Originally Posted by
adlai
oh okay. I was under the impression that the little star-shaped thing inside the fork had to be removable. So just lubricate them and done? no ball bearings toworry about either?
yes, consider the starnut a permanent part of the fork, whose only job is to provide a fixed point for the top cap screw to attach to.
And no, there are ball bearing assemblies, which is what you're lubricating, depending on the headset model they're either loose balls in retainers (make sure not to flip over) or cartridge bearing units, which for all practical purposes are not serviceable, except for the fork or bearing play adjustment.
Keep track of the sequence and orientation of the parts if you disassemble the headset, and follow the primers offered by Park Tool or Sheldon Brown at their sites.