a rivet, so not easily serviceable. The new one works fie though. Have you any words of wisdom Rob in relation as to whether I should just keep on putting grease in the head stock?

[Rob Harknett]

Go by the book, I usually pump until I see grease come out head bearings

[SPRIDDLER]

started on the two nipples on the steering head and have put in an awful lot of grease but still no sign of old grease starting to emerge on the far side of the bearing (at which point I would stop putting grease in). So, do I just need to keep pumping until I see some movement of old grease being displaced and just presume the previous owner did not pact the cavity that stem goes through? -what do other people do?

I've only put in about 2 possibly 3 pumps of the gun to each nipple, less frequently than about once a year. I've never seen grease appear and I guess you would have to fill the entire frame front loop first.
If you're greasing the hubs, go easy as there are no 'proper' seals and it could easily contaminate the brake linings. My modern trigger type 'Wanner' gun doesn't fit through the hole in the front brake backplate so I have to use an old-fashioned telescoping type of grease gun.

[StephenG80]

thanks for the hub tip Spriddler

[clive]

Where is the grease nipple that you are trying to pump grease into the bearings? Many people fit a grease nipple to the threaded hole in the headstock but this was originally there to take a screw which held a small plate to trap the speedo cable, when the speedo was mounted separately to the headlight. Cannot see how the nipple could grease the bearing unless the entire headstock and possible top tube were full of grease. It's a job to be done with the forks apart and then forgotten in my view.

[SPRIDDLER]

There are two on my '54 G3LS. I know the balls were packed with grease on assembly (about ten years ago) as it's the only way to stop them from falling out when refitting the forks.

Headstock nipples marked.jpg

The '54 spares list shows both.......

Nipple. Grease. For frame lug..JPG

Nipple. Grease. For h'bar lug.JPG

[StephenG80]

yup - those are the same on mine - I can't see that the stock column is open to the frame- so presumably if I pump enough grease in, eventually it will start to refresh the bearings.

[Rob Harknett]

Grease will come out on my bikes. On my old prewar bikes, I see grease coming out from almost all points. Headstock, Fork links, Rockers, brake arms, footbrake, kick starter etc in fact everything I think, accept wheel bearings.

[56G80S]

I also don't go mad on the grease gun, particularly the wheel bearings. They're still the same ones that were in when I bought the Matchless in the mid 70's. The brakes work (!?!)

Just for amusement value, the trailer that I pull with the Matchless needed replacement bearings. But the seals didn't fit. In haste to go to last year's IJR I put them in without and put the grease gun in the trailer and gave them a shot every day. Grease all over the bottom of the trailer but the bearings are fine.

Johnny B
PS Didn't have time to photo the "vintage" grease guns; maybe later in the week.

[Rob Harknett]

I also don't go mad on the grease gun, particularly the wheel bearings. They're still the same ones that were in when I bought the Matchless in the mid 70's. The brakes work (!?!)

Just for amusement value, the trailer that I pull with the Matchless needed replacement bearings. But the seals didn't fit. In haste to go to last year's IJR I put them in without and put the grease gun in the trailer and gave them a shot every day. Grease all over the bottom of the trailer but the bearings are fine.

Johnny B
PS Didn't have time to photo the "vintage" grease guns; maybe later in the week.

Do not forget trailer bearings will throw grease outwards. So you end up with a hub cap full of grease. This will look like you have plenty of grease in the bearings. Take the wheel off, you may find the inner bearings dry. I once had to replace two inner bearings years ago. So I now look more often, also swap the bearings round, so inner becomes the outer. I have also found after standing. bottoms of bearing well greased, tops of bearings dry and starting to rust. So now is the time to check out the trailer bearings, in time for Jampot. After a lesson learned, I have never had to replace any more trailer bearings,