SQ4 Frame Alignment

[andy.corstorphan]

Hi all, I recently got a 57 Mk II SQ4 and after removing the chair I noticed the wheels did not appear to track in line. Before anything else I replace front and rear whell bearings along with all the bushes in the Anstey link rear suspension. After ensuring the rear wheel was correctly adjusted in the Anstey stirrup links I found the front wheel to be around 2" left off the bike centre line. I followed it on a mates bike and the bike is definitely crabbing to the left. I set it all up on a centre line and the front wheel is off to the left around 2". Has anybody had experience with trying to rectify this frame alignment problem? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thx,
Andy

[andrew.chapman]

Hang the sidecar on the other side for a few years. Preferably, not set up properly so that it provides lots of drag.

AndyC

[brenton.roy]

Hi Andy, while I'm sure AndyC's plan is an excellent one, there is another option - although it's a lot less fun..
Take the bike to a motorcycle crash repairer and get them to square it up. You could have a go yourself, but this is really a professionals job.
Someone reading this might know the correct steering head angle and or whether a particular crash repairer near you has an Ariel jig, but even without that, just adjusting the frame to align the wheels will make a huge difference to solo handling. Right handers must be interesting. (read downright dangerous).
When building a speedway sidecar chassis in my younger days, I used a solid bar welded (at the headstem angle) to a flat plate on the ground. This sat inside the headstem bearings.
I'm assuming a headstem twist. If so, it will be cheaper if you remove the fuel tank, headlight, front guard, handlebar stuff and maybe the exhaust. I expect they will want to use the headstem as a reference point and will remove the forks to do so. The advantage of you doing this (apart from saving money) is that it removes opportunities for someone else to dent your bike. That should be a riders privilege.
I hope this helps, Brenton

[adrie.degraaff]

The advice before this one is ofcourse the best, but we are talking about an old motorcycle, I am straitening old cars and motorcycles for a long time.

So take the petroltank and rearchain off, find an alley between houses, 3 woodenblocks between axels, top seat lugg and one house, press with an hydrolic jac agaist the frame behind the gearbox and the other house, (always wood between the house, jac, and frame).
A rope from headstock to mid rearwheel will thell alinemand, press trough alinemand on your feeling, than releese the jac and look with the rope, better 3 small pressings than one bigg.
A frame damage off an accident will need warming in bent places!!!!.

Rember the factory pinned the frame in a jigg with a mix off brasspowder and borax inside the frame tubes, sometimes there was a cork in the midlle of the tube to devide the powder, than out out the jigg in to a colefire untill the brass came out the welding, they also poored the powder on the redhot outside.
After this they had strait and not so good frames, the first became a Hunter, the second a VB.

Sorry I dont give garantees.

[john.whiting]

Dont forget to take along an iron bar,for when the angry houseowners come out.I wouldnt think the alignment could be properly checked without taking the motor and gearbox out of the frame.If the steering head is twisted,the front downtube must be bent or sprung,this will be obvious when you remove the engine plates.You must avoid making corrections that cause more problems,accurate measurement is essential,using a panelbeaters Mayrack or similar.Regards John.

[nevhunter]

Before you do anything, check that the spokes have been done to the correct offsets. It's not likely that the frame is out that far without it being very obvious in other ways. nev

[adrie.degraaff]

It's good if the house owners come in the alley, they can help with the wooden blocks.

The alley is just an example of the use of a strong base, I have a narrow workshop.