[Trefmawr]

Ok, so update time. Since it was only -11 today (without windchill), I decided to do some work on the bike. And the weekend is supposed to be around zero too, so should get some shit done!

Today I put on my clip-on handle bars, and the chrome headlight brackets. Very sexy. Ran into a problem though...

When I was putting on the left bar, I had to take off the left fork cap and bung the thing on with a hammer and wood block. Well it's on fine now, but I have no idea how to put the cap back on the fork, as it's pretty hard to compress the spring and turn the cap at the same time. The hex socket in the cap is 20mm, but I looked around town and no one seems to carry a 20mm hex wrench or anything!

I tried fashioning one out of an old hockey stick, and it works for fitting in the socket, but it's still very hard to get it to go in the fork.

I feel like the hugest noob in the world here

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Le Canuck
My Bike on Flickr

 

[joe c]

freakin canadians.....you guys cant do anything without a hockey stick or a beer.

crafty fix though.

jc

 

[LNewman]

Try lifting the front of the bike so the fork doesn't have any weight on it you should be able to get it in then.

 

[OC Steve]

Yep, once you jack up the front of the bike so there´s no weight on the front wheel, you should be able to get the cap to start threading in.

How can you tighten the cap when you dont have a 20mm hex wrench? Try this: get a hex head bolt, with a head that measures about 3/4 inch (or about 20mm) across. Clamp the threaded part of the bolt real tight in some vice-grips. Put the head of the bolt in the cap, and use the vice-grips to turn the bolt.

 

[Trefmawr]

Haha yeah I just figured the bolt fix would work now to, but hey there was a hockey stick and an angle grinder just laying there so I figured what ze hell. I'm going to put the front up on some logs and then try it today, but it's still icy out so it's hard to put my full body weight on the thing. Better bust out the hairdryer!

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Le Canuck
My Bike on Flickr

 

[McB]

Man I know what you mean about the cold. I haven't touched my bike all week. It's still sitting in the garage with the carbs off. Too cold to put them back on. So now I'm just working on the tank in my nice toasty workshop.

 

[Geeto67]

dude, you still got the main stand on that bike, right? Put it on the main and then get something really heavy to place on the furthermost rearward frame rails. The front end of the bike should lift off the ground. Jam logs under there and you'll just crush your pipes.

 

[Trefmawr]

Ooooh Garage...How I wish... And my bike didn't come with a center stand when I bought it. I've been thinking of getting one off ebay or something, but I'll be careful with where I put the logs and jack. It was -32 today though, so I didn't get much done.

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Le Canuck
My Bike on Flickr

 

[LNewman]

Well your bike looks good

hole + wood, I can see how you made that connection.

 

[Trefmawr]

Yeah, but my wood was too big for the hole. Had to shave it down a bit

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Le Canuck
My Bike on Flickr

 

[oldschoolorange]

Dam -32 where the hell are you Winnipeg or something? Time to throw some studs in those tires and rip across some lakes passing some ski-doos. Checked out your pic site, I love the ghetto pipes

Hey someone pas me the wrench........ Ahh screw it where is the torch

 

[monkey]

holy shite.... steve baker is in the building!!!!!

mattman

 

[robertob]

You can get that socket from a good tool guy - it's the same size as some GM or VW (can't remember) transmission drain plugs.

 

[lonewolf]

Okay dude - I am in the building - don't have much to say - but that is not the way it will always be!

Steve Baker

 

[Psyco Diver 69]

umm I know this sounds stupid but I used a 20mm bolt and threaded a nut all the way down, I put the bolt in fork cap upside down and put a wrench on the nut and tightened it down

22/m
1980 Honda CB750
1972 Oldsmobile 442

 

[BANDIT]

quote:umm I know this sounds stupid but I used a 20mm bolt and threaded a nut all the way down, I put the bolt in fork cap upside down and put a wrench on the nut and tightened it down

Same idea, but use a socket and one of those ratcheting thumb wheels.
The thumb wheel fits the palm of your hand so that you can press down and turn at the same time, once you get the threads started then just keep twisting the thumb wheel like a regular ratchet.
Ha, finally found a picture of the thumb-wheel so' you know what I'm talking about!

Edited by - BANDIT on Dec 08 2006 06:37:34 AM

 

[Trefmawr]

Ah that's a killer tool! And yeah, I live in Winnipeg. Gimli is the place to go for Ice Racing though, tons of fun.

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Le Canuck
My Bike on Flickr

Edited by - Trefmawr on Dec 08 2006 6:06:22 PM

 

[jaimesix]

Hi. I just found this thread.

Dude, how did you install your clip ons?? Did you take the upper triple clamp? or did you take the forks off??

Perhaps it is different in your CB, in mine, I was able to take the top clamp w/o having to get the fork cap off. I did take the air hose off ( my bike has a hose connecting both forks).
Here a few pixes:

The clip on clamps are already on the forks.

I hope the hose can be seen in the last pix. The triple slid off past the caps.

Cafe racer DOHC CB750F

http://cardomain.com/id/jaimesix

Edited by - jaimesix on Dec 13 2006 04:39:58 AM

Edited by - jaimesix on Dec 13 2006 1:13:34 PM

 

[jaimesix]

quote:

quote:umm I know this sounds stupid but I used a 20mm bolt and threaded a nut all the way down, I put the bolt in fork cap upside down and put a wrench on the nut and tightened it down

Same idea, but use a socket and one of those ratcheting thumb wheels.
The thumb wheel fits the palm of your hand so that you can press down and turn at the same time, once you get the threads started then just keep twisting the thumb wheel like a regular ratchet.
Ha, finally found a picture of the thumb-wheel so' you know what I'm talking about!

Edited by - BANDIT on Dec 08 2006 06:37:34 AM

Excelent device, very usefull for tight places.

Cafe racer DOHC CB750F

http://cardomain.com/id/jaimesix

 

[Geeto67]

quote: Dude, how did you install your clip ons?? Did you take the upper triple clamp? or did you take the forks off??

IIRC his bike is a 1979 750 L (10th anniversary edition) which means it did not have air forks at all (1981 was the first year for the air forks on the DOHC cb750). Also, I am pretty sure he brought that bike home in pieces so he probably just put the clipons on when he assembled the front end. Do a search, he has posted previous about this.