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[flexydude]

the front end was clunking, i suspected the brake caliper so i took it in to the dealer for other issues too, and they found the steering head loose. They charged me 80$ to tighten them up. When i rode it yesterday it was hard to turn and keep in a straight line, they tightened them too much, but the clunking was gone. I loosened the jam nut a little to free up the steering , but now the clunk is back so the bearings must be bad and should be replaced under warranty. The bike has less than 4000 miles on it

[Kocho]

What model and mosel year is your bike?

[MrDude_1]

I would go get the $80 back if the bike was under warranty...

yes. You now need new steering head bearings.
Each time it clunks, its slamming the bearing into its race.. this makes little flatspots and divots. so even when its tightened properly, it will have a little "notch" where straight is.

The proper fix for this is pulling the forks, replacing the steering head bearings completely, and then tightening the stem to spec... not "tight enough" as done by hand.
On older non-sealed bearing bikes, I even take the extra step of snugging it up first, then rocking them back and forth a bunch of times so the grease doesnt mess with the tension.

[Richard230]

My 2014 Zero S came from the factory with steering bearings that were obviously too tight. It would wander from side to side when traveling in a straight line.  So I loosened the lock nut and then loosened the adjusting ring, located under the upper triple clamp (using hammer and a thin punch to turn the ring), about 1/8 turn. After tightening the lock nut, everything has been hunky dory ever since.   

[Kocho]

A little unrelated, but since we are talking about the same components: my handlebars are ever so slightly turned to the right when the wheel is pointed straight and it bothers me. What is the proper procedure to straighten them without affecting the tightness of the bearing? Do I jus loosen the nut on top, straighten the handlebars to be square with the wheel/fork, tighten the nut, or is there something else to do?

[flexydude]

i have tried adjusting the slotted nut and the upper jam nut but can't find the right tightness that allows smooth steering without the clunking. I wonder if dealer overtightened it and cause damage to the bearings and races. it is a local dealer, 1 hour drive away. The dealer i bought it from in phoenix, 2 hours away says he will take care of it, just gotta get it up there, a miserable drive hauling the trailer, then drive back. then when done doing it over again.

[Richard230]

A little unrelated, but since we are talking about the same components: my handlebars are ever so slightly turned to the right when the wheel is pointed straight and it bothers me. What is the proper procedure to straighten them without affecting the tightness of the bearing? Do I jus loosen the nut on top, straighten the handlebars to be square with the wheel/fork, tighten the nut, or is there something else to do?

Try loosening the handlebar clamp screws and see if you can straighten out the bars.  If the bar will move a little in the direction that you want, then tighten up the screws and that might help.  If it doesn't, then either the bar is slightly bent or maybe the wheel is not straight in the forks.  That could be resolved by loosening the fork clamp screws, with the wheel supported off the ground, then try to move the wheel slightly and re-tighten the clamp screws to the specified torque (whatever that is).

[Kocho]

Are you saying that there is no adjustment to center the bars relative to the fork?

A little unrelated, but since we are talking about the same components: my handlebars are ever so slightly turned to the right when the wheel is pointed straight and it bothers me. What is the proper procedure to straighten them without affecting the tightness of the bearing? Do I jus loosen the nut on top, straighten the handlebars to be square with the wheel/fork, tighten the nut, or is there something else to do?

Try loosening the handlebar clamp screws and see if you can straighten out the bars.  If the bar will move a little in the direction that you want, then tighten up the screws and that might help.  If it doesn't, then either the bar is slightly bent or maybe the wheel is not straight in the forks.  That could be resolved by loosening the fork clamp screws, with the wheel supported off the ground, then try to move the wheel slightly and re-tighten the clamp screws to the specified torque (whatever that is).

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

This is why you shouldn't derail threads. We're going to spend a lot of time just trying to figure out what you're asking (or you figure out what we're trying to tell you) and lose track of the original problem that sounds potentially more critical.

Are you saying that there is no adjustment to center the bars relative to the fork?

A little unrelated, but since we are talking about the same components: my handlebars are ever so slightly turned to the right when the wheel is pointed straight and it bothers me. What is the proper procedure to straighten them without affecting the tightness of the bearing? Do I jus loosen the nut on top, straighten the handlebars to be square with the wheel/fork, tighten the nut, or is there something else to do?

Try loosening the handlebar clamp screws and see if you can straighten out the bars.  If the bar will move a little in the direction that you want, then tighten up the screws and that might help.  If it doesn't, then either the bar is slightly bent or maybe the wheel is not straight in the forks.  That could be resolved by loosening the fork clamp screws, with the wheel supported off the ground, then try to move the wheel slightly and re-tighten the clamp screws to the specified torque (whatever that is).

[Richard230]

Are you saying that there is no adjustment to center the bars relative to the fork?

A little unrelated, but since we are talking about the same components: my handlebars are ever so slightly turned to the right when the wheel is pointed straight and it bothers me. What is the proper procedure to straighten them without affecting the tightness of the bearing? Do I jus loosen the nut on top, straighten the handlebars to be square with the wheel/fork, tighten the nut, or is there something else to do?

Try loosening the handlebar clamp screws and see if you can straighten out the bars.  If the bar will move a little in the direction that you want, then tighten up the screws and that might help.  If it doesn't, then either the bar is slightly bent or maybe the wheel is not straight in the forks.  That could be resolved by loosening the fork clamp screws, with the wheel supported off the ground, then try to move the wheel slightly and re-tighten the clamp screws to the specified torque (whatever that is).

Not on my 2014 S.  However, like Brian indicates, you might want to start a separate thread about your issue in order to obtain a wider range of responses.  Don't forget to mention what year and model Zero that you own. They may be different from year to year in the way the bars are attached to the bike.