Right defiantly come to the conclusion the forks have been out at some point. Confirmed when looking to fit the speedy moto top yolk, So suggestions for getting the forks to there proper height ??? Back end on paddock stand,faring off. Jack under engine with piece of soft wood, slack off pinch bolts ..... All ideas & suggestions gratefully accepted. Cheers Paul.
I used a jack under engine once, loosened all yoke bolts and lowered it to the rings i wanted, then tightened. Crude but it worked.
if you have a roof beam, tie it to the roof with a ratchet strap and lift it up. Just be aware it'll swing like made and loosen the bolts before you lift. When I first started working on bikes in the garage I loosed the bolts too much and watched the bike slide down the forks. Took 4 men to lift the bike and me to knock them back down to fix the problem. Sometimes I can be a right idiot.
If you dont have a stand then nothing wrong with the jack thing. May be worth taking front wheel out first to redcue some weight, but have down with in and out.
As tom says, I also have a scaffold pole which i used to lie on the top of the walls either side of my garage and some tie straps. This is how I used to do my forks etc before I bought one of those ABBA jobbies.
I consider myself to be quite mechanically capable ! I worked in the motor trade for 23yrs As a painter & got involved in lots of stuff...... But the last time I took any forks out of anything it was a Fsie in 1978 ! After I ran into a Austin 1100 lol on a left hand bend Do I have to worry about wheel alinement or will the forks right that with the Stanctions. Thanks for all the answers so far Cheers Paul.
if you can hang from a rafter, I use an A-frame step ladder across body of bike and suspend with ratchet straps through frame works is easy and very stable. i'm was always worried about the jack method in case I knock the bike in the confines of my garage and it falls off NB depending on the size of your ladder you might need to take the tank off as long as yokes are aligned and the same amount of fork is showing above the yoke on each side you should be good to go when refitting the axles is usually a good idea to; Do up the nut until it spins the axle tighten the pinch bolts on the opposite side to the nut (watch the torque it only needs 19nm for showa , less for ohlins (12-14nm i think but check your book) tighten the Nut to specified torque then drop the bike back onto the front wheel and bounce the suspension, then suspend it again before retightening the nut to torque then tighten up the other pinch bolts on the nut side of the forks. this should make sure the wheel is straight and centred between the forks properly
