Checking fall-away

[Ernie12]

Hey guys , I am putting my front end back together and trying to check fall away. I can get the non-caliber side to fall at 2 inches but the caliber side wants to fall almost right away. I have to tighten the stem nut pretty tight for the caliber side to fall around 2 inches but then the other side wont fall until around 3 inches. It seems I just cant get both sides close to fall at around the same mark.

I had to take off the clutch cable from the handle bars because it was interfering but I still get the same results.
I read several manuals and they say to loosen the stem nut but then both sides fall hard right away.

Raise the bike
take off clutch cable
take out set screw
loosen lower triple tree pinch screws
I even took off the brake line guide on the triple tree.

Its really heavy to the caliber side.

test then loosen or tighten triple tree cap nut to set adjustment.


Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

 

[SEAL-rider]

You don't need to loosen the lower triple tree pinch screws to set the fall away. After putting your front end back together, how did you align the front end? You need to do that first. Old school way Curtis uses takes two people. Loosen entire front end. Start the bike and drive it into a corner making sure to enter the corner completely straight and completely loading the front end. Apply both brakes and clutch maintaining the load on the front end. Then the second person shuts off the bike and begins tightening the front end from the bottom alternating sides with a torque wrench. Once this is done you can release the bike from the corner, put on the jack and set the fall away with only the triple tree nut. Then Locktite the set screw. I have done this several times with Curtis including on my bike and it tracks perfectly with no wobble to 110 mph.

 

[Ernie12]

Is there another way to align the front end?

 

[BWG56]

Hey guys , I am putting my front end back together and trying to check fall away. I can get the non-caliber side to fall at 2 inches but the caliber side wants to fall almost right away. I have to tighten the stem nut pretty tight for the caliber side to fall around 2 inches but then the other side wont fall until around 3 inches. It seems I just cant get both sides close to fall at around the same mark.

I had to take off the clutch cable from the handle bars because it was interfering but I still get the same results.
I read several manuals and they say to loosen the stem nut but then both sides fall hard right away.

Raise the bike
take off clutch cable
take out set screw
loosen lower triple tree pinch screws
I even took off the brake line guide on the triple tree.

Its really heavy to the caliber side.

test then loosen or tighten triple tree cap nut to set adjustment.


Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

I would say not to over think this unless you had the whole front end off. Real world riding is going to have the clutch cable and brake line guide connected, right? So split the difference between the 2" and 3" to maybe 1-1/2" and 2-1/2" and go riding.

 

[Ernie12]

I would say not to over think this unless you had the whole front end off. Real world riding is going to have the clutch cable and brake line guide connected, right? So split the difference between the 2" and 3" to maybe 1-1/2" and 2-1/2" and go riding.

Yes I had the whole front end off except for the triple tree. I just replaced the fork seals and bushings. The front end looks true but I know it cant be aligned like it should be.

 

[Sven]

BWG pretty much said it. It's more legal mombojumbo, or another way of saying, 'Dude! The fuck you binding the bearings for?' So if you think, X is the up and down and I want zero up and down at the upper and lower crowns. Y is the back and forth of not taking up the gap or knocking. The Z stands for, when I torque the center bolt/nut, be it designed on the bottom, or the nut is at the top, Z means zero play and no race is cocked when the clearance is taken up, or no ball is smashed up against the race as it swaps ends.

Let's assume the chapter for any front end work is where it says you replaced the races. Why would there be a fall-over test? Imaging installing the races and one was not sent home, but one side is still sitting off the recess. See how if you move the crown, the gap taken up, and now the front end stops and does not have full range lock to lock?

In other words the thought is, somewhere in the middle of zero knock and no ball to race drag. So look at the spirals of both the nut and bolt. You tighten that bolt/nut, you bring the spirals up/down in the one direction. You caused the crown to drag not thinking of the draw-up of the threads and that clearance adding to now a bind/drag at the ball to race.

There's a two-step procedure to the front end assembly:
1. Tighten the one fork at the lower crown. Tighten the other fork at the upper crown. Torque the crown's center nut/bolt. Then swing for race rise, ball to race bind = Period. This is not rocket science.
2. Torque the one fork to the crown assy. Float the other fork so the axle spins or slides thru the other fork, by manipulating the fork to ride up or down till you find the least amount of drag spinning the axle in both forks. Keep all the shit off the forks when race swing testing.

Make sense that's all you're doing?

 

[FrankBDPS]

I would say not to over think this unless you had the whole front end off. Real world riding is going to have the clutch cable and brake line guide connected, right? So split the difference between the 2" and 3" to maybe 1-1/2" and 2-1/2" and go riding.

I agree. Don't over think it. Set it and take it for a short ride. You will know if it is right by the way it feels. Good luck.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

That caliper side is obviously heavier I've noticed the same, they just can't be spot on equal.

I also prefer my steering on the tighter side of the fallaway adjustment....just saying there is a preference as well



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[Ernie12]

Ok guys thanks for the input. I will adjust them close enough and forget about it if rides ok.