New front forks

[Marts 0]

After installing brand new front forks to my NC750X A-J ABS 2017 model, 

When replacing the front wheel with the 2 spacers and tightening up the axle there's a gap between the left hand spacer and left hand front fork of approximately 3mm, the only way of closing the gap was to use a racket strap and then tighten up the axle pinch bolt. Is this normal or is there a problem? 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Marts
Miss some words out

[Steve Case 955]

That ain't right, did you do up the pinch bolt before the wheel spindle?

[outrunner 4,457]

That is definately not right. Why did you replace the forks, was it because of accident damage? if so it sounds to me that either the top or bottom yokes are slightly bent causing the misalignment problem. I could be wrong of course, just my thoughts on the subject.

 

 

Andy.

[MatBin 5,085]

I certainly wouldn't pull the fork legs together. Why not just put a 3mm washer in the gap with the hole the same size as the spindle. I think fowlers do pictures of parts like this, might be an idea to check their website in case you have a bit missing.

[dave 966]

Don't squeeze the fork together, the forks need to run parallel to function, shades of a Triton build failure my friend had years ago.

[Grumpy old man 4,681]

So long as the axle is torqued up, pump the suspension then tighten the pinch bolt then that's good. Check there's no play in the wheel and there shouldn't be a problem.

[jeremyr62 2,559]

Well it sounds like you have not put it together correctly to me. Take it apart and fit it together again. Try it without the wheel. The axle should tighten in the right hand fork leg so the end is just poking through the threaded hole. Make sure you haven't got the spacers mixed up. I think they are not the same width.

[Grumpy old man 4,681]

There is a distance not a ,gap, between the spacer and the fork leg but so long as there's no play then it's fine. Mine has a 3mm approx distance between the spacer and the fork leg but all is solid ???

 

[outrunner 4,457]

17 minutes ago, Grumpy old man said:

Mine has a 3mm approx distance between the spacer and the fork leg but all is solid ???

 

Are you looking at the step on the end of the spacer? the distance from the step to the fork leg is about 3mm, if you had a 3mm gap then the wheel would move 3mm from side to side, ye canna change the laws o physics Jim!

 

 

Andy.

[Grumpy old man 4,681]

24 minutes ago, outrunner said:

Are you looking at the step on the end of the spacer? the distance from the step to the fork leg is about 3mm, if you had a 3mm gap then the wheel would move 3mm from side to side, ye canna change the laws o physics Jim!

 

 

Andy.

The wheel axle has a shoulder on it , left side, and screws into the right fork leg. If you tighten the axle to the correct torque then the left fork pinch bolt tightens on the axle shoulder then there's no play anywhere but there's a 3mm distance between the spacer and the fork leg but no gap.

Jim

Edited May 5, 2022 by Grumpy old man

[Grumpy old man 4,681]

Zoom in on the axle.

https://images.app.goo.gl/Bdx7w1btGeWonwEt9

[outrunner 4,457]

44 minutes ago, Grumpy old man said:

 there's a 3mm distance between the spacer and the fork leg but no gap.

 

That is more or less what I said.

 

Andy.

[Grumpy old man 4,681]

4 minutes ago, outrunner said:

That is more or less what I said.

 

Andy.

Yes! And is that not what the author of the topic is referring to?

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by Grumpy old man

[MatBin 5,085]

https://www.fowlersparts.co.uk/parts/5849852/nc750x-abs/front-wheel

left hand as you look at the bike from the front, or left hand as you sit on it.

Either way I don't think there should be a gap, does the wheel move sideways if you leave the gap in place i.e. don't use a rachet strap to pull the forks together?

 

just looked at my 2017 forks and there appears a 'gap' of 3mm between spacer and fork leg (left fork as you sit on the bike). Both my forks and front wheel have been out during the last year and put back in, since the it's been MOT'd (it passed) and I haven't noticed any sideways movement or odd handling.

 

so I would assemble without clamping together, check there's no sideways movement and if ok leave alone and assume it's all as it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by MatBin

[MatBin 5,085]

3 hours ago, jeremyr62 said:

Well it sounds like you have not put it together correctly to me. Take it apart and fit it together again. Try it without the wheel. The axle should tighten in the right hand fork leg so the end is just poking through the threaded hole. Make sure you haven't got the spacers mixed up. I think they are not the same width.

The spacers are identical, see fowlers parts list above.

[jeremyr62 2,559]

OK re the spacers.

It's probably language and terminology. If the shoulder of the axle is hard up against a spacer then it must be OK assuming the axle is being tightened correctly.