[Tom Wells]

Dirk,

I endorse the elimination of any sloppy or unnecessary joints in the steering. As Rog says, the difference can be dramatic.

In my case, the original E-M design involved three steel u-joints and a pillow block bearing to locate the center shaft.

From the steering wheel there is a short shaft and a u-joint, followed by another short shaft and a second u-joint; this second shaft was supported by a pillow block bearing since it had a u-joint at each end. Then a third short shaft connects to the rack via a third u-joint.

Kinda like this:

------(X)-------(X)------(X)-|
Strg
Wheel - - - - - - - - - - - - - rack

After the mod, the center u-joint is gone, leaving something like this:

------(X)----------------(X)-|
Strg
Wheel - - - - - - - - - - - - - rack

The original steering layout was designed to clear the headers for a side exhaust setup. I have the undercar exhaust so the clearance was fine with a one-piece steering shaft. Something to assess before you start changing things.

If you have a rag joint anywhere, substituting a steel joint can likely offer improved steering accuracy.

None of this has anything to do with how quick the steering is, as requested by andyl in his original post....

Tom