Unlike the Suzuki triple clamp I used on Bultakenstein, the Yamaha Venture triples are aluminum. That means that the steel steering stem is simply pressed in, not welded. No grinding needed, or re-welding later; all that’s needed is a couple of visits to the shop press. Also, unlike the Suzuki assembly, the Yamaha stem has to be pressed out downward, out the bottom of the clamp, thanks to a retaining snap ring at the bottom. Luckily, I was able to verify which way it needed to go from other people’s online discussions, so I didn’t screw anything up.
Now I need to make a custom steering stem to fit the diameter and spacing of whatever steering bearings will fit the frame. That will take more careful dimensioning than I have attempted so far, as well as cutting some very fine threads on my lathe, also something I haven’t done before.
