Front forks/wheel shims?

[tzimmerm]

So I bought a sweet Avon Speedmaster for the front and mounted it myself yeaterday. (Phew! In my parking stall with limited tools and a little help from my neighbors and my daughter) When I removed the front wheel I was surprised to see what looked like crappy homemade shims around the front axle. It was clear that without them the axle would be too small to clamp tightly inside the forks. Is this normal or some crazy PO bullshit? I took pictures specifically to check with the experts here.

 

[gggGary]

That's PO BULLSHIT! I can get you a correct axle by tomorrow. $15 shipping and all

 

[weekendrider]

Is that a XS650 wheel?

 

[gggGary]

We think so this apparently started life as a mag wheel special forks are fairly positively ID'd as (bent) XS650.

 

[tzimmerm]

So, after buying an axle last friday from Gary, I picked up an XS650 front wheel from my (somewhat) local CL. for 10.00!!! Then I realized after looking at pics online that if these ARE in fact xs650 forks, then someone must have installed TWO of the same side!! The bottoms of BOTH of them have the littls caps that bolt on; neither has a solid hole for the axle to slide through. I think I've found a set of forks WITH a caliper on them on CL, hopefully by this weekend I'll have all the CORRECT parts for my front end!! Ha!

 

[tzimmerm]

Btw, I haven't looked at them side by side yet, but I'm fairly positive that the wheel i just picked up is NOT the same kind of wheel That is currently on the bike. So no, I don't think that's even an XS wheel I have on there right now.

 

[gggGary]

Sounds like you have the PO from HELL....... Bet your "discoveries" aren't over yet.

 

[tzimmerm]

Ok, so this isnt the forks, but I'll just continue the rest of my "Front end saga" on this thread. Here are pics of my new wheel. Is this an xs650 wheel? And I noticed the side with the rotor has a small dust cap similiar to the one on the rear wheel. The other side (as shown in the pic) does NOT. Is this yet ANOTHER part I need to track down now?

 

[gggGary]

Looks like a 73-74 tx650 front wheel, it is plug and play with your forks, but you need to use the later rotor from the other wheel with the late forks you have. I sent a dust cover like that with the axle.
Both wheels could be XS650

 

[weekendrider]

I'm thinking the wheel with the shimmed axle has a different spoke count. 42-44?

 

[tzimmerm]

Sweet. So let me ask you- am I right in my assumption that someone used two of the same side forks? Were there any xs650 forks that has the bolt on ends on BOTH sides? Or were they all one side- hole other side- bolt on end.

 

[tzimmerm]

Here are some close up pics I just took. They kind of look correct, because both sides have holes for a fender to be mounted, but only one side has holes to mount the caliper. Or are these forks from some completely different bike?

 

[tzimmerm]

OK! Need some fork facts. I located a CL bike that says it's a '75. I was going to go up and buy the forks with the front caliper for 100.00 this afternoon right after work. Thought I would do some reading and now it looke like I'm seeing that there are 34 mm forks and 35 mm forks. I'll have to measure mine with my caliper when I get home. Here's the thing- my FRAME is titled as an '80. I don't really know what year forks it has on it. I just had gggGary send me an axle, and I bought a '79 front wheel last weekend. Are these forks even going to work? If I were to try and use them am i going to have to buy the triple trees to match? Assuming I can, are there any differences in steering tubes/necks between years? I need to know if this is not going to work, because I don't really have the 100.00 as it is, and it's a 4 hour round tip.

 

[tzimmerm]

Ok, bought the forks and realized they are 34 MM. the forks currently on the bike are 35 mm, but after comparing side by side are DEFINITELY NOT XS650 forks. Why Can't I use 34mm forks in the trees that I already have on the bike? Won't the forks tighten up 1 mm enough to hold rhem tight? If not, if i were to buy trees from an older 34 mm bike, will the trees fit my '80 neck?

 

[gggGary]

The first set of forks lowers are not from an XS650, I don't know WHAT they are from.
I have no pics of the triples to look at so have no opinion of what they might be from. But NO you cannnot clamp 34mm tubes in 35mm triples.
Why didn't you get the triples with the forks?

 

[tzimmerm]

Well, I did, the only problem is that the whole thing was a basket case; he had two sets of forks, one had the caliper still bolted on, but the upper trees werent attached. He grabbed a crown off the workbench
But neither of us thought to put it together. I didnt realize
Until the next day when i took it out of my trunk. Please tell me that these are at least xs650 LOWERS. And what the heck is the wierd little thing underneath the trees?

 

[gggGary]

prolly TX750 forks.
That's a steering damper, That's why I think they are TX750 forks, Did you measure the tubes? IIRC TX750 are 35mm. I have set of TX750 forks in the shed and can take a look tomorrow, see if there might be any obvious issues.
So the good news is those tubes will prolly fit your current triples. and the 75 wheel you have should fit rotor and all in those forks. OH wait we have no idea what the fork now on your bike are from, maybe if you take some good pics of those triples.
Some TX fork info here http://www.xs650.com/threads/i-got-...a-tx750-front-end-on-my-xs2-long.38466/page-2

Gotta mention how much easier it would have been to buy the complete, correct for your bike, fork set I have sitting in the garage.........

 

[tzimmerm]

How much?

 

[tzimmerm]

I did measure them with a digital caliper. they are 34 mm. The tubes on whatever forks are on the bike are 35

 

[tzimmerm]

As for the crown and the forks on my bike; here is the crown I got woth the forks I just got; it is the same as the one on my
Bike right now.