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twisted triple clamps

Started by mark_s, September 06, 2014, 10:04:45 PM

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mark_s

Hi

I just purchased a 2006 tiger which has been in a low speed high-side on a dirt road.

Most of the damage is cosmetic plastic stuff but the handle bars must have hit the ground pretty hard as the lower (and presumably upper) triple clamps have twisted slightly.

Are all 955i tiger triple clamps interchangeable? 




Chris Canning

All the clamps are the same but I'd be very surprised if they were damaged normally just indoing everything re-aligning and re tighten but the thing I noticed was the crease in the right side of the handle bar,plus the bars don't look stock to me and it's got bar risers on it.

mark_s

Quote from: Chris Canning on September 06, 2014, 10:30:05 PM
All the clamps are the same but I'd be very surprised if they were damaged normally just indoing everything re-aligning and re tighten but the thing I noticed was the crease in the right side of the handle bar,plus the bars don't look stock to me and it's got bar risers on it.

Hi Chris

Thanks for the response.

I initially assumed that the forks had twisted in the clamps but when re-aligning didn't work I disassembled the whole front end and the bottom triple has approx 5 degree bend back on the left and the right side about the same forward. I assume the top is twisted as well as it all slides nicely back together - it just has a misalignment between the top triple and the front wheel. Yes the bars are nuked - I have fitted new ones.


tims007

i my self am dealing with this same issue .. i have bought another set of tripple trees of ebay and will be installing them when they get there .. the lower of the two tripple trees is suspect on mine ... .. my handle pars are off just a tiny amount but it anoys the heck out of me

mark_s

Quote from: tims007 on September 07, 2014, 05:26:00 AM
i my self am dealing with this same issue .. i have bought another set of tripple trees of ebay and will be installing them when they get there .. the lower of the two tripple trees is suspect on mine ... .. my handle pars are off just a tiny amount but it anoys the heck out of me

for what its worth - Its highly likely that if the bottom is twisted the top is as well. Mine both are. I checked mine by sitting the bottom tree on a flat thick piece of glass and it wobbles around like a wobbly thing.

I think you may have brought the set off ebay that was I going to....

How did you bend yours?

Sin_Tiger

Take your bars off and lay them on a flat surface at different contact points. If there are any inconsistencies it'll be fairly obvious. You can get away with gently straightening most times.

The other thing to check that often gets forgotten about are the screws that retain the bar clamps onto the upper yoke, it's not unknown for these, or one of them anyway, to get bent in a wee lie down and will set your bars off without being obvious.
I used to have long hair, took acid and went to hip joints. Now I long for hair, take antacid and need a new hip joint

mark_s

Quote from: Sin_Tiger on September 07, 2014, 12:10:46 PM
Take your bars off and lay them on a flat surface at different contact points. If there are any inconsistencies it'll be fairly obvious. You can get away with gently straightening most times.

The other thing to check that often gets forgotten about are the screws that retain the bar clamps onto the upper yoke, it's not unknown for these, or one of them anyway, to get bent in a wee lie down and will set your bars off without being obvious.

Hi Thanks for the response

The bars were definitely bent although they were sitting in the clamps fine. The bar mounting screws are all fine as are the very solid risers (which I probably won't keep as I prefer a slight lean forward)

The top and bottom triples looked fine - until you actually held them up to some flat reference point

I'm just about to buy some bits from a local bike wrecker - will crash bars from an 04 fit an 06 (1050 cases?)

Cheers


Mark

tims007

Quote from: mark_s on September 07, 2014, 06:29:53 AM
Quote from: tims007 on September 07, 2014, 05:26:00 AM
i my self am dealing with this same issue .. i have bought another set of tripple trees of ebay and will be installing them when they get there .. the lower of the two tripple trees is suspect on mine ... .. my handle pars are off just a tiny amount but it anoys the heck out of me

for what its worth - Its highly likely that if the bottom is twisted the top is as well. Mine both are. I checked mine by sitting the bottom tree on a flat thick piece of glass and it wobbles around like a wobbly thing.

I think you may have brought the set off ebay that was I going to....

