Front wheel problems

Energy One

ChuckRB05

Active Member
A month back I noticed my wheel was moving sideways causing my front brakes to feel funny. Actually that's how I figured out my front wheel was moving in the first place. Since the bike was still under warrantee then, I took it in to have it checked out. The tech just put a shim in and told me the set screw had worn the spacer which was causing the wheel to shift back and forth.
The wheel still moves back and forth, just not enough to effect the breaks. You can can even hear the wheel assembly shift when you turn the handle bars back in forth. I put the bike up on the jack yesterday to get the wheel off the ground, and I could move the wheel a good 1/16" (maybe less) or so laterally. You can also move the spacer on the right side back and forth towards the wheel.
I don't feel this situation effecting the ride or balance...yet. Anyone else run into this situation...especially the choppers and ridgebacks since we have the small front wheels and huge spacers.
 
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Raywood

The Pirate
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Troop Supporter
I don't think there should be any movement in there. I haven't had my front wheel of in some time but remember squeezing in the front forks before tightening down on the pinch bolts.
Later,
Ray
 

ChuckRB05

Active Member
re

So I should loosen the two pinch bolts first, squeeze the forks together then re-torque. I couldn't find any torque specs in the service manual. Do those 2 pinch bolts take blue locktite? Thanks.

Chuck
 

LDO

The Cleaner
Troop Supporter
Yeah Chuck, what Ray and Sul said. Definitely don't ride the thing that way. Everytime you feel/hear the wheel shift, it's slamming the spacer against the bearing races and that ain't good.

I noticed that my forks were bowed out after Ray and I re-installed the wheels on my Mastiff. Took a tie down strap and wrapped it around the fork legs to get everything up against the spacers.

Good luck.

Oh yeah, find another shop! Nobody that cares would send someone back out on the road with a front wheel issue.:down:
 

ChuckRB05

Active Member
re

I apologize a head of time for the dumb question following this sentence.

I haven't taken my front wheel off the bike before and it's different from my old bikes. The Axle slides out from the caliper side...so I hold the the hex bolt on the right side and uncrew hex on the caliper side? All this after I have loosened the 2 pinch bolts?
 

ChuckRB05

Active Member
re

Yesterday I took out and cleaned the pinch bolts and used a tie-down strap to pull the fork legs together while tightning the bolts back up. I'm pretty sure that the spacers are not suppose to be turning with the wheel. I can hold w/ my hand and push the right spacer towards the left side and the wheel will turn nicely by itself, so this tells me I either need a new spacer or I need to go pick up some shims. Any Autoparts store should have shims right?
 

Raywood

The Pirate
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Chuck, I agree with Sul. There shouldn't be that much play in there. Did you have the front wheel serviced by the dealer? They may have put the wrong spacer back in.
I would definitely get the proper sized spacer to tighten everything up.

Good luck,
Ray:flag:
 

ChuckRB05

Active Member
chuck, its strange that the spacers are now short. must've been this way from day 1? could the extra space be bearing failure? i dont buy the spacer "wear" theory from the dealer.

with the fender oem mounted the tubes should be straight. you shouldn't pull it any more or you'll have some amount of fork bind. i'd loosen the axle, center the wheel to the fender, then measure what you need to add to each spacer, then order full piece spacers.
It hasn't been doing this from day 1. I believe it was a gradual thing or a different sized spacer could have been put it after a service and I just didn't catch it, because the movement is only noticable when still and turning the handerbars all the way to the right then left. It was really bad before they shimmed it...so bad that it was effecting the front brakes. The first thing they checked were the bearings and the tech told me they were fine. He said the the spacer wore down and that he just put a shim between the spacer and the right fork leg. I can see it and it's just not big enough..needs another 1/16" shim.
 

ChuckRB05

Active Member
re

This axle is hard to get out. I'm doing what you said Sul....leaving a little thread on the caliper side nut and whacking it with the rubber mallet. How hard do you have to hit it in order to get it to budge?
 
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ChuckRB05

Active Member
re

I did get the wheel off last night... (Thanks for your Help Sul and everyone) I just had to lower the jack just a little more. Once the axle was out I raised the jack and the wheel slid right out. I definately need a new right-side spacer. After the wheel was out I noticed that the brake pads came together and stuck. The brake lever has no resistance either. I didn't see or hear anything after the rotor slipped out of the caliper. Should I have taken the Break pads off before the wheel?
 
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ChuckRB05

Active Member
re

Wheel is back on now...I decided to see what would happen if I flipped the spacers. The axle was a bitch to get back on by myself but once I got it though, I snugged down the pinch bolts, snugged the axle bolt, torqued the pinch bolts to 18 ftlbs then torqued the axle bolt to 50 ftlbs. Spacers are snug now and everything is back to normal.
 

Raywood

The Pirate
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Wheel is back on now...I decided to see what would happen if I flipped the spacers. The axle was a bitch to get back on by myself but once I got it though, I snugged down the pinch bolts, snugged the axle bolt, torqued the pinch bolts to 18 ftlbs then torqued the axle bolt to 50 ftlbs. Spacers are snug now and everything is back to normal.
Chuck, if you have had your front end serviced by the dealer then I would see them and make them give you new spacers and possibly lower legs if any groves have been cut in them. I would check to see if the bushings in the rotor are worn and have them replaced also. If you can rotate the rotors back and forth in the direction the tire turns then they are worn and need replaced. The offset spacers would have caused this.
Glad you got it figured out and back together.

Later,
Ray
 

ChuckRB05

Active Member
good job chuck. does the wheel look centered to the fender? clean and loctite the bolts? it gives piece of mind especially at 80 mph!
Wheel looks centered and tracks well. I cleaned all the bolts. However I only put loctite on the pinch bolts. I put antiseize on the axle bolt. I have some build your own kit bike dvds and the guy putting together this BYOB kit did it this way. Thanks for your help.


Chuck, if you have had your front end serviced by the dealer then I would see them and make them give you new spacers and possibly lower legs if any groves have been cut in them. I would check to see if the bushings in the rotor are worn and have them replaced also. If you can rotate the rotors back and forth in the direction the tire turns then they are worn and need replaced. The offset spacers would have caused this.
Glad you got it figured out and back together.

Later,
Ray
The legs have small insets for the spacers but I hope that is supposed to be there. The only thing that wore were the spacers. There is a possibility that the last time the wheel was serviced that the tech didn't tighten things down correctly. I'll have to check the rotors...thanks for your help.

You guys are going to think this is funny but when my warrantee ran out I decided to take this course at this online career school at http://www.pennfoster.edu/motorcycle/index.html on motorcycle repair. It's 600 bucks, go at your own pace. I figured what the heck, I'm not that mechanically inclined on bikes and 600 bucks could pay for itself really quick. There is homework and tests...the whole spheel. You also get a set of tools. You have to learn how to fix metics also. I'm about 3 weeks in.
 
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