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Please help -camber setting and other issues

4K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  Team 2 gils 
#1 · (Edited)
PROBLEM #1

I am racking my brain on this - I just got the Houser XC A arms in +.5” with Slicast and installed yesterday. On both sides I have it set to -2 on the adjuster, which to my eyeball still looks looks like a degree or more of positive caster.

This morning I re-bled stock brakes, tightened up tie rods and greased all joints. I cranked as much as I could till it got really tight, then I measured the toe just by center of tread on front and back and it’s toe in by about 1&1/2”. I measured on the jack stand at full droop and also after coming to a stop on level ground without using brakes.
2’-11&1/4” in front on front tires center to center on tread and 3’-0&3/4” center to center in rear of front tires. I’m thinking, “Ok no problem. Crank these tie rods in 3/4” either side....” Except I only have at the very most 1/2” of thread left maximum on either side of the tie rods, accounting for threads on both sides of a singe tie rod. And that’s being generous. The tread itself deviates +/- 1/8” from center too.

What gives? Tell me I’m measuring the wrong way. I have never aligned a front end before, and I only disassembled the stock front end to install this kit. Wheels, knuckles, and everything except the Houser kit is stock. Toe-in is supposed to be 1/4” maximum center to center on the wheels right? Not 1/4” to center of the frame, for a total of 1/2”? Because it’s going to be one heck of a time trying to get that setting.

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PROBLEM #2

The camber is messed up bad. I have negative camber by a degree or two on the right hand side and a considerable amount more of positive camber on the left hand side. I’m talking with the 10” wheel on, and on the ground suspension compressed accordingly, it’s 3/8” out at the top. The upper Slicast ball joints are damn near identical with each other as I measured before hand. Now installed they are within 1/8” of each other, and that’s after I cheated the one side to bring it into negative camber and it’s still way the F out. I can get another 1/4” or 3/8” out of it but it’s going to prohibit me from using the on-the-fly Slicast adjuster. Not sure what’s going on here.


I got my line laser out and measured centers on everything and the Houser kit is true. My level is true too, according to the laser. The knuckles are true as far as the ball joint centers go. Only thing left I can think of is that the hub from the factory has bored wrong? This bike has 40 hours on it total btw.

Someone please help, I am at a loss of what to do. I really don’t want to just live with the wrong toe and camber. The pics I attached are of the side that’s giving me trouble with the camber. Both sides tie rods are similar set.





 
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#3 ·
Thanks man I watch your videos frequently already but I have not see these ones yet.

When you were setting camber, did you tighten your upper ball joints into the Slicast system pretty evenly on both sides? Because mine is not even remotely close. I read on an older thread on here that some balljoints are eccentric. I’m wondering if that’s where I messed up. I did not check, but assumed that they were a standard concentric spindle.
 
#7 ·
My ball joints are fairly even. Couple things to check: loosen the camber/slicast nut and make sure the slicast eccentric is sitting perfectly flush in the a arm and is not riding on the little dimple. Tighen that nut slowly making sure it stays flush at all times. With all the moving it can come out. Also double check castor is set the same on both sides, not one positive, and the other negative, that can happen, trust me. Next make sure your toe in is fairly close, that is the last adjustment you want to make but you want to make sure it is close when making other adjustments. Check your alignment, meaning making sure your handlebars are straight and your front wheels are parallel and straight. Do this with the bike on the ground, bounce on it a couple times, and roll it forward and back a couple feet to settle the suspension. Now set you camber using a square on a flat surface. Keep and eye on everything and double check. The slicast not sitting flush caught me a couple times already as I have been adjustingn things.
 
#4 ·
I also WAY over tightened the balljoints, did not pay attention to torque spec till too late. Could this cause an issue with the camber?
 
#5 ·
I always do alignments with the tires installed and on the ground.
I always use a builders square to check camber.
I always bounce on the frame after any adjustments.

Did you get longer tie rods?
 
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#6 · (Edited)
What gives? Tell me I’m measuring the wrong way.



How are you measuring castor?

Are the wheel bearings tight?
 
#8 ·
WELLLLLLL
It appears my upper a arms are upside down. All of the grease zerks should be facing upward, which it doesn’t show in the instructions, but sure enough the rep saw my pictures and set me straight. Good lord. Doesn’t help there’s no updated instructions on their website either, just for the old style Raptor arms.

Team2Gils are your zerks pointes down on the upper arms?? I swore I saw them like that in the video.
 
#9 ·
Flipped my A arms and set the toe again. The tie rods were easy to set afterward, didn’t have to run so far in.
The camber is negative now at least, but I can’t get more than 2.5 degrees at most. So I set for 2 degrees but it prevents me from utilizing the Slicast system. Not sure what else could be the issue. Supposed to be able to get 4 degrees of camber out this set but that’s not happening for me.

It’s not even that I’m going to be adjusting the caster all the time, it’s just the principle of the matter that I should be able to use it. Out of ideas. Blah.
 
#11 ·
Interesting. Not sure why I’m having such a hard time. I’ll say though, the next time I gotta do a front end on an atv it’s gonna be a breeze!
 
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