Probably a stupid question, but is there an easy way to move the forks up in the triple without removing the wheel. Or should I just remove the wheel and do one leg at a time?
Suspend the bike from the ceiling/ladder with straps. Loosen triples. Slide forks up. Profit?
Also doable if you've got an under-triple front stand.
What, specifically, are you trying to accomplish?
Just loosen the pinch bolts a little and move one leg at a time. You can ordinary do it with the bike on the side-stand. Once you've got them where you want them, torque the top clamp, hold the bike upright and bounce the front end up and down a few times to make sure everything is still aligned, then torque the lower clamp bolts and you are done. No need to totally unweight the front wheel and certainly no need to remove it.
what he said [thumbsup]
not a bad idea to have an extra set of hands
as it may slide up more than you want...... very quickly
making it hard to get back to where you want.
One set of hands holding the stanchion the other slowly releasing the pressure on the pinch bolt
wiggle back and forward easing it up.
make a soft pencil mark after measuring ,set them where you want and re measure .
Also do the right side first opposite the stand as it has less load on it lock it down then
do the stand side , if you have standard bars leave room for your adjustment controls.
Quote from: bikepilot on May 16, 2011, 02:02:22 PM
Just loosen the pinch bolts a little and move one leg at a time. You can ordinary do it with the bike on the side-stand. Once you've got them where you want them, torque the top clamp, hold the bike upright and bounce the front end up and down a few times to make sure everything is still aligned, then torque the lower clamp bolts and you are done. No need to totally unweight the front wheel and certainly no need to remove it.
I was just woried that once I loosened the pinch bolts the forks would slide out of the triples because of the weight of the wheel and I wouldn't get them back up by myself at the correct height and tighten the pinch bolts at the same time. I guess they don't slide out that easily? If you leave it on the side stand and only loosen one leg won't the leg push itself up it in the triple once you loosen the pinch bolts (because of the spring being compressed in that state)? On the other hand if it's up on thee front stand (under the triple) would you be able to pull one leg up if the other leg is still fixed? The wheel is pulling down on the loose leg and the spring is already at full extension.
Quote from: Buckethead on May 16, 2011, 01:47:12 PM
Also doable if you've got an under-triple front stand.
What, specifically, are you trying to accomplish?
I've got a front stand under the triples, no problem.
What I'm trying to accomplish? Well I had the oil replaced at the dealer and they put the forks in about 8mm to low! I went back (on saturday) and there response was:
me:- "forks are not where they should be"
dealer: "So? What's the problem?"
me: "well it bounces around too much (I guess the front is to light)"
dealer: sits on the bike and bounces the front; looks at me and says "but this rides better; your not so leaned over anymore, lowering the front isn't going to change the bouncing. Just ride it a bit and see if you like it; if you don't come back during the week and I'll put it back"
me: OK, you're the specialist. Thinking to myself, "Yeah right, your assistant did all the work probably and put it back wrong and now you don't have the time to correct it."
So now I'm thinking best to learn how to do things myself. I was already doubting whether I should do the oil myself or pay them to do it, but the hassle of getting rid of the oil and the fact that I thought they'd replace the seals at the same time (which they didn't because the seals weren't leaking), made me decide to let them do it.
Oil disposal is simple-take it to an auto parts store and dump it. Free and easy.
Adjusting forks with the wheel still on is asking for trouble. It will be more finagling than its worth. Just remove the wheel and use your tripple stand. It will be very simple and comfortable to adjust them then.
Yeah... just because it CAN be done without lifting the front doesn't mean it should be. I foresee plenty of potential aw-shits.
Quote from: avizpls on May 17, 2011, 05:32:36 AM
Oil disposal is simple-take it to an auto parts store and dump it. Free and easy.
He's in Belgium. It might be being a bit too logical to assume they have the same services.
Quote from: IdZer0 on May 16, 2011, 11:43:02 PM... but the hassle of getting rid of the oil and the fact that I thought they'd replace the seals at the same time (which they didn't because the seals weren't leaking), made me decide to let them do it.
You need to be in touch with your local authorities and find out what is required to dispose of oil.
I'd done fork height on a side stand about a billion times (ok, maybe not a billion, but easily a hundred+ - making many small alterations a day while getting bikes dialed in at the track, etc.). No drama to it. Do one leg at a time, loosen the last triple bolt a bit slowly. Sometimes they'll start to slide on their own, but usually the weight of the bike isn't enough to counter the friction from the clamp, even with the bolts loose. Grab the leg and give it a slight twist and push in the direction you want to go. The forks are soft enough you can lower or raise the forks in the clamps with it on the stand (one leg at a time) with your hands - or I can anyway and I'm not especially strong. There's surprisingly little weight on the front end when the bike is on the side stand. No harm in putting the bike on a front stand (the type with a pin that goes up the lower triple) if it makes you more comfortable.
Note, I probably would not do it on the ground on bikes with a fork spring in only one leg. As far as I'm aware all ducatis have springs in both legs, but I'm not a ducati expert. My Montesa for example has a spring in only one leg - I'd probably toss it on a center stand before losening the spring-leg :)
good luck and have fun!
Quote from: ducatiz on May 17, 2011, 07:23:53 AM
He's in Belgium. It might be being a bit too logical to assume they have the same services.
You need to be in touch with your local authorities and find out what is required to dispose of oil.
Fair enough. I tend to forget how thoroughly world-wide this forum is.
I bet its safe to assume they have street drains though!
heres to hoping we can recognize a joke when we see it
Quote from: avizpls on May 17, 2011, 09:51:24 AM
Fair enough. I tend to forget how thoroughly world-wide this forum is.
I bet its safe to assume they have street drains though!
heres to hoping we can recognize a joke when we see it
YOU BASTARD!! (http://www.toffeetalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/shaking%20fist.png)
lol
pitbull jack stands rock for this type of stuff [bacon]
OK guys, thx for the responses, I decided to jack up the front and remove the wheel after all. I have to say the forks slid out pretty easy so I doubt it would have gone as easy on without taking the wheel of. Maybe on the sidestand it all would have balanced out.
Had a bit of a problem with the torque value for the pinch bolts because I found different values but decided to go with 20Nm; although when I loosened them they were just a bit more than hand tight.
So tomorrow a quick ride to see if it's better this way.
Oh and we can carry the oil to any shop. There are special facilities for that, but as they are managed by the county, they're only open on weekdays between 9:00 and 16:30, and we all know you need a job to be able to afford a Ducati :-D