How did you bend yours?

probibly did buy the ones of ebay we were both looking at i was talking to him and these are coming off a non accident bike .. me i bought my bike with a salvage title so i knew something was up .. when driving home i noticed that the bars were off a smidge .. upon closer inspection i noticed a leak and crack on the forks so i bought some new ones on ebay and had them rebuilt and inspected by my good friend a motorcycle mechanic company owner :) i do all my own work unless i need ./ want a second opinion at what point i call him over to my house to scheck out my prodjects... when looking closely i also found some stuff installed backwards with some controls etc.. the bars are different and brand new so i believe my bike was in a front end wreck .. the frame and motor and everything is fine except for the original tripple trees and forks i have not put them on a glass table yet but when i put the new forks in it was a bear to put the screws back in .. and it should not be this hard so i said eff it and bought the ebay tripple trees .. they should be here hopefully this next week from the east coast all the way to the west coast .. oh and i got my bike for $2k :) so seeing even if i put another $2k into it im still ahead but at least i can customise it to be my bike

mark_s

Quote from: tims007 on September 08, 2014, 12:43:56 AM
Quote from: mark_s on September 07, 2014, 06:29:53 AM
Quote from: tims007 on September 07, 2014, 05:26:00 AM
i my self am dealing with this same issue .. i have bought another set of tripple trees of ebay and will be installing them when they get there .. the lower of the two tripple trees is suspect on mine ... .. my handle pars are off just a tiny amount but it anoys the heck out of me

for what its worth - Its highly likely that if the bottom is twisted the top is as well. Mine both are. I checked mine by sitting the bottom tree on a flat thick piece of glass and it wobbles around like a wobbly thing.

I think you may have brought the set off ebay that was I going to....

How did you bend yours?

probibly did buy the ones of ebay we were both looking at i was talking to him and these are coming off a non accident bike .. me i bought my bike with a salvage title so i knew something was up .. when driving home i noticed that the bars were off a smidge .. upon closer inspection i noticed a leak and crack on the forks so i bought some new ones on ebay and had them rebuilt and inspected by my good friend a motorcycle mechanic company owner :) i do all my own work unless i need ./ want a second opinion at what point i call him over to my house to scheck out my prodjects... when looking closely i also found some stuff installed backwards with some controls etc.. the bars are different and brand new so i believe my bike was in a front end wreck .. the frame and motor and everything is fine except for the original tripple trees and forks i have not put them on a glass table yet but when i put the new forks in it was a bear to put the screws back in .. and it should not be this hard so i said eff it and bought the ebay tripple trees .. they should be here hopefully this next week from the east coast all the way to the west coast .. oh and i got my bike for $2k :) so seeing even if i put another $2k into it im still ahead but at least i can customise it to be my bike

So how do you get the ignition switch screws undone?


tims007

Tourqs bit and Realy long extention .... it's not hard .. i took the whole front end off in a hour and put it back on in the same amount of time .. the only thing I'm upset with is j just put new sterling bearings on and we'll now the lower one was a waste unless I can get it of with out damaging it lol....

mark_s

I fitted a new set of triple clamps yesterday and my front wheel now lines up with the handlebars (well at right angles  to ...)

I had to drill out the funny round headed ignition switch mounting bolts but otherwise it was pretty straight forward.

the fork stop tab at the front of the steering head has cracked the mounting weld so I'll have to get that re-welded.

How strong are the tiger frames?

Obviously this took a fair hit to the handlebars when it high sided and ultimately that force would have been applied to the steering head.

Chris Canning

I've been down the road on my Tiger in some spectacular fashion and it didn't have the damage yours has although mine does have crash bars on,but if yours has done what your saying I'd strip the thing to the bare bones and check everything because it's had a serious bending.

mark_s

Quote from: Chris Canning on September 14, 2014, 11:07:56 PM
I've been down the road on my Tiger in some spectacular fashion and it didn't have the damage yours has although mine does have crash bars on,but if yours has done what your saying I'd strip the thing to the bare bones and check everything because it's had a serious bending.

As the bike was written off by the insurance company of the previous owner I need to get an engineer to carry out a 'repair-certification' and part of that certification involves measuring the chassis for straightness.

The big gamble I took when I brought the bike was that the chassis was straight as its not worth repairing if its bent - I'll have a $3000 paper weight....


Chris Canning

I have some dealings with a bike breaking company so I've seen 100's of bent bikes but to actually bend the yokes that's rare maybe just a fluke but it'll do it no harm to have a good look at the rest of it.

NortonCharlie

I've not seen bent tipple trees before, I rebuilt a wrecked Sprint RS and replaced the lower because it stretched the fork bore a little out of round when the forks got wrapped up underneath.
01 Dew Green 955i Tiger

02 Sprint RS

74 Norton 850 Commando