Triple Clamp question

[Kaptain.LokI]

Hey everyone, I'm new here & I've got a pretty much stock '81 GS850GLX. Well a couple months ago I managed to wreck it and I've got it all fixed except for the front end. I'm about 99% sure the lower triple clamp is bent as the wheel is cocked to one side and rotating the forks in the triple clamp does not make the wheel change direction at all. Also the right fork is very tight when it is in the upper & lower triple clamp bores. If you take the front wheel off & slide the fork down so it is only in the lower set it actually loosens up and slides easily. I can only think that the right side of the lower triple clamp is bent. I can't seem to find a lower triple clamp for this bike anywhere. I can find them for other similar bikes, but not the GLX, you'd think they would be the same, but the part numbers are different. Maybe they are the same, or very nearly the same enough to work, I don't know.
So finally my question is that I've heard triple clamps from bikes of the same year range are pretty much universal so I'm thinking I will just find the upper & lower set from another bike and replace the upper and lower as a set, i.e. taking uppers & lowers off a say.... 79 GS*** or an 82 GSX***, or even another brand bike if it will all fit. So does anyone know what might fit? Or has anyone replaced any with ones from another bike? What works & what doesn't? I'd like the bike to handle a little better, I know this heavy bike will never handle like a new GSX or anything, but if there is an upper & lower set that might offer a little bit better handling I'll take it. I know this is a loooooong post, but thank you whoever stuck around to read the whole thing, and thanks in advance for any help.

TL DR version: '81 GS850GLX which triple clamps sets will offer better handling and will fit on this bike?

[tkent02]

Are your actually bent or just twisted in relation to each other?

[Kaptain.LokI]

Are your actually bent or just twisted in relation to each other?

Thanks for the quick reply tkent02

At first I thought maybe they were twisted, but I'm pretty sure that the lower triple is actually bent, the right fork sits too far back in relation to the left fork... or too far forward? I don't remember without actually looking at it, but it causes the wheel to be cocked to one side, so you have to turn the handlebars slightly left to go straight.

I tried loosening all the pinch bolts on both sets of clamps, including the pinch bolt on the uppers near the choke, then putting the wheel between my knees & turning the handlebars so they are lined up right. Then I had my wife go around & tighten all the pinch bolts back up, but the wheel just returns to it's cocked position as each bolt is tightened up. Also, the left fork slides easily in the triple clamp bores, while the right fork takes a pair of gloves & a lot of effort to move.

I thought about loosening the big nut on the shaft for the lower because I thought, well maybe if I did that it would help untwist if that's the issue, but after looking at it, that doesn't seem like it would help? Then I talked to a friend of mine who I work with, he's been a mechanic for 40 years, and has been working on motorcycles since the late '60's and he said that loosening the big nut wouldn't do anything to help untwist and only loosen that nut if I plan to repack the bearings in the steering head.

So I dunno, I'm at a loss as to what to do except replace the upper & lower from a different bike.

[tkent02]

Thanks for the quick reply tkent02

At first I thought maybe they were twisted, but I'm pretty sure that the lower triple is actually bent, the right fork sits too far back in relation to the left fork... or too far forward? I don't remember without actually looking at it, but it causes the wheel to be cocked to one side, so you have to turn the handlebars slightly left to go straight.

I tried loosening all the pinch bolts on both sets of clamps, including the pinch bolt on the uppers near the choke, then putting the wheel between my knees & turning the handlebars so they are lined up right. Then I had my wife go around & tighten all the pinch bolts back up, but the wheel just returns to it's cocked position as each bolt is tightened up. Also, the left fork slides easily in the triple clamp bores, while the right fork takes a pair of gloves & a lot of effort to move.

I thought about loosening the big nut on the shaft for the lower because I thought, well maybe if I did that it would help untwist if that's the issue, but after looking at it, that doesn't seem like it would help? Then I talked to a friend of mine who I work with, he's been a mechanic for 40 years, and has been working on motorcycles since the late '60's and he said that loosening the big nut wouldn't do anything to help untwist and only loosen that nut if I plan to repack the bearings in the steering head.

So I dunno, I'm at a loss as to what to do except replace the upper & lower from a different bike.

Well, maybe pull it out and measure everything?
It probably needs new grease in there anyway.

[TheCafeKid]

Well, maybe pull it out and measure everything?
It probably needs new grease in there anyway.

Agreed. To be sure, you need to measure...what is that saying of Ed's?? Something like that... BUT, should you find your suspicions are correct, and it sounds to me like you may just, to answer your original question, you will need forks/triple clamp from a 79-84?85? (whenever they stopped making GS's) 850GL, 1000L/GL, 1100L/GL models. Basicly, ALL the L models used "leading axle" forksets. And all the 850 and larger bikes used 37mm forks. So, there's what you need to find

[Kaptain.LokI]

Thank you again for the help,

Well, maybe pull it out and measure everything?
It probably needs new grease in there anyway.

Agreed. To be sure, you need to measure...what is that saying of Ed's?? Something like that...

You're right, to be absolutely certain I will have to measure, I was just getting ready for a worst case scenario to see what actually fits since I can't find the lower for an '81 GS850GLX

BUT, should you find your suspicions are correct, and it sounds to me like you may just, to answer your original question, you will need forks/triple clamp from a 79-84?85? (whenever they stopped making GS's) 850GL, 1000L/GL, 1100L/GL models. Basicly, ALL the L models used "leading axle" forksets. And all the 850 and larger bikes used 37mm forks. So, there's what you need to find

Alright, cool, so anything 850L & bigger from that year range uses the 37mm forks. So do they all have pretty much the same rake angle? What about the shaft & bearing for the lower? Same size bearing that goes on there for all of them? I'm not going to run into a set that will have too long or short of a shaft then am I? What about the steering lock? Are there any that will use a different style that will be incompatible? I understand you're probably not going to know that for EVERY single possible set in that range, just if you know any that are an absolute exception, just a general rule that works right?