Clip on hitting gas tank ...

[CalSprintster]

I'm trying to figure out why there is no steering stop on full-left turns on my '05 ST. I took most of the fairing off and can clearly see the nub that stops the handlebars on full-right turns, but nothing for left turns. As a result, my left clip-on contacts the tank, and will eventually wear a hole in the tank, over time.

There MUST be a bumper for hard-left turns. Mustn't there? I shudder to think this might be a design flaw.

Is there an EZ fix (before I reassemble the fairing)?

Background: stock '05 with stock clip ons; no Gen Mar or other riser.

Thanks, in advance.

[WardenRoss]

Cal,

OK, I'll take a deep breath and here goes.......

The Sprint uses one moving piece cast into the top triple tree clamp for stopping both side turns.

It has the right turn stationary-stop on the right side (see pix below) of the neck of the frame.

The left turn stationary-stop is located in the center of the neck of the frame. You cannot see it without a mirror.

Here are some pix...

Some personal notes: This IMHO is a very WEAK point! Shame on Triumph! The stops should be very more substantial! It looks like mine are very worn, and I've never jumped a curb or snatched the front end. If you came down hard from a crooked wheelie, these would not hold the impact.

My guess is that your's has been damaged.

Whatever!

[CalSprintster]

Thanks kindly, warden. There IS a stopper, but as you guessed, it's prolly tweaked by the previous owner. Twenty minutes with a dremel has given my clip on the radius it needs to clear the tank, and it is impossible to tell the difference.

If I ever get in trouble wit da law, I'm hoping to end up in your jail, so that I can learn more Sprint tidbits.

Cheers ...

[DaveM]

Great post Warden Ross thank you:

DaveM

[oldndumb]

Extremely doubtful the deformation illustrated in the picture of WardenRoss's stop would deepen as that area is now work hardened to a degree. I'm going to respectfully disagree with him and say my opinion is that the stop is substantial.

You can see the lug is a considerable hunk of material.



You can also see that the travel stops are just as sturdy. In fact the left stop is larger because it is adjacent to the fork lock interface recess.



CalSprintster, your bike, so you do what you are comfortable with. But, I believe that you are approaching the correction of your problem from the wrong perspective. I realize your immediate concern is the bar to tank contact, and you see a need to relieve that. To me, the real concern is restoring the correct fork travel limit.

My concern with leaving the stop problem unrepaired is that the bar will definitely contact the tank the next time the fork experiences higher than normal forces in that direction.

[WardenRoss]

Originally Posted by oldndumb

I'm going to respectfully disagree with him and say my opinion is that the stop is substantial.

You can see the lug is a considerable hunk of material.

OnD,

After looking at your inverted pix, : you are correct, and there is more meat there than I noted. I was guessing at the size of the lug as I couldn't get a good look at it.

However, and I will say, I have seen bikes with a much stronger device to stop the lock-to-lock turn. Especially on dirt bikes.

I yield to my friend in south FLA. He has much more experience with these bikes than I. Saluuuuuuuute OnD! :

[CalSprintster]

Good points all around. Let me explain why I did what I did.

I plan to go with '07 clip ons in the (hopefully) near future. At that time I'll disassemble the front end, and will repair a weaping fork seal and other minor maladies.

I'll also remove the nose cone and take a close look at the fork stop and figure out exactly what the problem is. The dremel procedure is only a quick fix for the problem to keep me on two wheels.

[oldndumb]

Thanks, Warden. Hope you are that friendly after Oct 31 at Florida.

[whoosh]

Have you considered your handlebars may be bent ?

[CalSprintster]

Originally Posted by whoosh

Have you considered your handlebars may be bent ?

You mean those big, cast clipons? I seriously doubt it.

Keep in mind it is the cast clamp-on piece that is contacting the tank, not the round handlebar part.