front fork tubes/stanchions

[fuzee666]

evening all!!! 
just wondering where's the best place to get front fork tubes/stanchions for my old steamer???  thats the bike on the road now and going out for a decent run tomorrow and see how it goes, i'm thinking there's a slight bend in one of them when i checked the wheel alignment as it's slight out.

any info would be great

cheers,

les. 

[rybes]

where in the world are ya ?

[Mustang]

where in the world are ya ?

since the switchover to this SMF forum the avatars dont show location but if the user has filled out their profile , location will show up when you click their user name and look at their profile .

In this case he's in Scotland

[Bixxer Bob]

If its just slightly out, it could be yokes. loosen off the yokes, top and bottom,  align everything and put the spindle in (no wheel), then tighten everything up.  If that doesn't work note the alignment error, slacken off one fork tube, rotate 180 degrees, retighten. The misalignment should be reversed. If not, do the same to the other tube. That way you'll know which tube.  If you are going to have them straightened its best to do both though.  Adverts for straightening in the back of MCN.

[fuzee666]

thanks bixxer bob, i'll give that a go 

[Bixxer Bob]

Almost forgot, if you suspect you have got a bent tube, you can do the following. You need a good flat surface (a glass table is ideal - send the wife out first though). Dismantle the fork leg as you will be doing anyway if it's so bad it needs straightening. With the tube removed from the lower, roll it slowly on the flat surface.  You'll immediately see where its bent and how much.  You can also compare with the other one.  Straighteners  use longitudinal rollers to roll them straight. Don't be tempted to try to  do it yourself unless you really know what you are doing and have access to a press and form tools. I did my Trident forks a long time ago; it worked but based on that experience I would pay a professional if I needed to do it again.