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Post by rdhood on Mar 6, 2015 9:39:20 GMT -5
I'm tired of those damn plastic body panels, Ditto. I even had a thread around here. Here is what I wish... I wish that the chinese manufacturers would settle on a few standards for things like frames/tripletree, plastics attachment (so that a set of new/different plastics could be put on regardless of manufacturer), etc. There is no direct replacement if any piece of plastic on my scoot breaks. There is no direct replacement if the triple tree breaks. I am sure that, in China, there are enough scoots around that if you break something, there will be a scooter boneyard where you can get a replacement. But here in the U.S., no such luck. |
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Post by rdhood on Mar 5, 2015 10:46:10 GMT -5
Found this on you tube: Service a scooter fork legMaybe its time to pull them out and compress them by hand and see if you can tell the difference. Take one or both apart and see if it is broken in some way. Just looking at the video, it doesn't look like there is much that can go wrong. A single fork leg can be had for $25-$50. It's not that expensive. Another thing you might try is get someone out on a flat stretch of ground in front of you videotaping as you accelerate and then stop quickly.... see if you can see anything happening. |
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Post by rdhood on Mar 4, 2015 11:33:28 GMT -5
Got my Motorcycle Learner's permit at the DMV!
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Post by rdhood on Mar 3, 2015 16:32:25 GMT -5
Shims inside the bearing stem? Not on a bicycle and not on my scoot. My scoot has the standard bicycle stack:
lock nut
tighten nut
top race
bearings in cage
top cup (built or pressed into frame)
bottom cup (built or pressed into frame)
bottom bearings (in cage, but mine are now loose)
bottom race (on triple tree)
No shims to speak of.
If the steerer bearings were loose, then rocking back and forth with the front brake engaged would produce a "clunk" as the steerer clunked back and forth. put the bike on the ground, and push/pull the front wheel back and forth with brake engaged and see if the steerer is loose in some way. then withe the bike on the center stand, from the side, grab the front wheel with both hands, and try to twist back and forth (while someone holds the grips to keep it steady) to see if the wheel bearings are loose. There should be no play in either test.
It sounds to me like the OP is on the right track. if one of the shocks is broken, it would dive unevenly (twist) to one side or the other. That is one reason that bicycles have a "bridge" across the forks... in case the pressure in one of the forks (you pump them up) is higher than the other .. to keep them from "twisting" during braking or over bumpy ground
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Post by rdhood on Mar 2, 2015 17:46:25 GMT -5
Great job. I hate to do it but it still looks a bit off to me. Hey; just tryin' to pass on a little of my OCD.... LOL Optical illusion. If you blow the pic up, put a straight edge on the tire center line, it is spot on with the centerline of the bike. I'm happy with it. I have about ten miles practice just running around the neighborhood and executing tight turns... getting ready for my dmv test. |
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Post by rdhood on Mar 1, 2015 15:39:24 GMT -5
Took it for a spin, its tracking straight and true with no funky vibration... looks good...
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Post by rdhood on Mar 1, 2015 14:02:18 GMT -5
I had a bit of trouble inserting one of the forks... just didn't want to go, but I managed. It finally dawned on me what the deal with the hard to insert fork. If you look where I put the triple tree on the press sideways, pressing closed up the gap in one side of the triple tree. I then put the triple tree back in BEFORE inserting the fork, only to find out that the fork would not insert. "What went wrong?", I thought. I sacrificed a screwdriver opening the gap back up, and even then had to hammer on the bottom of the fork with a rubber mallet to get it to go in. The moral of the story is to make sure that the fork legs go back into the triple tree BEFORE mounting it. |
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Post by rdhood on Mar 1, 2015 1:11:06 GMT -5
Done. Removed the bearings from the smashed cage, picked up a few more at a local bicycle shop to fill in the space, greased top and bottom bearings and reassembled. I had a bit of trouble inserting one of the forks... just didn't want to go, but I managed. It all looks good now:  |
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Post by rdhood on Feb 28, 2015 20:18:13 GMT -5
Ordered a replacement triple tree for my scoot. Looked at dozens, and found one that is pretty close on all dimensions (pretty close defined as 20mm short, .5mm to big in diameter, etc). I am fairly confident I can make it work... has the same width between fork dropouts, current fork bearings could be reused. Wish me luck. The replacement was fantastic, but I straightened the original. Today, I got a half dozen more quarter inch ball bearings for the bottom race. The cage got a little squished by being loose and someone riding it that way, so I am taking out the cage and needed a few more bearings to take up the space. I am headed down to the basement as I write this to put it all back together. This time, I know that the end result will be a whole, ride-able scooter. NOW I am getting excited about this project. p.s. Nobody local sells bearings any more. Not Home Depot, not auto parts stores, no one... EXCEPT... most bicycles shops do usually have loose bearings in a few sizes to fit in the bottom brackets and headsets of older and cheaper bikes. I called around and nearly all of the bicycle shops around me had some. edit: done. its back together and looks good. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I am taking a test ride. If it wasn't midnight... or if it was summertime... I'd go right now. |
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Post by rdhood on Feb 26, 2015 17:17:27 GMT -5
Got my new triple tree in and can finally put a micrometer to it... and it is a VERY VERY close fit. the bottom of the steerer is 1mm bigger (old=29mm, new = 30mm), and the top of the steerer where the top bearing goes is .5mm larger in diameter (old = 25mm, new = 25.5mm). Every other measurement is dead on. Even the two nuts that hold it together fit the new triple tree, the threaded section distance from bottom of bearing race , as well as the attachment hole (distance from bottom of bearing race) is dead on. This TT almost a direct replacement.
