Nut/Tank contact problem .....

DHR1000

Forum User
VOC Member
Hello, I am after some help please .....

If I turn my Shadow onto full right lock,
the outer nut (570)
on the upper spindle (FF20)
of the front suspension upper wishbone (FF4)
hits the tank (Parts List T1/7AS, Dwg T1/6AS, OK. So you know what the fuel tank is).

Hopefully, it is clear from the attached picture.

I went to the motorcycle museum and tried out most of the Vin's on display - with agreement and help from the staff I might add - and they all had around 10mm clearance between nut & tank on full lock.

Tightening the nut so that a "flat" is the closest thing to the tank reduces the problem, but there is not a real (10mm) clearance.

Anybody have any ideas as to why this is happening? Any help gratefully received.
 

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Ducdude

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Hmmmm when was the last time you changed the rubbers mount FT80? Perhaps they are malformed in some way pulling the tank foward?

Just a thought..

Eric
 

chankly bore

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Assuming that the head lug has not suffered any violent deformation, I would suspect that the front tank mounts are too low, thereby holding the tank too high. Go back to your friendly museum and check the relative protrusion of the oil tank filler neck and the clearance between the petrol and oil tank( UFM ) right at the front below the steering head area.Is the tank original or "Made in India"? Make sure your tank rubbers are RUBBER and fitted large side innermost, i.e. not like the spares drawing!
 
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ET43

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It could also be that the fork stops on the head stock have been got at to increase the number of degrees the forks turn. This might have been done by a previous sidecar owner!! A blob of weld in the right place would rectify this problem. Cheers, ET43
 

Hugo Myatt

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The fork lock stop lugs on the bottom yoke can become worn, especially if the machine has ever suffered a tank slapper. This allows the forks to turn from side to side more than was intended. A blob of weld and judicious filing will restore the correct arc of movement.

Just seen ET 43 beat me to it
 
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Ducdude

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Good point .... On one of my older Ducatis where the number of degrees the forks turn s has to be measured with a Micrometer it is so small. When a tank slapper and the resulting crash messed up the stop, I built up the stop by gluing pieces of hard rubber (bit of tire or rubber hose) to keep my fingers from getting crunched in a hard turn... This did the trick for 15 years so far and it makes the stop impact nice and cushy...lol

Eric
 

TouringGodet

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My Comet has clearance, but be careful fitting tank bags. My tank bag buckle is in just the right spot to get pinched by those nuts, putting a tiny dent in my tank. Just had that and other issues fixed, and my repainted tank is ready for me to pick up.
 

david bowen

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the speedway guys down here use to have the same problem after they used the bikes on the dirt the easy way to fix which I have seen is to drill the lug and fit in a bolt you can tune the bolt to which thickness you require the head
 

DHR1000

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VOC Member
Thank you for all of the interest and help, much appreciated.

So I have investigated a number of the suggestions:
- Filler protrusions (gr8 idea, wish I had thought of that), all look similar to the Museum Photo's that I took.
- FT80 rubber bush is there, functioning and correct orientation (embarrassed not to have checked that already), all present, correct orientation and symmetric alignment.

And I have a number of lock-stop remedial actions:
- Weld (sensible)
- Cushioned rubber stop (neat)
- Bolt-based adjustment (I've seen this on a friends 888 and do like the idea of this).
 
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