Topic: how do you all install your forking into your triple trees?

[Gurp]

I always just got a peice of. Wood and hit the trees themselves.. is there a better way?

[754]

 Usually they slide right into the trees...not sure what you meant..

[Gurp]

Mine havent just slid in so i usually have to get a small piece of wood and a hammer, or a rubber mallet and hit the trees to get the forks to slide through. I usaully have the bike on the ground. I was wondering if there was a betterway to do this.
I put the old front end back onn my cb550 like this last night and it inspired me to ask. Typeing is prolly bad right now no sleep lol

[754]

 You may have bent tubes, always clean the holes in the trees, and the fork tubes with steel wool or similar..

[MCRider]

You may have bent tubes, always clean the holes in the trees, and the fork tubes with steel wool or similar..

Clean the inside of the clamps, outside of the tubes. Use a tire iron or other appropriate wedge to hold the clamp open. The tube should slide right in.

Best practices: Avoid force, pounding, whenever possible. Especially on assembly.

[chewbacca5000]

You need to have the tire off to to this properly.  With the tire off you can twist the fork tubes up and down with your hand.  No banging required.

[Gurp]

I never used anything to hold the trees open lmao

[Dimitri13]

My fork tubes are very rusty up top and I can still get them inside the clamps just by hand. I'd definitely look into bent tubes or triple.

[Gurp]

I guess its a good thing a got a another front end. From a forum member recently.

[SOHC_guy]

As long as everything is clean and slides in easily,
I assemble wheel + axle to forks. This will keep forks perpendicular to wheel.
Then with screws on triple tree just snugged, I put some weight on the
bottom of front tire. When forks are just above top of triple tree, just tighten
all screws. And--there you are! Think about adding a fork brace. I have one, deff.
adds stability to front end.

[754]

 Be very careful wedging anything on assembly, can easily damage things. It should assemble pretty easily if everything is clean and straight..

[mono]

after taking the bolts off of the clamps, you sometimes have to spread the clamps open using a screwdriver or some such tool.   just give them a little nudge and that should spread them enough to allow the tubes to slide in/out with relative ease. 

[unitedguitar]

I used cooking spray once. I got the idea from watching TV and seeing a guy use a lubricant to install a set of forks on a chopper. Just make sure it gets cleaned up after install.