I have a 208 Mastiff. I removed the triple trees and completly disassembled them. Sent them in to get chromed at Meclec in Calfornia.. I have received them back from Meclec. I reinstalled the trees per the Big Dog workshop manual. The problem is that I cannot get the fork tubes to line back up with the upper tree. I slide them up thru the lower tree. But once I get them up to the top tree they will not line up with the holes. Both fork tubes are about 5/8 of a hole off. I have assembled the trees/forks on the bench and everything lines up ok. But when I assemble them on the bike with the steering neck bearings installed, the tubes will not line up. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
Fork tubes will not line up in the triple trees after chroming----Help!!!!
- Thread starter SSCHANKE
- Start date
erldawg
Guru
Post a picture...That's the weirdest thing
I would not tighten the trees on the bottom until I had the tubes installed. You will have to set the fall away anyway so try that. If it lines up on the bench it has to line up on the bike too. My two cents, but I may be right.
Carlos
Carlos
don't know shit about shit, but here goes. are you sure you have them both right side up?
see, i told you i didn't know shit about shit.
see, i told you i didn't know shit about shit.
Do one of two things:
1. Saw a bolt down the middle. Lay a bunch of sheet 400 or 600 grit sand paper into the slit. Roll the papers up, jam it into the holes. Turn the drill on; keep 'sanding d'ah flow' till the leg part fits in or slides in. Take anti seize, wipe the walls kind of before everything sides in place? See where the leg stops in the leg? Drop it down, wipe anti-seize on that area(s), slide the fork back up; I think you dropped enough astroglide in the right area, see it slide right up there?
2. The other option is to buy a porting tool kit. This comes with glued cylinders that are graded in sanding grids, cone shapes, or straight barrel looking sanding cylinders. They are much stronger and cut faster with a hand drill or air type porting tool. You just want the drill adapter that shoves up the cylinder's tight curled cylinder. Run the same smoothing out of the clearance with this faster cutting tool.
1. Saw a bolt down the middle. Lay a bunch of sheet 400 or 600 grit sand paper into the slit. Roll the papers up, jam it into the holes. Turn the drill on; keep 'sanding d'ah flow' till the leg part fits in or slides in. Take anti seize, wipe the walls kind of before everything sides in place? See where the leg stops in the leg? Drop it down, wipe anti-seize on that area(s), slide the fork back up; I think you dropped enough astroglide in the right area, see it slide right up there?
2. The other option is to buy a porting tool kit. This comes with glued cylinders that are graded in sanding grids, cone shapes, or straight barrel looking sanding cylinders. They are much stronger and cut faster with a hand drill or air type porting tool. You just want the drill adapter that shoves up the cylinder's tight curled cylinder. Run the same smoothing out of the clearance with this faster cutting tool.
That is the re-chroming part of the scenario. Here comes the, "I forgot to tell you" part of the post:
What is the history of this upper and lower crown assembly? Call it a triple tree, it is two parts that assemble the forks, right? Well, yeah, I forgot to tell you I bought them off ebay. I did not read the description about the part of it being thrown away, I just needed a front end. Why? Did I just blow all that money I could have bought a new set without the 5/8" inch gap it won't go in place?
A. No, ya sap, The X to Y is fine. I can't push one up, it hangs down about 5/8th of an inch. Hey, that clearance might work the 5/8th up there.
B. No, he is saying the 5/8" inch is one fork bangs that distance off from the hole, not dead center, he can't even start it, the front end is so bent.
Which is it?
What is the history of this upper and lower crown assembly? Call it a triple tree, it is two parts that assemble the forks, right? Well, yeah, I forgot to tell you I bought them off ebay. I did not read the description about the part of it being thrown away, I just needed a front end. Why? Did I just blow all that money I could have bought a new set without the 5/8" inch gap it won't go in place?
A. No, ya sap, The X to Y is fine. I can't push one up, it hangs down about 5/8th of an inch. Hey, that clearance might work the 5/8th up there.
B. No, he is saying the 5/8" inch is one fork bangs that distance off from the hole, not dead center, he can't even start it, the front end is so bent.
Which is it?
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BigDogBro1
Made in the USA
Having the tubes line up on the bench with the trees is not the same as on the bike due to having the third locating point (the neck bearings).
Woodbutcher has a point "don't know shit about shit, but here goes. are you sure you have them both right side up?"
Check on the bench that with the tubes installed that the neck bolt holes on the upper/lower trees are concentric as well.
Check your neck bearing assembly to be correct.
Did you replace the neck bearings? IF SO, did you get the outer bearing races seated flat? Having a tilted outer race will caues the tree to misalign if you already have the neck bolt tightened down abit.
Woodbutcher has a point "don't know shit about shit, but here goes. are you sure you have them both right side up?"
Check on the bench that with the tubes installed that the neck bolt holes on the upper/lower trees are concentric as well.
Check your neck bearing assembly to be correct.
Did you replace the neck bearings? IF SO, did you get the outer bearing races seated flat? Having a tilted outer race will caues the tree to misalign if you already have the neck bolt tightened down abit.
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oldmutt
Active Member
I did my fork seals about a month ago and when I went to put the tubes back together I had the same thing. My neck bearing felt fine so I did not touch them. Mine tubes were only off about 1/16" so I just wedged the lower tree open and lightly forced them together. My front end was never apart before so this is the way it came from BD. I have since put on 500 miles and all is well. I remember an post by Raywood a few years ago were he said something about forcing your front wheel against a wall with all of the bolts backed off so everything will self align and then tightening in a certain order. I do not remember the order but maybe you could search it.
RRRUFF
Well-Known Member
I would not tighten the trees on the bottom until I had the tubes installed. You will have to set the fall away anyway so try that. If it lines up on the bench it has to line up on the bike too. My two cents, but I may be right.
Carlos
:2thumbs: X2
True dat!If it lines up on the bench it has to line up on the bike too. My two cents, but I may be right. Carlos
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEkbdRiT4So]Motorcycle front fork axle setup universal.wmv - YouTube[/ame]
You do not line up forks in a tree. You line up the axle to the X-[staked fork] to the Y-[float the fork] so Z flies out the hole are you Square-Triangulatedat-Shit.