Chokin up on the forks.

[ClarkGriswald]

Hi all, just a quick question cause Im having trouble finding a clear picture to look at .. Ive been noticing the bike sort of leaning to the left a bit, upon closer inspection I see that PO or whoever has the forks sticking up out of the triple tree.. Where are they supposed to be stock? Flush? Anyway one side is higher than the other so theres part of my leaning so Im gonna go outside now and deal with it but was just wondering what was stock and how far can ya go to tweak the steering for the better?.. gotta set em even somewhere might as well lower em I guess.

Im starting to understand what those fork braces are for.. you can turn the steering head and watch the fender move independantly of the tire slightly. Mabye I have something loose but man thats a lot of flex. Probly need some front bearings too. Gonna order new ones soon (except that pesky one)

[ClarkGriswald]

Ok I've been on several rides today just for the heck of it, and its pretty gusty today and I was having a hard time of it. Also a few days ago goin to the beach in the gusty wind, naked bike and im 6'3" and I catch some wind..

Well I had about a 1/4 inch of tube stickin up out of my triple tree before (and about an 1/8 inch more on the left side) that was leaning me a little.. I set em as far down as I could without the caps touchin the bars.. 5/8 inch from the triple tree to the top of the tube (bottom of cap). Took another ride a couple country mile blocks.. leans forward a little but wow does it handle now, I see what yall mean about tipping into a turn better now, and for whatever reason much more stable in the same average wind gusts as earlier.

When I got home I took of my helmet for better hearing and rode around in the yard for a while (heavy rough) If I steer back and forth dramatically I can totally hear the rotors touch caliper both ways under torque-ing. Fine any other time.

Thats all I know so far.

[mro]

Might check your manual for the proper way to install wheels.
Will mention how to adjust (center) one of the calipers on the front too.

Have you ever replaced the fork oil?


mro

[ClarkGriswald]

Was plannin on grabbin some fork sauce tommorow and changing it.
As far as the wheel, its actually really good. When I first got it, it was kinda misaligned and the left one rubbed at some point in its life. I suspect mabye a combo of that and sticky calipers as it stuck on me once when I first started. (before I went thru em). What I was gettin was a twisting of the whole thing as I turned/steered the bars in an exaggerated way in the deep/rough grass. I figured that was some good resistance and it showed something. Im guessing that its a combo of old bearings and just the flexing/twist of those forks.. Now that Ive examined it, im suprised at how floppy it seems To only have the fender supporting that.. Mabye its that the fender is old and getting more flexy? I dont know much bout the front ends on these yet but seems pretty light for such a heavy machine. Once in the gravel driveway (it was wet) my kickstand sunk in and I had the whole bike in my hands, man that was a tense second or two. (Previous blown freeze plug teaches to "breath" ) haha.

I seriously havent gleaned that much fork knowledge yet so, kinda grabbin at common sense for now.

My bike came with a 110 on the front so when I got new rubber I went with a 130-90-17 rear / 110-90-19 front. Thats a lotta front tire so was wondering if mabye someone didnt already set those forks down a bit for that reason?? Compensate for slightly larger tire?? Im askin do people do that?/ For now it seemed to handle better and turn in easy. Not as drifty in the wind. Im guessin im shifting the balance of the bike forward?? Just wondered if anyone had favorite settings they liked .. I might split the difference between the approx 1/4 inch it was at (uneven) and the 5/8 im at now.. mabye 7/16 or so.

Mabye after new juice I'll judge it better.

[mro]

Stock, the forks stick up less than 1/16" beyond the top of the triple tree. If you have air that's on top of that.

TKAT's Fork Brace is highly recommended.
Found here>> http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...threadid=11786
Need to scroll down a bit to find it.

Another mod that you will notice an improvement in handling is new progressive springs for the forks and progressive shocks.

Of course if you have cheep tires above will only help so much.


mro

[ClarkGriswald]

I was lookin at that brace.. do you just order em or do you have to measure all that stuff in the guide? and I just put a new set of spitfire11's on there. they seem ok no probs so far.

I can totally see if you clamp them lower tubes together with that brace.. it would pretty much eliminate that twist im talkin about. Mabye I missed it but I didnt see a price.. Like I say, low budget but I can do little bits at a time and plan for em.

This bike has something like 22k on the speedo. Of course the cable is gone (new one comin any day now). But ya never know how long it was gone. I suspect this bike has seen some action though. Things like the ball on the end of the front brake lever being only about a third of the ball (ground down), gauges seem to be tweaked but I think its just the bracket they are on and I might be able to tweak it back straight when I disassemble it.

