Straightening a lower triple.

[gggGary]

Thought I was finally going to make some Progress on the XS1, SoDak, polished up bits n pieces to install Jim's green ears, set everything in place.
Then had an Oh crap moment, hung all the pretty little pieces back on the wall, and pulled the triples back off the frame.
I noticed this twist just walking by the lift with the tubes/lowers on the bike, no front wheel installed.

I dinked around off and on all day yesterday trying to get it back in alignment. There's twist and "parallel" that both need to be spot on.

These are just some extended :forking by frank" tubes I had laying around. Got everything set up, anchored down on the mill table tweaked n tugged, got it to look straight, pull it off the table and boink back to twisted. Repeat three times. Finally realized my "straightened" was just tweaking the tube in the triple clamp area till it "looked" straight. Taking the kid gloves off today, going to get the that lower triple to behave and fly straight.
XS forks aren't all that rigid on any model, these early ones are "extra" light duty. thin forgings, only one clamp bolt on each side, even the stem is thin/ light.

 

[jpdevol]

Hydraulic press time?

 

[gggGary]

Hydraulic press time?

Could be, but I think I'll be clamping my big ole Bridgeport vice on the mill table, clamp the tweaked triple ear in that and apply twist with a fork tube in the other ear. Years ago I straightened a later triple in the big bench vice that way.
Some of my choises are cuz the mill n stuff is in the "heated" garage.

 

[Jim]

Pretty sure the one on my shelf is straight. Nice to have options.

 

[gggGary]

OK got it dialed in. Kinda scary how easy it is to bend the triple.


Early later 34mm lower triple comparo.

 

[Kevin Werner]

OK got it dialed in. Kinda scary how easy it is to bend the triple.

Scary, yes. But they become part of a rigid (kind of) structure. 20 Guage sheetmetal is bendy too but your unibody car built of the same stuff flies down the road as fast as you dare.