bad fork

[Thxcuz]

the original fork on my amflite cobra seems to have an issue. on of the channels for the axle is slightly deeper than the other so the wheel sits on there crooked. is it ok to try to grind to make them even? I don't know if this issue was a manufacturing screw up or just age.

 

[us56456712]

I guess I would try a temporary shim on the deeper part first. If it rides straight then I would be tempted to file them even. Forks can be tiresome. Sometimes they look straight, lay straight on a plane table and measure even side to side and still ride with a pull. I have one old junker with a bad pull and everything looks OK. I need to replace this fork but I only ride it a few times a year and so I haven't gotten around to it yet. I have an AM Courier that is similar to the AM Flight. It is gold in color and had a badly bent fork. I replaced it with another similar fork but painted it black as my bike has black lettering. Yours probably has white lettering so a white fork might work. There is a gold fork for your bike for sale on Ebay right now. I tried but could not match the original gold paint. You can get AMF fork decals on Ebay. Mine now rides great and looks good. Next summer I will put a tank light that I have on it. I think it would be OK to try and file it.

 

[Thxcuz]

when you say shim the fork do you mean just place maybe a small piece of aluminum or something? like a beer can? I can do that...but I'll have to drink beer first, what the heck, make it 12

or will a little jb weld work?

 

[user 135]

The axle does not have to rest at the top of the dropout. On cheap bikes with safety washers, I let the wheel hang down on the washers then tighten up. Just make sure it is centered at the top of the fork.

 

[Thxcuz]

Great. I'll give that a try.

 

[us56456712]

when you say shim the fork do you mean just place maybe a small piece of aluminum or something? like a beer can? I can do that...but I'll have to drink beer first, what the heck, make it 12
or will a little jb weld work?

I would grind down a nut and make a tight fit. it only has to last a short while.

 

[us56456712]

New used fork if yours turns out to not be straight.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-V...466a7e0&pid=100011&rk=1&rkt=1&sd=201415500813

 

[Thxcuz]

I don't really need to use the original fork. I have a MTB fork on it now. I just want to make the wheel base a little longer than it is with the modern fork. Or I may use both to make a homemade springer. This is an ongoing project that has been ongoing for a while.
I can never leave well enough alone.
If I knew what I had originally I wouldn't have done the unspeakable things I did to that bike.
Thanks for the lead though

 

[deorman]

Common on cheap bikes, budge it into alignment and hold it while you tighten it. Your wheel may also not be evenly dished, flip it and see if one way is better than the other.