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Help CB250RS front wheel not centered between forks

Discussion in 'Honda 250cc Singles' started by matthewb77, Aug 22, 2021.

  1. matthewb77

    matthewb77 Member

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    Hi
    As per title - my front wheel is not perfectly centered, about 6mm closer to the brake side. This was the case when the left side fork clamp was flush with the end of the spindle. The brake disc appears to sit properly within the caliper.
    [​IMG]

    Pushing the left fork towards the wheel (so the spindle protrudes slightly) helped somewhat though not nearly the whole 6mm.
    How is the spindle supposed to sit in the fork clamp? Do you know why the wheel may be off center?

    Thanks
     
  2. Murdo

    Murdo The Good Doctor Staff Member Contributing Member Ride and Events Crew

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    First see if the rim is centred over the hub, it may have been put together wrongly.
    Second, loosen the fork clamps (tripple trees to the yanks) and rotate the fork legs to see if one is slightly bent, as this will move the bottom of the legs closer or further apart.
     
  3. Allan

    Allan Well-Known Member

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    The amount of axle I can see between the fork leg and the hub looks the same as mine. My rim is centred exactly between the forks.
    Have the spokes been incorrectly tightened? ie made shorter on one side and longer on the other. IMG_20210823_172721.jpg
     
  4. matthewb77

    matthewb77 Member

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    I have measured everything up carefully and it looks like the rim is not centered on the hub, so I'll have a go at re-trueing it in the weekend.
    Can anyone confirm the spoke length and gauge for this bike? It looks like 8ga, and CMSNL seems to suggest that its 193.0mm for the left, 193.5mm for the right. Is this correct?
    My rim is translated left-to-right rather than rotated on the hub, does this seem like a likely outcome of incorrectly tightened spokes or is it more likely indicative of incorrect lengths (e.g. both sides 193 or something)?

    Thanks
     
  5. Murdo

    Murdo The Good Doctor Staff Member Contributing Member Ride and Events Crew

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    The .5 would make no difference as it would only be a turn of the nipple. To centre the rim I suggest loosening the nipples one turn on the left, then tightening one turn on the right to move the rim.
     
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  6. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    You need to find out what the hub offset is, this spec will most likely be in the manual somewhere. Not all spoked wheels have perfectly centred hubs.
     
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  7. Allan

    Allan Well-Known Member

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    The rim would be centred between the forks even if the hub isn't though wouldn't it? Mine is.
    That is pretty easy to measure.
     
  8. matthewb77

    matthewb77 Member

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    That is my understanding Allan.
    The hub currently is centered whereas the rim is not, so I'm pretty sure that's a problem. The handling is all wrong, likely due to this offset, though my tyres are currently terrible (bike has been off the road for a long time) so it could be that.
     
  9. trevorlatala

    trevorlatala Active Member Contributing Member

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    Any further news re the wheel rim problem ? In 50 years of biking I have never seen a problem like this
    I wonder how it could happen !Has the wheel been dismantled and then rebuilt ?
    Trev
     
  10. matthewb77

    matthewb77 Member

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    yip have corrected the rim offset by adjusting all the spokes about half a turn (working in multiple small increments).
    cant think why the wheel was that way - i got the bike half-built (and hastily built at that) with bits from loads of other bikes, so maybe it was adjusted to suit some other frame?
    It doesnt look like its been recently adjusted as the spokes were pretty rusty and seized. I haven't had decent tyres on it since fixing but it definitely seems better, especially turning.
    I snapped one of the spokes while trying to adjust them - does anyone know where I can source another one in NZ?
     
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  11. trevorlatala

    trevorlatala Active Member Contributing Member

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    Well that sounds to be a good result never seen it before as I said earlier Talking about wheels I was on an auction site yesterday looking at Honda cb250 rsa bikes and saw one fitted with a Honda comstar wheel at the front and a spoked wheel at the rear ! what a strange mix cannot be a good idea ? what do you guys think ?
    Regards Trev
     

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