rear fork legs not linning up?

[sqweaka]

i discovered a problem with the rear forks legs when i removed the rear wheel on my 59 model 14 for the first time. the cotter pin that holds the legs together was 'nt tight, on inspection it looks like a new one! i removed it and removed the left hand leg and checked everything was ok no visable wear on anything, i reassembled the arm, cotter pin etc and tight'nd it all up. heres the problem the left hand fork arm is sitting lower than the right one... they should be parrallel with each other. my thoughts are, its got the wrong cotter pin fitted! if the tapper on the pin is at a different angle, it would set the arm in a different position. does that make sence and does it sound right... thoughts please
ps, i didnt fit the pin thats on the bike, it was in the bike iive just bought that has had a so called full rebuild!

rear fork cotter pin part no 042360 from the spares list

[cbranni]

If the cotter pin was slack then the two arms would move independant of each other a certain amount giving you the problem, however if the swinging arm pin has been replaced at some point and not set up properly when welded this would could be the problem, check the weld does it look original? What you can do is .........fit the two forks together, fit the cotter pin, tighten it tight, then check it for alignment, I would imagine a 1/16 would be ok, if its badly out, grind off the weld, align the whole thing up and find a good welder, only my opinion.
Colin

[sqweaka]

hi colin, ive got the complete swing arm off the bike.... put the two pars together and they are out of alignment by a 1/2" to 3/4" not having seen any other swing arm welds id guess going on the condition of mine that they have been replaced..or at least the bronze bushes in the frame have been. but im guessing both, the cotter pin thread/nut is new but the thread is stripped so will need replacing, ill get a new one ordered, try it just in case a wrong one has ben fitted with a slightly different angle.. see if that does the trick if not, ill have to get the grinder out... is it just a surface weld to grind flat to seperate the shaft from the arm?

[cbranni]

There are chamfers I would imagine plus penertration but grind the weld off flush with the arm then some gentle levering , assemble the two forks square and weld it back up, don't forget to chamfer both parts before welding.
Get a good welder to do it properly

Colin

[John Jarrett]

I have the same problem with a lightweight swinging arm not lining up when the cotter pin was tightened. It now makes sense why this has happened having read the posts and checked whether it has been replaced/re-welded (which it has).

However, the weld appears to be good and rather than grinding and re-welding I was contemplating a less permanent solution by altering the angle on the cotter pin (by filing the angle slightly) such that it is straight when tightened. If and when the swinging arm pin needs replacing again I can replace the altered cotter pin and get everything straight again, but until then the temporary solution should work?

Any comments welcome.

[cbranni]

I can see where you coming from John, but I have my doubts, but for the cost of a cotter pin its worth a try. just be careful when tightening the nut, make sure it is clamping the arm, not bottoming out on the thread as the pin will now deeper in the hole, hope that makes sense.
Colin

[sqweaka]

or line it up on the bike and weld the thing on both sides!! then worry about getting it apart later! thought when i bought this bike all i had to do was a little bit of wiring and away i would go... doh

[cbranni]

thought when i bought this bike all i had to do was a little bit of wiring and away i would go... doh

Its never that easy

[borrowashboy]

i've had this problem a few times and every time it's been because the cotter pin wasn't seated right. what i did was drop the pin in and lift the single side of the swingarm up and down, while gently tapping the pin in with a little hammer. just waggle up and down and tap. when it's seated right there should be hardly any of the top of the cotter pin showing and the legs should be level.
cheers, bb.