My 1978 R100S has an aftermarket fork brace which consists of two curved tubes which go over the fender. I am replacing it with the stock stainless steel brace. Since I'm also rebuilding the calipers, installing new rotors, etc, I removed the front wheel. My intention was to reinsert the axle after removing the wheel to keep the forks in alignment while I installed the stock brace. But the aftermarket brace had to be removed with the axle out. Now, the axle is very difficult to reinsert-the left fork is slightly lower than the right. I believe that when I install and torque the stock brace with the axle in place it's going to be even harder to remove the axle. Any ideas about aligning the forks? Many thanks!
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Front axle/fork alignment help
- Thread starter ruzneb
- Start date
beemerphile
New member
If you remove any kind of brace, won't the sliders find their own "position"? Seems like either remove the upper cap to remove the spring tension, or use a small floor jack to force the uneven slider up so that the axle can be slid easily through. At that point, the fender/brace can be installed. Not near my bike, can't really be sure of this.
I vote for the solution that is behind the door in answer #2. When you want information about song lyric writing you ask Robert Zimmerman, not the kid behind the counter at 7-11 !
Friedle
While the fork alignment procedure is a bit time consuming if you don't follow it at this point your forks will bind somewhere in the travel how much or little is impossible to say but. IT IS VERY WORTHWHILE TO DO THE PROCEDURE!
It is winter spend some quality time with your front end you will be happy you did.
Gator in Dallas
Been years since I fitted these hoops, Luftmeister IIRC, everything being all lined up, wheel mounted, axel in, tightened, had to flat file the interface until they slid on with no play or force. IIRC, with longer bolts the standard inside brace could be used. I left the standard brace off because of the using the CL450 fender. '74 R90S
Attachments
axle/fork alignment
Have you noticed a top-out clunk in the fork? I had the same issue with one fork leg being lower than the other when I removed the brace on my first airhead, a 1975 R90/6. It was near impossible to get the axle in. I found the culprit to be a disintegrated bushing in one leg that was also causing the fork to clunk on top-out.
Have you noticed a top-out clunk in the fork? I had the same issue with one fork leg being lower than the other when I removed the brace on my first airhead, a 1975 R90/6. It was near impossible to get the axle in. I found the culprit to be a disintegrated bushing in one leg that was also causing the fork to clunk on top-out.
Attention
The dual independent hoop style brace is THE most difficult brace to install and still have proper fork action. Even so, if you removed the braces and can’t get the axle back in so that it rotates easily in place by hand then something is wrong and simply replacing the hoops with a stock brace will not rectify the problem. You said, “the left fork is slightly lower than the right”. For that to be the case, a fork tube might have become displaced in the lower triple clamp causing it to be over the specific assembly height. Another possibility is that the damper assembly has come apart causing the aluminum slider to over extend or that debris is preventing it from fully extending. In any case attempting to install a stock brace/fender mount is not going to solve this issue. Nothing about proper assembly includes any use of force, files, hammers and lengths of 2x4. Also note the stock lower fork brace is assembled together with the sliders otherwise forcing it between assembled sliders will bend it ( creating stress ) and gouge the aluminum. If this fork assembly was on a bike I was servicing I would insist on complete disassembly and rebuilding.
The dual independent hoop style brace is THE most difficult brace to install and still have proper fork action. Even so, if you removed the braces and can’t get the axle back in so that it rotates easily in place by hand then something is wrong and simply replacing the hoops with a stock brace will not rectify the problem. You said, “the left fork is slightly lower than the right”. For that to be the case, a fork tube might have become displaced in the lower triple clamp causing it to be over the specific assembly height. Another possibility is that the damper assembly has come apart causing the aluminum slider to over extend or that debris is preventing it from fully extending. In any case attempting to install a stock brace/fender mount is not going to solve this issue. Nothing about proper assembly includes any use of force, files, hammers and lengths of 2x4. Also note the stock lower fork brace is assembled together with the sliders otherwise forcing it between assembled sliders will bend it ( creating stress ) and gouge the aluminum. If this fork assembly was on a bike I was servicing I would insist on complete disassembly and rebuilding.
