Front Wheel Alignment

[Guest nathan]

I'm at the ninety yard line...

 

Thank you VERY much Carl A. for the perfect set of forks.

 

The front wheel on my 2000 V11 sport, is it dead center between the forks? or a little off center? I've spent the last hour trying to decide, eyeballing, measuring rim to forks, brake caliper distance.

My parts manual dosent picture well the parts for the front wheel, lists only one spacer when it seems I need two at diffrent lengths.

Can anyone give me the size in mm for the spacers, I plan on a trip to the machine shop today.

Also the front brakes, they seem to need shims(washers)? Do I shim them to fit? Same mm for top bolt and bottom bolt? Is there a "special" procedure?

(after my wheel aligned and spaced correctly).

 

Nathan

[Paul Minnaert]

so what forks are we talking about, marzocchi, WP? Brake calipers normaly don't need any washers. And the wheel is supposed to be center. That means the wheel should be in the forks so that the brake discs are center in the calipers. Just look in the calipers from top, center disk should be in line with the caliper center.

[mike wilson]

Get two pieces of straight stuff, long enough to go from the back wheel to the front and rigid. Get them off the floor and in contact with points on the front and back of the back wheel - the rim ideally, but the tyre if necessary. Extend them forward to where the front wheel will be. You front wheel needs to sit perfectly inbetween them. Shim, spacer and otherwise frig about to your heart's content.

 

8-))

[richard100t]

My 01 Rosso Mandello with Marz forks only has one spacer.

[Guest ratchethack]

Nathan, on the 2000 Sport with 40 mm Marz USD fork, there's only one spacer. It's 15 mm, and it belongs on the left-hand side.

 

I would under NO circumstances use extra shims in an attempt to align the wheel or the brakes. If it doesn't all come together perfectly centered as designed, something is either out of sequence in assembly, or possibly you've got a bent triple clamp(s), fork stanchion(s), or spindle - though I doubt very much that Carl would've knowingly sent you a tweaked fork - and if anything weren't right, he'd know!!!

 

I'm at the ninety yard line...

Hmmmmm. . . . must be Romulan Rules football? Or a field on Remulac?

 

Just joshin' ya, Nathan....good luck closin' the last 10 yards!

 

. . . . . or is that 90 yards?!

[jrt]

Get two pieces of straight stuff, long enough to go from the back wheel to the front and rigid. 

92322[/snapback]

 

Fluorescent light bulbs.

[Guest ratchethack]

Fluorescent light bulbs.

92336[/snapback]

CAUTION - this method of checking the front alignment can be misleading unless the swingarm is known to be perfectly aligned.

 

Again - the wheel in the fork in question should be entirely self-centering.....

[Guest nathan]

Thanks guys,

I knew the old Marz. forks were tweaked; visable with the eye. I had a difficult time eyeballing the lower fork bracket for "tweakdness". I assumed the thing is pretty bulky and tough to bend. Seems that my eyeballs are off.

 

The new Marz. forks installed. For the front tire to be dead center between the forks: on left side I need a 27mm spacer, right side 15mm. The brake calipers to mount need 2-3mm spacers on all four bolts.

 

Five yard penalty puts me on the 85 yard line.

 

SO does anyone have a line on a triple tree? Lower mounting bracket? Or a shop where I can purchase one?

 

Nathan

[richard100t]

Thanks guys,

I knew the old Marz. forks were tweaked; visable with the eye.  I had a difficult time eyeballing the lower fork bracket for "tweakdness". I assumed the thing is pretty bulky and tough to bend. Seems that my eyeballs are off. 

 

The new Marz. forks installed. For the front tire to be dead center between the forks: on left side I need a 27mm spacer, right side 15mm. The brake calipers to mount need 2-3mm spacers on all four bolts. 

 

Five yard penalty puts me on the 85 yard line.

 

SO does anyone have a line on a triple tree? Lower mounting bracket?  Or a shop where I can purchase one?

 

Nathan

92353[/snapback]

http://rmcube.abd.it/RMcube/servlet/contro...Object=FR1001AL

[Guest ratchethack]

The new Marz. forks installed. For the front tire to be dead center between the forks: on left side I need a 27mm spacer, right side 15mm. The brake calipers to mount need 2-3mm spacers on all four bolts. 

Nathan, you left me back on the 85th yard line, my friend.

 

I have a few concerns......

 

Is y'er health insurance paid up?

 

Seriously -- per my previous post, it sounds to me like something is seriously wrong here. The integrity of your fork may be in question.

 

If you're having to use washers to shim the calipers, something is definitely out o' whack. Using spacers here is a potential safety problem in and of itself.

 

On the basis of the info you've provided, it may be dangerous to ride it this way.

 

If it's at all convenient -- or even if it's not , I'd have a Pro look at it.

 

Or, if you'd be willing to take another, more descriptive run at it here, I'll do my best to de-puzzle it, and I'm sure many others would be just as willing.

 

Can you post photos?

[Guest nathan]

Rachet, yup life ins. premiums paid.

 

Really, I have no intention of riding this bike untill everything is kosher .

 

This is yet another item that I found on this bike that vratbastard sold to me that was peiced together. If you recall your talks with him regarding this very fron end.

 

I've gone thru every peice (every) on the bike, back to front, to make shure it is where it needs to be and in working order. I feel confident about my work. I accept the solid advice about the pro though; after all I'm still a young pup(28) and willing to learn.

I got my tech manual out and it has a nifty diagram of the forks and the correct mesurements for distance between forks and distance between the upper and lower fork brackets. I need to get a metric ruler though to check mine. Although I'm quite shure that the triple tree is tweaked.

 

Thanks Richard for the link, but I'm looking more for the whole triple tree or the lower fork mount. I'll have part #'s later if necessary. Now I did find through some looking before questioning, on this the all knowing all powerful fourm, Mr.Ginger Baker on ebay. He has (a) triple tree(s) for sale. Has anybody orderd from him?

Or is there anybody who knows where I can get one faster? cheaper? used in good condition?

 

Nathan

[Guest nathan]

Hello all.

I ordered thru Harpers an new triple tree lower and upper mount, pricy. Installed them both...lined up... installed front tire... still same issue!!!!

So went out and bought a crappy W-mart digi camera(late night and hotel room broke my last one ) here goes with discriptions of pics.

*The rim is centered between the forks*

-

Here are the spacers that I took off the bike. Rachet said only one 15mm the one being mic'd is 15mm.

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Here is riders left side. You can see the 15mm spacer installed the front axel is not torked. There is ~20mm space between the bearing and the spacer!!!

 

-continued-

[Guest nathan]

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This is the riders left side brake caliper, note space between the caliper and fork mounting. rachet here is where the washers were.

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This is riders right side. note the space form bearing to axel incline\increase in diameter is ~10mm.

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This is riders right brake caliper, again note space between caliper and fork mount.

 

So gentlemen, I can now take more pics if necessary. Any ideas, sugestions...

[Guest nathan]

-

Front end assembled.

[jrt]

Nathan, Looking at your second picture:

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=5462

Well, that didn't work...

I'm not certain you have the correct axle. On my 2001 sport, the axle bolt (Right side) is flush with the outside of the fork. That stepped increase in diameter of the axel is supposed to be there- it acts as the spacer on the RH side. There's a (~15mm) spacer on the axle left side. Also, there's no hole through my axle like there is on yours. That looks like an old Tonti frame axle. I could be wrong, I suppose. I do know there shouldn't be any spacers on the brake calipers. Do you have your forks installed on the wrong sides maybe?