Long Roadholders 1955

Previously nick_coates wrote:

Hi,

I am refitting the forks / stanchions / sliders into the yokes, can anyone advise the best way to ensure they are not twisted.

If they are installed with any slight twist they will wear the new bushes, before I have done it by, 'eye' I'm sure there is a better way.

Thanks.

I do it by "eye" ,if yokes are twisted they can be "bent" back using an old staunchion and big vice , be carefull to allow the wheel spindle to find its correct position in the forks before doing up the pinch bolt, check the mudguard is an exact fit between forks and does not spread or pull them together.

First check that stanchions are dead straight by rolling them against each other.

If you clamp the bare stanchions into the yokes you can then check that they are in the same plane with a dead flat plate (like glass, for instance). That is easy to get right.

Then you check for parallel with a large inside caliper or rectangular piece of alloy cut to length to fit in between the stanchions at the narrowest point (if there is one).

You can also check for parallel by noting where the flat plate touches the stanchions then flipping it upside down and seeing if it still touches in exactly the same places. This method does not work well for me. If they cannot be made parallel there is some problem with the yokes. I have never been able to fix this situation so some more experienced builder may help us both.