Bent frame?
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 497
Likes: 575
From: Maryland
Thanks again for the replies. I put a straight edge to the frame backbone extending to the top and then toward the bottom of the steering neck and found the neck to be centered. I'll take that as good and spend no more time on this, am ordering the parts and will report back once the thing's back together, hopefully in a couple of weeks after I get back from vacation.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 497
Likes: 575
From: Maryland
Picked up a used triple tree off an identical bike, perfectly intact but the bearings looked older than dirt, had a heck of a time getting the lower bearing off the steering stem, eventually had to chisel it off. It was as if the bearing was adhered to its seat. The lower bearing seat on the used steering stem is a little beat up, not sure if i can seat the new bearing. The steering stem from the triple tree I'm replacing is perfectly fine, I'd like to swap that steering stem for the one that's beat up in the used one I bought but the manual shows the lower bracket with steering stem as one piece. There is a snap ring in the base of the stem which i removed and tried to press the steering stem out but it did not want to go, my 12 ton press was pretty much at its limit and barely moved it. Does anyone know if the part is designed such that the stem may be forced from the bracket and reused? Many thanks.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 3,013
Likes: 1,190
From: New Hampsha
I've never known anyone to get one apart. You could try this: Heat everything up to about 250 degrees then fill the stem with ice water and it'll probably fall out. I suspect if you try to press it out at room temperature it'll gall the triple tree and you won't be able reuse it.
Stage I
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 1
Likes: 1
From: Virginia
Tommy-
We should talk. I have a 2001 FXDX with a ness triple tree and tons of custom parts that has a bad frame. I am parting it out. I am tired of storing it and I kind of aged out of riding after getting a new knee, so don't see me fixing it. I am just down the road from you in Richmond.
Thanks,
RVA FXDX
We should talk. I have a 2001 FXDX with a ness triple tree and tons of custom parts that has a bad frame. I am parting it out. I am tired of storing it and I kind of aged out of riding after getting a new knee, so don't see me fixing it. I am just down the road from you in Richmond.
Thanks,
RVA FXDX
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 497
Likes: 575
From: Maryland
Welded in some steel to rebuild the gouged frame stop, installed used lower bracket with good stops, rebuilt forks with new fork tubes, new wheel, put everything back together, took it for a test ride and seemed to do just fine, in fact the clunk in the front end is now gone. May have something to do with new steering head bearings and races, properly adjusted. That fallaway method is a bit of a headscratcher, the Yamahas and Hondas I've I had over the years just have a torque spec. But a good learning experience. Only part left over is the fork lock, guess I forgot to install it before putting in the triple tree. Never used it much anyway, any chance the inspector will fail the bike because it's not there? Also, can't seem to get the forks perfectly aligned, it looks like the plane of the front of the upper bracket perpendicular to the front wheel is ever so slightly out of line with the plane of the lower bracket. Was a lot worse at first but got rid of most of it by loosening everything below the upper bracket and pumping the front end up and down, but can't seem to get the brackets that last little bit. Any ideas? Thanks.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 3,013
Likes: 1,190
From: New Hampsha
Bounce it, then tighten the nut, the top pinch bolts, and the axle pinch bolts, in that order.
Check if the forks are parallel to each other. If they are you're good.
Last edited by John CC; Sep 27, 2019 at 07:22 AM.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 497
Likes: 575
From: Maryland
John,
Thanks for the reply. Failed to mention that I had loosened the stem nut but left the upper bracket bolts (pinch bolts and fork cap bolts) tight on the theory that I wanted that point fixed while allowing everything south of them to move. Are you saying to loosen the upper pinch bolts only while leaving the fork cap bolts tight? And at the end of the day, how big a deal is it to get the upper and lower brackets exactly lined up? I've put a couple hundred miles on the bike and it appears to be handling just fine so maybe I'm, as has been said before, chasing my tail. .
I would also note that I may have been a bit optimistic on the front end clunk, it's still there, about the same as before. I set the fallaway pretty close to spec but left it a tad tight at about 2.5", rather have it too tight than too loose. I'd think tighter would take care of the clunk, but what do i know.
Thanks for the reply. Failed to mention that I had loosened the stem nut but left the upper bracket bolts (pinch bolts and fork cap bolts) tight on the theory that I wanted that point fixed while allowing everything south of them to move. Are you saying to loosen the upper pinch bolts only while leaving the fork cap bolts tight? And at the end of the day, how big a deal is it to get the upper and lower brackets exactly lined up? I've put a couple hundred miles on the bike and it appears to be handling just fine so maybe I'm, as has been said before, chasing my tail. .
I would also note that I may have been a bit optimistic on the front end clunk, it's still there, about the same as before. I set the fallaway pretty close to spec but left it a tad tight at about 2.5", rather have it too tight than too loose. I'd think tighter would take care of the clunk, but what do i know.
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Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 497
Likes: 575
From: Maryland
Norty,
Thanks for the reply. I rebuilt the forks with new tubes as part of the repair, all new hardware internally and done by the book. Did reuse the sliders however, no evidence of damage to them and I measured the bores for round. The clunk is about the same as it was before the incident, that bike has had a front end clunk since I bought it. There has to be a reason for it (unless HD engineered it in there so the owner would know it was a Harley!).
Thanks for the reply. I rebuilt the forks with new tubes as part of the repair, all new hardware internally and done by the book. Did reuse the sliders however, no evidence of damage to them and I measured the bores for round. The clunk is about the same as it was before the incident, that bike has had a front end clunk since I bought it. There has to be a reason for it (unless HD engineered it in there so the owner would know it was a Harley!).