Mis-matched damper tubes

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Trefor
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Posts: 228
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:02 am
Location: South Australia AUSTRALIA

Mis-matched damper tubes

Post by Trefor »

I have stripped the Teledraulic forks of my 1953 Matchless and on reassembly I have noticed the damper tubes are different lengths. One is 30mm longer than the other and the shorter tube has a 4mm hole drilled 23mm from the top. Otherwise they are identical. I can't see the length makes any difference because the circlips are in the same position but the hole could make a difference.
-is this a normal set up and just reassemble
-should both tubes be the same, and if so which is the correct is correct long or short?
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clive
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Joined: Mon Jan 01, 1990 12:00 am
Location: LONDON UK

Re: Mis-matched damper tubes

Post by clive »

The tubes should be the same length although they did change them at one stage. Cannot help for certain with which is right for 53 but I am tending towards the longer one. The short or long damper may have to be paired with the correct taper on the Stanchion, I seem to remember a friend having a problem with a mismatch on building up a bike from bits and a tube not fitting but cannot remember the resolution.
That might explain why you have a mismatch, damage to a stanchion, second hand replacement sourced and fitted along with damper. PO may not have even compared them.
Final thought did you experience any problem with the forks/damping before you found out they were different. If not.....
clive
if it ain't broke don't fix
Mick D
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Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:44 pm
Location: Aberdeenshire

Re: Mis-matched damper tubes

Post by Mick D »

Hi

I'd assume the differing lengths are for road and competition models, the longer being for competition. I'd also be wary of a short damper restricting fork extension on a competition assembly.

Regards Mick
Trefor
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Posts: 228
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:02 am
Location: South Australia AUSTRALIA

Re: Mis-matched damper tubes

Post by Trefor »

Just to finish the thread. Thanks for the ideas, I also consulted Steve at AMC classic spares. It seems if the bore and stroke of the dampers are the same they will act the same despite external differences. Playing around with the components I discovered I have two different stanchions and the damper tubes are not interchangeable. The stanchions have a recess machined in their base to accommodate a collar on the bottom of the damper tube and they are of a different size on the long and short tubes. I did drill the extra hole as I think the short tube and stanchion from a later model.
Back together it went...
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