Anyone expierenced slipped front forks

[First_N_Last]

This is open to gather experience about all bikes - any manufacturer - any model.

 

I've been told by someone on another board that it is common for front forks to loosen then slip & ride up in the Trees.

This is new information to me. In all my years of experience & all the fellow riders I've met & known, I have not heard of any factory motorcycle forks slipping in their mounts.

 

So please...

I'd really like to hear from people that have had factory installed forks slip.

Then I will have learned something & have grown.

 

Anyone?

Slipped fork or forks?

Please share your experience(s) & details.

 

Help me change my mind on this slippage.

Please - I'd be happy to change my mind.

In fact, I'd be relieved to change my mind.

 

JohnB

Edited December 16, 2012 by First_N_Last

[dingy]

This is open to gather experience about all bikes - any manufacturer - any model.

 

I've been told by someone on another board that it is common for front forks to slip & ride up in the Trees.

This is new information to me. In all my years of experience & all the fellow riders I've met & known, I have not heard of any factory motorcycle forks slipping in their mounts.

 

So please...

I'd really like to hear from people that have had factory installed forks slip.

Then I will have learned something & have grown.

 

Anyone?

Slipped fork or forks?

 

 

Please share your experience(s) & details.

 

Help me change my mind on this slippage.

Please - I'd be happy to change my mind.

In fact, I'd be relieved to change my mind.

 

JohnB

 

Have never heard of this happening and have been around bikes for 5 decades.

 

Not saying it couldn't happen though. But I would think improper installation would be a factor if it did.

 

Gary

[Squidley]

Whoever told you that doesn't know very much about front triple trees. There MIGHT be a newer suspension I dont know about that MIGHT have tubes that slide in the trees, but for every bike I have worked on, the tubes are slid into the trees and tightened down.

 

If this said person has info on a new suspension setup on a bike I would LOVE to see it

[Miles]

JohnB, now that you have heard from Gary, and from Squidley, and now from me, you can take it to the bank, that with over 125 years experience between the three of us...we all agree that 99.9999999999% of all motorcycles ever made do NOT have fork tubes that slip up and down in the triple-tree clamps, unless there is something loose and at fault.

They simply are not designed to do that. Your friend that told you about the fork tubes doing this...is a poopy head...of the 37th degree.

 

Now that this is settled, bring us something we can think about for more than a nano second, that may possibly challenge our brains.

 

One thing is for sure, if you ask the question here, you will get a good consensus of quality opinions from experienced riders and techs.

[MiCarl]

I gotta weigh in too:

 

It certainly isn't common. If it were to happen it'd be very dangerous. If it does happen it will be because of some other failure, most likely the bonehead with a wrench.

 

The good news is those clamps generate a lot of force and the torque specs on the bolts are usually modest. In my experience most garage monkeys over tighten them.

[wes0778]

Whoever told you that doesn't know very much about front triple trees. There MIGHT be a newer suspension I dont know about that MIGHT have tubes that slide in the trees, but for every bike I have worked on, the tubes are slid into the trees and tightened down.

 

If this said person has info on a new suspension setup on a bike I would LOVE to see it

 

Yeah it took a very BIG hammer to get mine to "slide" but once they did we tightened them down and they haven't moved since.

[k9cottage]

even though we are upside down in the great southern land after 45 years of fixing & riding bikes , scooters ,trikes & sidecars never seen or had one slip even after a head on crash the forks are bent but the triple trees do not move

[OB-1]

This is open to gather experience about all bikes - any manufacturer - any model.

 

I've been told by someone on another board that it is common for front forks to loosen then slip & ride up in the Trees.

This is new information to me. In all my years of experience & all the fellow riders I've met & known, I have not heard of any factory motorcycle forks slipping in their mounts.

 

So please...

I'd really like to hear from people that have had factory installed forks slip.

Then I will have learned something & have grown.

 

Anyone?

Slipped fork or forks?

Please share your experience(s) & details.

 

Help me change my mind on this slippage.

Please - I'd be happy to change my mind.

In fact, I'd be relieved to change my mind.

 

JohnB

 

That's a new one to me. I've only been riding street bikes since 78 so I might have missed this bit of news... And I've never experienced it on any of my bikes.

[First_N_Last]

Thanks everyone for you participation & input.

 

Your experiences with fork slippage has been exactly as mine for just under 50 years.

Forks don't slip unless there is an assembly error (improper tightening).

 

My reason for this?

When I decided to buy a Trike, I thought that researching For Sale Trikes on a Trike site would be a safe way to find a good one.

 

I bought an older RSV with a Conversion done directly by the Trike manufacturer in December of 2008.

The rest is known from my other posts.

 

What was really surprising was having the manufacturer tell me about it being common for forks to loosen & slip.

Then as I discussed it on a Trike site. I had another person with very similar writing style, exclaim how he had known many people with slipped forks.

 

My conclusion here is that VentureRiders Rocks!!!! Filled with trust worthy knowledgeable people.

I feel that the person commenting about slipped forks was closely associated with my Trike Conversion & was spreading misinformation, which others will assume to be truthful.

That is too bad. Spreading misinformation is not honorable.

 

VentureRiders - thanks for being who you are - Honorable.

