Need help with a 23" install!
Need help with a 23" install!
I installed my new 23" fat spoke wheel today. I did a little test run, and when I hit the front brake, the wheel and lower legs twists to the right. I'm not running a fender on it, but there is a guy on here that has the same set up and never mentioned this issue. It doesn't do this with the stock 21". I don't really want to put a fender back on it, and I can't find anyone that makes a fork brace for 23s. Any thoughts?
After calling the manufacturer (DNA), and talking to the HD shop and the local Indies, I realized I had a special problem that none of these people had heard of. I decided to ride it a bit and see what it would do. It felt funny in the seat of the pants, and felt like the clutch was slipping. On the way home, I pulled in the clutch to coast to a stop and realized the nose dip down. I realized the brakes were dragging. Something I hadn't though of. Used some washers and shimmed the wheel toward the right a bit, and I could spin the wheel freely again. Haven't had a chance to ride again to see how it feels, but I'm pretty sure this was the issue. I ordered a piece of spacer stock on Ebay, and I'll have that cut to length once I know the spacing is good. I'll post on that part soon.
As far as the look, it's fantastic. Only problem is, there's only one plug and play fender out there for it. It's and Arlen Ness from JP Cycles, but they're on back order. And DNA's customer service leaves a lot to desire. I talked to the guy who's pretty high up, and he asked a lot questions about the install. Said he'd never, ever heard of this happening. Want pics of to the install, so I sent them immediately, and never heard from them again. If I had it to do over, I'd have went with Ride Right. A little long winded, but hope this helped.
As far as the look, it's fantastic. Only problem is, there's only one plug and play fender out there for it. It's and Arlen Ness from JP Cycles, but they're on back order. And DNA's customer service leaves a lot to desire. I talked to the guy who's pretty high up, and he asked a lot questions about the install. Said he'd never, ever heard of this happening. Want pics of to the install, so I sent them immediately, and never heard from them again. If I had it to do over, I'd have went with Ride Right. A little long winded, but hope this helped.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: Martinsville va
Gyrodoc....bike looks great! I went through the same thing before getn my ride wright wheels. Started with the DNA 23" fat spoke and ran into the exact same problem. I also had to play with the spacers until I figured out the brake and rotor position. Hope this also fixes your problem. sounds like you've got it figured out.
Hey Rollin, did you ever get the spacing and stuff right on that DNA? Is that why you went to ride right?
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Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: Martinsville va
Yea I finally got it right on the front wheel. Not so much on the back wheel. That's why I gave up and went with ride wright. Back wheel is not that simple to fix on a rocker. Anyways, This is what I ordered and I just used different sizes till everything lined up.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wheel-Axle-S...item20e54435be
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wheel-Axle-S...item20e54435be
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My front tire spins freely, but when I hit my front brake, I still a groaning sound from the front brake just before the bike stops. I know my outboard pad and outboard side of the disc has worn down during all of this, but I don't want to change them until I get this centered. Did yours make a groaning sound? Can you explain how you went about getting it centered up? I'm kinda shooting from the hip. My local dealer doesn't touch anything that's not stock, and my local indy left my rear axle adjuster loose last time I brought it to him. Don't really trust him much, now.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: Martinsville va
I didn't have any sounds coming from the brakes. All I really did to center mine was take the set of spacers I bought and swap em around. I started with the stock spacers which were way off and figured out which way the brake needed to go. Then take everything back off (caliper,spacers,etc) and try a different size spacer that would move the brakes one way or the other. It's a lot of taking apart and guessing till ya get it right. And you may need to cut one of the spacers down a lil bit to get it exactly right.
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