Steering damper question

Production K Models

Steering damper question

Postby hd54kh » Wed Aug 22, 2018 1:24 pm

Hi all, I'm now moving onto my triple trees and not sure what I have for the steering damper damper rod and not sure of the 2 - steering damper spacers. I marked them off in the parts diagram. Second picture shows what I have for the steering damper rod. I appears to be two pieces coupled together and a split end.

I removed these many years ago so it must have fit together somehow just don't remember. Still looking for the fork stem sleeve end I know it has to be here somewhere.

In one of the parts book I see P/N 45752-52 Bracket Spacer 3 required where and how do these fit. What do these measure out as?

I also found P/N 46780-55 Steering Damper Lock Spring in my parts how does this fit to the trees?

If anyone has a picture of the parts in what order they are installed would be great.

Wish I had a digital camera back then.

Terry
Attachments
Fork Group Marked.jpg
Fork Group Marked.jpg (59.47 KiB) Viewed 14089 times
Fork Stem resized.jpg
Fork Stem resized.jpg (400.71 KiB) Viewed 14089 times
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby thefrenchowl » Fri Aug 24, 2018 5:26 am

I wonder what would happen to you if there wasn't any drawings in the parts book...

If sommat like this is beyond your abilities, you should quit old motorcycling and buy some other stuff from China that don't need any brains to look after or operate!!! Like a cuddly toy...

Patrick...
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby hd54kh » Fri Aug 24, 2018 10:32 am

Bad day Mr. Owl??

You don't know my situation. I started my resto back in the late 90s. Due to vision loss I had to shelf it, due to technology I see well enough to assemble my old bike and will need to sell it as I can never ride again.

I just want to assemble correctly with the help here and a good friend when time allows. The bike is 700 miles from home and only occasionally can I get to it. I have only another 3-4 weeks before I need to go back home and was hoping to at least have it on it's wheels. After all the old motorcycle culture does focus on a lot of such minor details, ever attend AMCA judging? Tough bunch.

So in your mentality I should just put all these parts on Fleabay (sometimes parts are worth more than their sum) and separate what would be a complete running bike.

Are you having trouble with social issues? This is a forum of all people with different approaches, different experience, different knowledge. Is it not allowed to have a conversation no matter how minor it is in your level of expertise. You are the king of the K world? What if I were to be a 16 year old just getting interested in old motorcycles are you the one to be the person to mentor such a person or a deterent. What if I just retired and found a bike of my youth looking for the knowledge base here?

What gives with your comments? Why are you even here if you can not tolerate others. "IS IT JUST ME?"

Wasted too much time already. Do me a favor, just overlook any of my posts/threads here and do not reply.

Terry
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby hennesse » Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:35 am

thefrenchowl wrote:If sommat like this is beyond your abilities, you should quit old motorcycling and buy some other stuff from China that don't need any brains to look after or operate!!! Patrick...


C'mon Patrick - the purpose of this site is to HELP people, not denigrate them. I have a similar situation - my restoration has taken four years, and I have trouble remembering how I took things apart - heck, I have trouble even finding what I did with some of the parts! Lighten up.

Terry,

I'll have to dig out that 45752-52 spacer (0 to 3 required) and measure it. Apparently there was a lot of tolerance in the fork stem area, not sure why (maybe inconsistent machining of triple trees?), but they needed to shim the upper tree. More later.

The steering damper. It looks like you may have a mix of parts. You are working on a 1954 KH, right?

The 1952 to 1954 bikes used a a round 46769-52 rod, and two 46776-52 spacers. The 1955 to 1956 bikes (see photo) used a (partially?) hexagonal 46769-55 rod, the 46780-55 lock spring, and zero of the 46776-52 spacers. Apparently, they had some problems with the steering damper loosening itself and parts falling off! So they changed it for 1955. The caption is interesting - it would appear to me that the upper end of the rod would be hexagonal - but I've never actually seen one of these. And it uses one 46776-55 spacer.

damper55.jpg
The Enthusiast, September 1954 (1955 New Model Introduction)
damper55.jpg (117.69 KiB) Viewed 13985 times


OK, it looks like you have the 52-54 setup (round rod) with a spurious 46780-55 lock spring. Do you have the two 46776-52 spacers ? I'll take a photo of my damper later this morning.

