- Thu Apr 30, 2015 7:45 am
#5006
I found this on a website dedicated to Military bikes. Although the writer is talking about Triumph 3HW forks I thought his experience was *ahem* interesting! Maybe Norm could comment? (earplugs in...)
REgards, Mark
TRIUMPH 3HW - INDIAN FORK PARTS
Started assembling 3HW front end ....
The original forks are sadly INDIAN ....
In the spirit of replacing every damn thing i originally purchased & thereby doubling the original cost - have purchased some NOS fork blades from Greece - happy with these.
Someone asked about quality of INDIAN forks - the answer is that, irrespective of questionable materials and construction techniques - they clearly have no idea of how they even WORK!!!
A breakdown;
LINKS - made in some form of Cast Iron (CI)- hopefully malleable (?) holes drilled on then piss - a technical term, to say they are not at 90deg to the link ...... something I will be making from plate steel, before Bonneville.
HEADSTOCK TOP/BOTTOM - terrible CI castings (hours of clean up with a dremel)- even included grease nipples in the castings (now been ground off an real ones fitted).
Bearings split, because of incorrect 'press fit' tolerance - this required some serious machining - luckily well over the correct 25,4mm size - as the stem was actually OVAL and not round (?)
Have fitted 25x43 taper roller bearings - using some 'tolerance rings' I was given years ago as a sample - to fit 43mm outer race into the 44mm Triumph headstock.
Hopefully safe enough now ...
FORK SPINDLES - I thought at least this buggers would fit correctly - but no.......
The treads are too long/in wrong place so the bearings operate on the threaded part - NOS are available an I'd better get £80 paid out for a set!
FRICTION DAMPER - originally a collection of tin bits, wafting about on end of spindle, with no chance whatsoever of working, as whoever made them didn't understand 1st thing about engineering.
18mm hole needed boring through the lot, using a panel cutter, so the spindle locknut, could do its job, Paxolin friction discs (80mm o/d x 3mm) cutting/fitting and 20mm hole cutting trough the 'star-washer/spring' so the damper-knob could do something.
It now actually works....?
TOP SPRING MOUNT - needed throwing in a lathe and the spring seat needed truing up, so the spring could sit on it correctly without a side/bending force!
So now I have a working set of forks, only needed a bit of correction .........
Oh yes, once I replace the side links and spindles, there will be f***-**l left of the indian tat!
REgards, Mark
TRIUMPH 3HW - INDIAN FORK PARTS
Started assembling 3HW front end ....
The original forks are sadly INDIAN ....
In the spirit of replacing every damn thing i originally purchased & thereby doubling the original cost - have purchased some NOS fork blades from Greece - happy with these.
Someone asked about quality of INDIAN forks - the answer is that, irrespective of questionable materials and construction techniques - they clearly have no idea of how they even WORK!!!
A breakdown;
LINKS - made in some form of Cast Iron (CI)- hopefully malleable (?) holes drilled on then piss - a technical term, to say they are not at 90deg to the link ...... something I will be making from plate steel, before Bonneville.
HEADSTOCK TOP/BOTTOM - terrible CI castings (hours of clean up with a dremel)- even included grease nipples in the castings (now been ground off an real ones fitted).
Bearings split, because of incorrect 'press fit' tolerance - this required some serious machining - luckily well over the correct 25,4mm size - as the stem was actually OVAL and not round (?)
Have fitted 25x43 taper roller bearings - using some 'tolerance rings' I was given years ago as a sample - to fit 43mm outer race into the 44mm Triumph headstock.
Hopefully safe enough now ...
FORK SPINDLES - I thought at least this buggers would fit correctly - but no.......
The treads are too long/in wrong place so the bearings operate on the threaded part - NOS are available an I'd better get £80 paid out for a set!
FRICTION DAMPER - originally a collection of tin bits, wafting about on end of spindle, with no chance whatsoever of working, as whoever made them didn't understand 1st thing about engineering.
18mm hole needed boring through the lot, using a panel cutter, so the spindle locknut, could do its job, Paxolin friction discs (80mm o/d x 3mm) cutting/fitting and 20mm hole cutting trough the 'star-washer/spring' so the damper-knob could do something.
It now actually works....?
TOP SPRING MOUNT - needed throwing in a lathe and the spring seat needed truing up, so the spring could sit on it correctly without a side/bending force!
So now I have a working set of forks, only needed a bit of correction .........
Oh yes, once I replace the side links and spindles, there will be f***-**l left of the indian tat!
