ROLLIFAHRER
New member
One of my winter projects was to install Wilbers shocks that I had ordered to lower the bike by an inch.
I thought the wierd angle of the FD/swingarm was related to a bad shock, but I discovered that even with the shock out, the FD did not want to return to its normal position.
I had been planning to switch to a bushing anyway, so I took out the needle bearing and discovered it had failed and was impeding the FD from pivoting at all.
With both pivot pins out I took the FD to my dealer to have his tech open it to look for any evidence of impending doom. Finally an FD story with a happy ending: no shavings, chunks, discoloration or any other signs of a problem.
The shock went in as it should, but lining up the splines to reinstall the FD was a problem, at first. The drive shaft lays on the bottom of the swingarm when the FD isn't there to keep it aligned. How to raise it enough to slip the drive on, then recover the thing I use to prop it up? A clean shop rag did the trick. I estimated how high to raise the DS and first folded the rag, then rolled it to achieve that height. I slid it under the shaft with the tail sticking out. The parts mated like adolesent monkeys, and I withdrew the rag through the gap between the drive and swingarm. It unrolled as I pulled.
The front shock went in as it should, but wow, the tires were waay off the ground. I took it off the centerstand to see whether/ how much the side stand would need cut. A bunch. I knew the trig functions at one time and still have my trust TI "scientific" calculator from 1982, but I could not recall the formula I needed for this extremely simple exercise, so I had my neighbor help. I marked the floor where the sidestand hit, then retracted it and had him lean the bike to a suitable angle and pulled a string from the pivot point to the mark on the floor. Having been a carpenter and still subscribing to the dictum: measure twice, cut once, I repeated the marking and string pulling several times.
I hate to butcher good parts, so I checked at Re-Psycle for a used sidestand. Got it for a decent price and had my welder guy chop and weld. He filled and ground utill the weld disappeared, and a coat of primer and two coats of paint later it was ready to instal.
Hmmm, not the angle I was looking for. Much better, but a little "wiggly" when I mounted and VERY quick to the balance point. "But I measured 3 or 4 times" I protested to anyone who would listen, which was no-one. So I took the fatfoot off and gained a few precious degrees. Then the problem became evident. I changed the length, but not the angle of the pad on the bottom. The outboard pointy part landed first leaving an eighth inch gap at the rear. So, should I cut more and wreck my masterful paint job? Well, no, shortening it further would bring it closer inboard and increase the chances of the bike going over the top if parked on a slope or if it sunk into soft soil or gravel.
Well, maybe I should cut off the pad and correct the angle. A lot of work, and would probably not be as strong (I had a solid insert added to reinforce the weld on the shaft.).
I decided to ride and be really carefull about sloped pavement and see what happens. 1600 miles later, the lean and feeling when I mount seem normal now. But I think I'll miss my fatfoot at some point.
It seems the best solution might have been to bend the sidestand so that the bottom was farther out.
At 600 miles I checked the pivot pin and detected absolutely no play in any axis; I retoqued it per the instructions anyway.
After some trials, I found the best ride height settings on the rear shock. I thought I had ordered them a bit stiff, but after 1600 miles they have settled in and the bike glides over rough pavement like never before. Maybe better than new. I don't know; never rode a new one.)
All in all lowering the bike was a good move for me, and I'm kicking myself for not upgrading the shocks in '05 when I bought the bike.
I bought the bushing from Rubber Chicken Racing Garage for 120.00.
Wilbers wrecked my budget due to the crappy dollar, but now I can ride in comfort--if I can afford gas!
I thought the wierd angle of the FD/swingarm was related to a bad shock, but I discovered that even with the shock out, the FD did not want to return to its normal position.
I had been planning to switch to a bushing anyway, so I took out the needle bearing and discovered it had failed and was impeding the FD from pivoting at all.
With both pivot pins out I took the FD to my dealer to have his tech open it to look for any evidence of impending doom. Finally an FD story with a happy ending: no shavings, chunks, discoloration or any other signs of a problem.
The shock went in as it should, but lining up the splines to reinstall the FD was a problem, at first. The drive shaft lays on the bottom of the swingarm when the FD isn't there to keep it aligned. How to raise it enough to slip the drive on, then recover the thing I use to prop it up? A clean shop rag did the trick. I estimated how high to raise the DS and first folded the rag, then rolled it to achieve that height. I slid it under the shaft with the tail sticking out. The parts mated like adolesent monkeys, and I withdrew the rag through the gap between the drive and swingarm. It unrolled as I pulled.
The front shock went in as it should, but wow, the tires were waay off the ground. I took it off the centerstand to see whether/ how much the side stand would need cut. A bunch. I knew the trig functions at one time and still have my trust TI "scientific" calculator from 1982, but I could not recall the formula I needed for this extremely simple exercise, so I had my neighbor help. I marked the floor where the sidestand hit, then retracted it and had him lean the bike to a suitable angle and pulled a string from the pivot point to the mark on the floor. Having been a carpenter and still subscribing to the dictum: measure twice, cut once, I repeated the marking and string pulling several times.
I hate to butcher good parts, so I checked at Re-Psycle for a used sidestand. Got it for a decent price and had my welder guy chop and weld. He filled and ground utill the weld disappeared, and a coat of primer and two coats of paint later it was ready to instal.
Hmmm, not the angle I was looking for. Much better, but a little "wiggly" when I mounted and VERY quick to the balance point. "But I measured 3 or 4 times" I protested to anyone who would listen, which was no-one. So I took the fatfoot off and gained a few precious degrees. Then the problem became evident. I changed the length, but not the angle of the pad on the bottom. The outboard pointy part landed first leaving an eighth inch gap at the rear. So, should I cut more and wreck my masterful paint job? Well, no, shortening it further would bring it closer inboard and increase the chances of the bike going over the top if parked on a slope or if it sunk into soft soil or gravel.
Well, maybe I should cut off the pad and correct the angle. A lot of work, and would probably not be as strong (I had a solid insert added to reinforce the weld on the shaft.).
I decided to ride and be really carefull about sloped pavement and see what happens. 1600 miles later, the lean and feeling when I mount seem normal now. But I think I'll miss my fatfoot at some point.
It seems the best solution might have been to bend the sidestand so that the bottom was farther out.
At 600 miles I checked the pivot pin and detected absolutely no play in any axis; I retoqued it per the instructions anyway.
After some trials, I found the best ride height settings on the rear shock. I thought I had ordered them a bit stiff, but after 1600 miles they have settled in and the bike glides over rough pavement like never before. Maybe better than new. I don't know; never rode a new one.)
All in all lowering the bike was a good move for me, and I'm kicking myself for not upgrading the shocks in '05 when I bought the bike.
I bought the bushing from Rubber Chicken Racing Garage for 120.00.
Wilbers wrecked my budget due to the crappy dollar, but now I can ride in comfort--if I can afford gas!