Dave
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby strong56KH » Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:34 pm

It's the 46776-55 spacer that has the hex for the lock spring. It screws on to one end of the rod. The 45752-52 fork stem spacer fits between the 45721-54 fork stem sleeve and the upper tree. When you assemble the upper tree on the fork stem, it should sit flush against the spacer. If there is a gap, you need to add another spacer.
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby starcain » Fri Aug 24, 2018 6:56 pm

Here is a picture of the steering damper parts that are used and the 45752-52 fork upper bracket spacer. The parts go together just as they are pictured in the parts book image you posted. Also a picture of the 45752-52 spacers and where they go. The rod that you have pictured is not the correct one. It's one piece with a slot cut in the bottom threads. The whole rod by itself measures 11.5"
Stan
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Steering Damper.jpg
Steering Damper.jpg (85.5 KiB) Viewed 13933 times
45752-52 Spacers.jpg
45752-52 Spacers.jpg (153.58 KiB) Viewed 13933 times
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby hennesse » Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:46 pm

Stan,

Thanks for the great photos of the 1952-1954 damper stuff.

Looking closer at Terry's steering damper rod - it's different - and I'm betting it's the 46769-55 used on 1955 and later ??? It has the split at the bottom, but the top part is different - looks like it might support 46776-55 steering damper rod spacer (with the hex). Then the 46780-55 rubs against the hex. The illustrations in the parts catalogs all show the -52 rod.

rod55.jpg
Is this a 46769-55 ???
rod55.jpg (24.39 KiB) Viewed 13921 times


I now think Terry has a 1955-later damper setup. Not 100% correct, but pretty small potatoes in the scheme of things.

dampers.jpg
Parts and parts
dampers.jpg (55.97 KiB) Viewed 13921 times


Nuts and Bolts! 1952, 1953, early 1954 used the 4370 bolt (3/8-24 x 1-9/16 hex bolt), while late-1954 and later used the 4372W bolt (3/8-24 x 1-5/8 hex bolt - cadmium). I can't remember, but doesn't one of these have a special thin head and the other a standard head?
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby hennesse » Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:50 am

The Administrator has banned user The French Owl from posting on the forums for 30 days

Reason “Abusive to other forum members. This is NOT the first time. Banned from posting for 30 days. Next time permanent. This is too bad - he has a lot of knowledge, but unfortunately has a very bad attitude.”


thefrenchowl wrote:Hi folks,
Sorry if my comments hurt... If you don't get them, it's even worse!!! What I'm really saying is why would you trust anybody's answers (specially when they come by the wagon full...) on this web rather than your own judgement... Follow that road and you'll learn very little by this course of action... Pavlof theory and the like...
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby starcain » Sat Aug 25, 2018 9:22 am

Nuts and Bolts! 1952, 1953, early 1954 used the 4370 bolt (3/8-24 x 1-9/16 hex bolt), while late-1954 and later used the 4372W bolt (3/8-24 x 1-5/8 hex bolt - cadmium). I can't remember, but doesn't one of these have a special thin head and the other a standard head?[/quote]


Dave, Yes the 4370 has the thin head (pictured) the 4372W has the thicker head. They changed over to the 4372W bolt when they started using the '55 damper stuff.
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Re: Steering damper question

Postby hennesse » Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:11 am

The weirdo thin head 4370 bolt was also used on the starter crank. The Spare Parts Catalogs through 1957 show 4370. The 1959 and later catalogs show the 4372 bolt. (parkerized - not the cadmium plated 4372W). Wasn't this weirdo bolt on the crank a feature of big twins going back to maybe Knuckleheads too?

kicker.jpg
Another use of the thin-head 4370 bolt
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