[MiCarl]

even though we are upside down in the great southern land after 45 years of fixing & riding bikes , scooters ,trikes & sidecars never seen or had one slip even after a head on crash the forks are bent but the triple trees do not move

 

Would be even worse for you upside down folks. The forks would slip DOWN and completely off the motorcycle. The front of the motorcycle would become detached from the earth and attempt to float away. If you don't have a heavy passenger or enough junk in the bags there might not be enough gravity left on the rear tire to keep the whole wring from flying off into outer space.

[Marcarl]

I really don't know much about other bikes,,, not even about yours, but I do know about mine. When I put my forks back in the triple tree I slide them all the way up as far as they could go so that they stopped at the ciri-clip that stops them from going any higher. Now seeing as they stopped sliding at the clip when the clamps are loose, I not quite sure how they would slide any further when the clamps are tightened. Now if somebody said that they slid down,,, now I would have to worry, because I have a 1st gen and the front wheel could possibly come off the ground on occasion.

[First_N_Last]

I really don't know much about other bikes,,, not even about yours, but I do know about mine. When I put my forks back in the triple tree I slide them all the way up as far as they could go so that they stopped at the ciri-clip that stops them from going any higher. Now seeing as they stopped sliding at the clip when the clamps are loose, I not quite sure how they would slide any further when the clamps are tightened. Now if somebody said that they slid down,,, now I would have to worry, because I have a 1st gen and the front wheel could possibly come off the ground on occasion.

 

If you do that on a 2nd Gen, you have to throw away your light-bar, unless you want an imprint of it on your front fender.

 

Thanks for the 1st Gen viewpoint.

Edited December 17, 2012 by First_N_Last

[CaptainJoe]

Yes!

It can happen.

 

When a friend and I were jumping tires and he came down in a crashing nose dive, the forks definatly moved in the triple clamps.

 

Of course, one of the clamps broke and allowed the bent up forks to move...

 

Guess that don't count?

 

 

[First_N_Last]

Yes!

It can happen.

 

When a friend and I were jumping tires and he came down in a crashing nose dive, the forks definatly moved in the triple clamps.

 

Of course, one of the clamps broke and allowed the bent up forks to move...

 

Guess that don't count?

 

 

 

Thanks for making me laugh & fall out of my chair.

On the TrikeTalk forum, I'm getting beat up by legal jargon & unsubstantiated claims of forks loosing up by Veritas44.

He acts like he is associated with a Trike Conversion Company & has driven off claims of improper installations before.

Normally I'd just laugh & drop it, but I fear he is convincing less experienced riders there, that their forks could slip on them at any time. Jees!

 

I'm kind of done there now. I think I put down enough thought & words to help those members make their own decisions.

Thanks to everyone here for sharing your experience & confirming mine.

[etcswjoe]

I have a friend who does custom trikes I will ask him if he has ever seen it.

[First_N_Last]

I have a friend who does custom trikes I will ask him if he has ever seen it.

 

Thanks Joe - knowledge is the goal.

[Pegasus1300]

To add to the cumulative experience here I've been riding and racing and wrenching on motorcycles for 50+ years,British bikes,European bike,Japanese,bikes American bikes, and I have never seen or heard of this happening. I wont say it can't happen,anything can happen, but not very likely.

[Miles]

To add to the cumulative experience here I've been riding and racing and wrenching on motorcycles for 50+ years,British bikes,European bike,Japanese,bikes American bikes,

 

 

Newby ! (ha ha ha ha ha) I love that there are so many of us old guys on this forum, with 40 + years riding and wrenching experience.

[tazmocycle]

it is possible for you to slide the tubes up in the forks by loosening the clamps. some folks do this to help lower the frontend. someone could have worked on these bikes and not tightened up the clamps properly, allowing them to slip up and down in the tripletrees. but in all the years i have owned over 50 bikes of all make(except harley but have worked on them for friends) and never seen any of them doing it.

there's always someone who sets themself as a know-it-all and is usually someone you don't want to listen to. as a friend of mine uses to say "don't argue with a fool! because he'll beat up up with experance and pull you down to his level!! i had to think about it for a bit before i got what it ment. lol!

[etcswjoe]

I checked with my friend who has been building custom trikes in Va for almost 20 years and he has never heard of them slipping.

[First_N_Last]

it is possible for you to slide the tubes up in the forks by loosening the clamps. some folks do this to help lower the frontend. someone could have worked on these bikes and not tightened up the clamps properly, allowing them to slip up and down in the tripletrees. but in all the years i have owned over 50 bikes of all make(except harley but have worked on them for friends) and never seen any of them doing it.

there's always someone who sets themself as a know-it-all and is usually someone you don't want to listen to. as a friend of mine uses to say "don't argue with a fool! because he'll beat up up with experance and pull you down to his level!! i had to think about it for a bit before i got what it ment. lol!

 

 

"don't argue with a fool!" is so true, but sooooo frustrating to do.

I no longer use the TT website - no value there.

[First_N_Last]

I checked with my friend who has been building custom trikes in Va for almost 20 years and he has never heard of them slipping.

 

Thanks for checking.

 

Thanks very much Joe