front brake and fork problem

When I got my bike I noticed the bars were a little off. The right side was back a little bit. I put new bars on and found that was not the problem. When I redid the front wheel last winter it was hard to get the wheel back on because the axle wasn't lining up with the forks. So now I got new forks that were supposed to be for an A model and the axle still won't line up with the grove. So now I'm thinking the tripple clamps are bent. I was going to replace the bearings this winter anyway and a new set is cheap so thats no big deal. The problem I'm having is the calipr doesn't fit on these forks. I think they might be LTD forks or maybe off of some other year of bike. It looks like the mounting holes for the caliper are about a half inch higher on the bottom leg of the forks. Of course that raises the caliper and means I would need the larger rotor. Anyone know the difference in the lower legs? I'm thinking I need to switch to an LTD rotor and caliper. Going back to the old forks is not an option because I rebuilt the new ones and had them powdercoated. Besides the LTD rotor is drilled and looks better and I will be able to get rid of the hard brakeline if the ltd stuff fits.

donthekawguy wrote:

.... So now I'm thinking the tripple clamps are bent. ...

You can check the upper triple on a glass table to see if it rocks.

Are the new forks for a single disk setup or dual disk?
Same question for the old.

My 81 650 is a single disk & it's rotor is bigger than those on a 750-4 which is dual disk (the dual disk calipers are lower on the fork legs).

this is off topic a tad....but...relates...i'm sure this is known by many and may or may not help in the first situation you described don...before the parts swithching...anyway.....


when these old tubbs have a good slide- bump -stop,or when they take a good front end jolt...they sometimes get tweaked without bending or breaking anything...or if bent somewhere a touch can be fixed by.......loosening all triple clamp to fork bolts till just snug enough to keep forks barley pinched then loosen the top clamps nuts a tad...especialy the one by the tank.....then,,, walk the bike up to a wall that juts out...fin wall/garrage door wall ect..place the front tire/rim against the wall pinned in the direction you think it's out..and sitting on the bike torque the bars to staighten the front end ...hold it while a buddy snuggs the bolts and take it for a spin....worked for me more than once,as i used to crash quiet often....

i check all bikes i get now for this...some times just loosening the fronts and re-tightening lets em return to straighter.........my 2 cents....

the tripple clamps get knocked into a bind ...short version

I hate to agree with Triangluna about anything, but he could be correct about this one. I had a lowspeed front ender which appeared to have bent my forks. After loosening the triple tree clamps some, but not too much, I took the handlebars and whacked the tire against a support beam in my basement. Once it looked straight I snugged the nuts down and that fixed it. Both forks looked badly bent before this. Now they are straight as a string and I can let go of the handlebars, sit back, and the bike tracks straight down the road. Try this before you start buying parts. Tom

If the tubes are SLIGHTLY bent, you can "align" them by loosening the clamps and grabbing the tubes and rotating them to straighten the wheel. Basically, you get both fork bends pointing forward. Not great, but it fixed mine. Now the bars are straight and I don't chew up front tires anymore.

JMKZHI wrote:

donthekawguy wrote:

.... So now I'm thinking the tripple clamps are bent. ...

You can check the upper triple on a glass table to see if it rocks.

Are the new forks for a single disk setup or dual disk?
Same question for the old.

My 81 650 is a single disk & it's rotor is bigger than those on a 750-4 which is dual disk (the dual disk calipers are lower on the fork legs).

The old forks are original and came with a single disc. The ones I picked up were supposedly from the same bike. Now I'm thinking they are from an ltd. Oh well I guess I have a set of rebuilt forks to tote around with me the rest of my life. :laugh:

KZ1979LTD wrote:

I hate to agree with Triangluna about anything, but he could be correct about this one. I had a lowspeed front ender which appeared to have bent my forks. After loosening the triple tree clamps some, but not too much, I took the handlebars and whacked the tire against a support beam in my basement. Once it looked straight I snugged the nuts down and that fixed it. Both forks looked badly bent before this. Now they are straight as a string and I can let go of the handlebars, sit back, and the bike tracks straight down the road. Try this before you start buying parts. Tom

I'll have to give that a shot. I'll probably let the bike sit until I find a house to buy. I would hate to have to move it with the front end torn off. Sounds like a winter project to me or maybe I'll just switch it over to a modern front end with all the Obama bucks I'll be getting when I buy a house. :laugh: