fe Tripple clamps twisting easy?

Thurston · Mar 11, 2012

Hi,

I have a 2012 FE390, I am very disappointed that the triple clamps twist so easy?

I was riding on the weekend and it was very soft sand, and i stalled and fell/dropped the bike due to my midget legs.

I Picked the bike up and managed to get onto the dirt road and the triple clamps were twisted. They were a good 40-50mm out of wack as in my right hand was further forward then my left.

Why do they twist so easy? This isn't the first time it's happened. Whether it be big/small drops and crashes they just twist way out of wack.

Has anyone else noticed this? My mate has a 2011 KTM 250EXC and had just as many falls and crashes and his have never twisted. My previous 2004 Yamaha WR250F as seem a lot worse crashes and never twisted the triple clamps.

I Had my GoPro on at the time so ill try get the footage of the fall.

Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

- Scott.

Chas · Mar 12, 2012

It is a fact that the triple clamps twist fairly readily. In order to minimize twisting, make sure that the mating surfaces between the fork tubes and triple clamps are perfectly clean and smooth (using brake cleaner and very fine emory cloth or sand paper) then properly torque the triple clamp bolts to the recommended factory specs.

Thurston · Mar 13, 2012

Thanks for the reply Chas, I will have to give that a shot.

Awaiting a reply from my local dealer, will also be sending my enquiry to the Main Husaberg dealer in Australia.

Will keep everyone updated, if anyone else has any other suggestions I'm open for ideas.

Cheers

p2im0 · Mar 15, 2012

Same suggestion as Chas.

I bought my bike with 41 hrs and 700miles , torque checked everything when I got it home. I put about 6 hours on it and had one good fall. Picked the bike back up and the front wheel was pointing a good 20 degrees to the left of my handlebars. Turns out the triple bolts loosened up in the 6 hours I rode it (light riding, getting used to the bike).

Moved the forks back into position, torqued down the triples (how convenient having the torque specs stamped right on there!) and its been great since.

Thurston · Mar 16, 2012

Thanks for the reply p2im0,

Bit of an update removed the forks from the bike, and was a bit surprised to find the inside of the mating surface on the triple clamps had an oily feel to them along with the fork legs. I Cleaned up all the mating surfaces with some break cleaner and re-assembled everything, just needed get a torque wrench and tighten them up to the right specs.

Hopefully this should do the job, will be taking the bike to my local suspension shop for a check up and some adjustments for my rider weight and there going to check to make sure the triple clamps are all in line and not twisted.

Will be getting some new handlebars soon, as my current factory ones are a bit out. This should make straightening the front end up easyier too.

Will keep you's updated if i find out anything else.

Cheers

Taffy · Mar 17, 2012

you'll always get some twisting because your asked to only lightly tighten the clamps to the legs. over tightening them squeezes up the moving parts inside the legs and reduces its ability to work.

regards

Taffy

DaleEO · Mar 18, 2012

FWIW,

I would make sure that the steering stem bearing cap screw is torqued to the proper torque, and also make sure that the steering stem lock nut in torques properly too.

But as the above posters mentioned, make sure the tubes and clamping surfaces are clean and dry. I use a piece of very fine scotch bright pad to clean any marks or debris off, then using a white rag and contact cleaner, clean the inside of the clamping area until the white rage comes away colorless.

Don't use the scotch bright on the tubes, but, do use the contact cleaner and white rag to be sure they are clean.

I also clean out the pinch clamp bolt holes with contact cleaner and compressed air, make sure that the pinch bolts themselves are clean and burr free. Apply anti seize to the bolt threads, install them, then install the tubes.

When torquing the pinch bolts make sure to go back and forth over the pinch bolts several times to make sure that each bolt is properly torqued as the slightest torque applied to its sister bolt will release tension on the other.

Touch wood...........I have not had fall yet that twisted my tubes in the clamps, even after a tumble down the side of a mountain when I fell over on a single track trail in Idaho and the bike rolled down the hill after me. Only the rotor got bent in that fall, and parts of my body.

Thurston · Mar 19, 2012

Taffy said:
you'll always get some twisting because your asked to only lightly tighten the clamps to the legs. over tightening them squeezes up the moving parts inside the legs and reduces its ability to work.

regards

Taffy

I understand what your saying but I was shocked when I literally dropped the bike in the sand and they twisted like I'd crashed at a high speed.

DaleEO said:
FWIW,

I would make sure that the steering stem bearing cap screw is torqued to the proper torque, and also make sure that the steering stem lock nut in torques properly too.

But as the above posters mentioned, make sure the tubes and clamping surfaces are clean and dry. I use a piece of very fine scotch bright pad to clean any marks or debris off, then using a white rag and contact cleaner, clean the inside of the clamping area until the white rage comes away colorless.

Don't use the scotch bright on the tubes, but, do use the contact cleaner and white rag to be sure they are clean.

I also clean out the pinch clamp bolt holes with contact cleaner and compressed air, make sure that the pinch bolts themselves are clean and burr free. Apply anti seize to the bolt threads, install them, then install the tubes.

When torquing the pinch bolts make sure to go back and forth over the pinch bolts several times to make sure that each bolt is properly torqued as the slightest torque applied to its sister bolt will release tension on the other.

Touch wood...........I have not had fall yet that twisted my tubes in the clamps, even after a tumble down the side of a mountain when I fell over on a single track trail in Idaho and the bike rolled down the hill after me. Only the rotor got bent in that fall, and parts of my body.

Thanks for the replys, Ill be sure to check the steering stem and all that, thanks for mentioning that didn't think of that at the time when i pulled the fork tubes out. I made sure that the contacting surfaces were clean and free of any oil and crap. When i removed the pinch clamp bolts they were clean as the bikes only done 500km.

Sorry to hear about your fall, that would of hurt!

Touch wood my clamps don't twist as easy anymore!

Thanks,

- Scott.

jon andersson · Mar 19, 2012

Good that I found this thread! Always nice to know your not alone

My bike has seen some crashes and I have never experienced that the triple clamps got twisted. Then I installed new forks (Öhlins :cheers: ) and I twisted the triple clamp in a very slow speed crash. The front wheel hit some ice (no studs) and I fell. It was in 1st gear doing less than 10 km/h. To my horror everything was twisted!

I loosened the bolts and the twist disappeared. Back home I used brake cleaner as the forks had a film of, probably, fork oil, and torqued it all back up according to spec making sure all bolts had correct torque at the end.

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fe Tripple clamps twisting easy?

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