VERY basic kinda dumb springer question...

[ParkRNDL]

ok, so I have 3 BFKs now. The plan is to do the green one like an early 60's Super Deluxe with the whitewalls and fenders and springer and all, the blue one like a late 60's fenderless Stingray, and the black one like a mid 70's BMX conversion. So blue and black lose their springers. I played with bikes all the time as a kid in the 70s and 80s, took 'em all apart and did ugly things putting them back together, but I never had anything with a springer... so I have ZERO experience taking these things apart. My question: If I just start unbolting the pieces of the springer, am I gonna have a problem compressing the spring to get it back together again? Or is there a trick to getting it back together?

I'm actually a little unhappy with the springer on the green bike... it's not perfectly straight. Sitting on the bike, I can see the spokes on the right side of the wheel and not the left, and the top of the tire is leaning to my left. So I'm hoping that one of the other springers is a little straighter, and I'll be able to switch it onto the green bike...

thanks in advance for any advice...

--rick

 

[sensor]

no problems with compressing the spring....(at least ive never had any) just take a pic if theyre gonna be apart awhile....that way everthing goes back the same

 

[Markm]

check out bicycledesigner.com and click on "videos" then video catagories and there is a springer installation vid...

 

[CCR]

as far as the fork not bein straight, the problems ive had before are

1. the u shaped piece (the part the fork legs/ truss rods and spring bolts to thats not on the neck tube) was bent - there was more clearnace between it and the spring on one side, the smaller gap side need to be pulled out.

2. the actual fork leg (the thick curved leg) was bent, usually happens when the bolt that attaches the legs to the bottom of the steering tube is over-tightened

the way i see it, they bend the stuff to make it, bend it back :mrgreen:

 

[ParkRNDL]

markm, thanks for the video tip. that's pretty cool.

and ccr, thanks for the advice... i was a little worried about bending on the fork parts when I first got the bike, but now that I'm gonna have a couple extra springers, i'll try a little judicious bending...

--rick