I have got the callipers assembled and rear wheel installed. Forks are in and steering glides very nicely from side to side. I seem to have a problem with the front spindle, right side, small washer number six in the diagram that the spindle has to go through and sits between the right fork leg and the speedo drive assembly. https://www.ducaticlassics.com/parts/900-mike-hailwood-replica/all/campagnolo-wheels. The washer is a tiny bit too small for the spindle to slide through.
In classic Ducati tradition shall we call that washer a shim... So the obvious answer is have you got the correct one? What happens if you gently wet & dry the spindle and then make sure you slide it on dead square. On mine it is more of a thickish spacer that abuts against the step in the spindle where the diameter is larger. And then the wider spacer on the lhs will then ensure the wheel is centred.
You could call it a thickish spacer and it should abut against the step in the spindle where the diameter is larger. The speedo drive will not work without something to fill the gap. When I dismantled the bike I put all associated items in zip seals with labels on them. This little blighter was in the front spindle bag with the spacer, left side washer and nut and speedo drive. I will try the gentle wet & dry on the spindle and then make sure I slide it on dead square. Thanks for the tip Andy
Todays' efforts, with the offending missing shim/spacer/washer I did put the rear shocks in the other way up, then checked my pre-dismantle photos and saw they were as in this pic. Now I have looked at the back to classics diagram, I think I might have to swap them round...again
So I went to work on the inside of the "shim" with some wet and dry and she slid over the length of the spindle to where the diameter increases. The assembly now looks like your picture above. I tightened the pinch bolt on the right fork leg and then tightened the left fork side spindle nut. Now the right side disc fouls the right side fork leg, which I think implies the shim is the wrong thickness.
Hmmm... have you got the forks the wrong way round i.e. the calipers should be behind the wheel? I notice the fork has cut aways at the bottom but the outside one has a 'stub' that if it was on the inside would push the assembly farther over.
Aha! It was the 1984 models had the calipers to the rear. So is it just a case of tapping the spindle to the left until the wheel is centered and there is an equal gap between the disks & forks on both sides?
Yes, just like yours. I wonder if the wheel re-painting could have twice added an unhelpful extra width to the gap between the discs, causing the fork leg pinch on the right side. The left side "disc to fork leg gap" is of course clearly defined by the big spacer.
In other news, new brake lines and banjos are installed after a bit of wrestling with attaching the right banjos to get angles for correct routing. Once I sort the front wheel spacing out I can instal the front callipers and new Hel brake lines without those ugly galvanised guides.
I have no experience of this model but based on the way the front wheel is fitted to the forks on my monster I think you may have used an incorrect procedure to fit the wheel spindle. It looks to me like the pinch bolt on the righthand fork bottom should be left loose while the spindle nut is tightened (the spindle being prevented from turning by using a spanner on the flats on the spindle's righthand end). Then the forks should be bounced to allow the righthand fork bottom to float into position and self-align with the stanchion before finally tightening the pinch bolt to lock it in position. Don't take my word for it though .. ask around for other opinions or maybe try the above method and see if it gives you proper clearance between fork bottom and disc. However, without wanting to sound cocky, I do have an engineering background and have been a biker for many decades (ie I strongly suspect that I'm right). Also the flats on the righthand end of the spindle are a bit of a giveaway. Anyhow .. hope this helps.
ps. actually the bouncing will align BOTH sliders with their stanchions, not just the righthand one. As such it is a neccessary part of the procedure to ensure that both fork legs operate smoothly. Again, assuming my analysis is correct.
I don't know if these are relevant, but below are photographs of the front calipers/forks and rear shocks fitted to my 1984 MHR. Hope it helps. Tom. PS. I also fitted an aftermarket side stand designed by Tony Brancato that made life easier.
Yep, I did the same here and it's so much better than the horror oem set up mounted on the front down tube on the Darmah. In fact that was worse than useless and positively ruinous as it would allow the bike to roll forward & flip up at the merest hint of a breeze.
[Andy Bee said: ... Yep, I did the same here and it's so much better than the horror oem set up mounted on the front down tube on the Darmah. ......] For information on fitting a side stand to an MHR, my first attempt used a version sourced from the internet, it looked OK and was straight forward to fit. However, it propped the bike at a low lean height and after only a few months the stand gave way partly allowing the bike to lurch to one side, luckily I was cleaning it at the time and managed to prevent it going too far. After this, I spoke to Tony Brancato who told me about his design and sent me some images of one fitted to a bike. By then, he had passed on the manufacturing to Mdina Italia Ltd., so I bought one from them had it powder coated and fitted to the bike, which then propped the bike at a better angle and has been OK since. I believe that Mdina Italia has relocated and has a new owner, but they still sell the side stands, which I hope are the to the original Brancato design. Hope my experiences help. Tom.