THAT SAID, it is a one way trip. if I widen the inner diameter of the bearing races by 1mm/.5mm, then I can't use them on the old triple tree. So I am going to put the old straightened triple tree back on, and put the new triple tree in storage. If the old one takes another hit and bends, then I will swap them out.
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Post by rdhood on Feb 24, 2015 8:08:06 GMT -5
That is what I think to. I think 1) as long as I don't cause a bend in the opposite direction, and 2) as long as I TIGHTEN the steerer bearing properly and don't take another hit with it loose, and 3) as long as there is no damage to the weld holding the steerer tube in the tree itself, everything should be fine. If properly tightened, there should be very little lateral stress on the steerer tube inside the frame. So I am going to put it back on and ride it.
BTW lain, I tried the "bang on it with a mallet", too, and could not get it to budge. That's when I turned to the press. I got it back within 1/16"... shouldn't have any residual problems.
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Post by rdhood on Feb 22, 2015 20:21:32 GMT -5
Remember my triple tree. It caused this:  You can imagine the bend in the tt. Well, I ordered a new triple tree that is dimensionally really really close, but it is still going to take some chinese modification strategies to make it work. Yuk. Being prepared to do that, I started eyeing the bent triple tree that I took off. I noticed that it is actually bent in the steerer. I imagine that the steerer bearing got loose, dude hit something and bent the steerer about 1.5" up from the top of the base of the triple tree. Having nothing left to lose, I decided to see if I could straighten it. Now, before you think I am crazy, I have bent my fair share of metal. I have even straightened a rifle barrel. In that case, the rifling in an unfocused look down the barrel formed concentric rings. I had two other rifles for comparison, and I managed to do a very very good job. It is similar to collimating a telescope using the diffraction rings around a light source. Any way, I was pretty successful at that, so what did I have to lose on the triple tree? The trick to this, btw, is to pick that correct place to press and to properly support the ends. The metal rod will have some spring to it, so you bend it JUST past center to the other side and let it spring back. too much, and you'll bend it the other way. Everytime is springs back just a little bit closer to true. I bent the forward/backward direction first, then then right/left. Using an inexpensive 12 ton hydraulic press:   And here is the result:  I'm inclined to reuse it. What do you think? |
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Post by rdhood on Feb 21, 2015 13:01:25 GMT -5
The Triple tree. Not only that, but when reviewing dozens of Craigslist scooters, a fairly high percentage of non working scooters had bent triple tree damage. the worst part is that triple trees are not standard... at all. Everyone builds their own custom triple tree for their own scooter. If you bend it... it is a real problem to find a replacement.
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Post by rdhood on Feb 21, 2015 12:58:25 GMT -5
Ordered a replacement triple tree for my scoot. Looked at dozens, and found one that is pretty close on all dimensions (pretty close defined as 20mm short, .5mm to big in diameter, etc). I am fairly confident I can make it work... has the same width between fork dropouts, current fork bearings could be reused. Wish me luck.
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Post by rdhood on Feb 20, 2015 11:01:29 GMT -5
I didn't see where you are coming from but...
How about leaving one motorcycle at the old location, borrowing a car with a hitch , tow the scooter, leave it there, drive back and pick up the motorcycle and ride it. Or find a friend with a hitch and get him/her to tow the scoot for you.
In the future, never purchase a car on which you can't put a hitch . Your lifestyle demands it.
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