The right cover over the alternator shows some scars too as does the timing cover. And of course, diff engine. #1 carb mutilated. I hate to think what may be in her history but tryin to revive her. (hmm starting to seem like Christine)

[Rasputin]

Just send Tkat a message and he will get back to you. He has had both the ones I ordered in stock and I did not measure anything. They were around 90 bucks shipped so they are not that pricey. I did notice a huge difference in my handling on my 79SF but I have not yet ridden the 78E with them yet. She needs some help before i take it out very far from home, if ya know what I mean.

[ClarkGriswald]

She needs some help before i take it out very far from home, if ya know what I mean.

Bigtime!

I keep feeling like I'm doin the "Capn Ron" just take her out on the sea and see what happens hehe..

thanks for the heads up thats a good price. putting that on my list of stuff soon.. Dangit, I know pretty soon I'm going to have to finish polishing those lower forks. Cant be puttin new stuff on shabby dabby corrosion hehe.. (oh my poor scrubbing/polishing stamina, haha)

[mro]

Just go to his page and email him with what model bike you have. (mention your from here (can't hurt )
He should get back to you with a price and availability.

Think Brigstones were the second tires I tried and was impressed how they handled compared to Cheng Shin.
Dunlop's are an improvement over the Brigstones.

Lot depends on how you ride tho.


mro
BTW, your a "big" guy, have any problems with stopping your bike when you want to?

[ClarkGriswald]

I have about half brake pads front and back, I went thru both and have fresh juice but Id like to rebuild the cyl's.. the front one is pretty sun beaten.. mabye a swap. Anyway the brakes work ok, but they arent fingertip. I went thru all 3 calipers/housings and renewed it best ya can, they work as good as they can. Mabye I could adjust them a little tighter.

Definatly will upgrade to stainless and some new pads and probably will be ok..

I find myself lifing my elbows and tensing up my legs while I'm downshifting. I dont know what I think Im about to do but I guess its instinct. My rotors are only slightly groovy pretty good really and I sanded em .

[mro]

I find myself lifing my elbows and tensing up my legs while I'm downshifting. I dont know what I think Im about to do but I guess its instinct.

My daughters used to do that when I was teaching em to drive a cage

SS brake lines be cool. Since I'm not going to be riding my hot rod for awhile been thinking of switching the front SS lines to daily ride. I do a lot of miles on the freeway. While I don't mind splitting lanes, don't care too because I can't stop in time when the traffic snarls.


mro

[ClarkGriswald]

It is kinda anticlimactic to just stop and wait for traffic haha. Ready to pivot around a cone and drop the clutch haha.

[snowdog51]

clarkgriswald

i ran mine with 1 inch sticking tru tripple clamps it work good
bill

[ClarkGriswald]

This is probably the right thread for this so here goes..

Ok over the rainy weekend I took my front end off and brought it inside..

Totally disassembled the forks, and buffed the sliders. Put em back together with new oil, all is well.

I noticed probs before, something weird but obviously ya cant look at the tank or seat and judge which way the bike is facing. My seat is missing a few rubbers underneath ( I have em but they wont stay in the rust holes). Now I got a different seat coming soon (thanks Andreas) so that will help the off kilter feeling. Right now the seat mounts crooked so right there Im sitting on the bike crooked making it lean funny ( a little).

Today was the first time I noticed how bent my handlebars are, the right one is much lower and more stretched out, also the front brake lever is missing 2/3's of the "ball" on the end of the lever. Its ground off in a violent manner.. So I guarantee this bike has seen some action in its life.

Anyway 2 things, #1 if I stand behind the bike and line it up in my mind.. try to make the tripletree/ handlebar clamp like its lined up straight.. if ya stand in front of the bike it looks like its steered to the left quite a bit.. fender doesnt really fit right either..

Other thing is I have a bit of a wandering feel when riding, My steering stem is a little to tight I know that, and I havent been into those bearings yet.. I also havent checked the rear swingarm yet so could be either one. I cant help but think something is tweaked somewhere.. I dont think it is the frame/steering head, but it could very well be in the steering stem or triple tree or both. I dont know.. anyway I got it all back together after much figuring and self frustration. Took her out for a 12 mile ride and it goes straight and doesnt feel like im steering either way but man it sure looks odd when you visually check it.. It was nice to try out my new speedo cable which came the other day just as the big rain began.. So that works..

What are the hot handlebars for these bikes?? I think I'll just buy new bearings/races for the steering head and some new bars and do that job as one. (gives me a chance to get some black paint on the lower clamps.).

Heres the ole girl as she sets with her newly cleaned forks.

[planedick]

Wheel installation

When installing the front wheel it's best to loosen everything between the axel bolt and the handlebars, including the triple tree. Install the wheel and tighten the axel nut first, then the axel clamp, next the T-kat brace then the lower triple tree followed by the top of the triple tree.