Hey guys,

I'm having an 84 quad built up and have run into a problem with my Landing Gear forks not fitting a Tange 125LP headset. I brought it down to the local bike shop and have been told that the forks are not standard size, measuring in at 25.4mm (1 inch) instead of the standard 26.4 or 27.0mm. They advised me that a shim may work, but we have not attempted to try this remedy as of yet. Any ideas that will solve this issue?

thanks in advance
Ralph

I think a custom made shim would work good and I have seen them built up with brass by brazing around the base of the steerer and turned down or a lathe to the correct size, that may work good on raw steel.

I'm assuming you are using a threaded fork. The headsets are pretty standard across the board. Do you know what year the landing gear are? You can switch from the old to the mid-school forks, but welding/brazing and a lathe should NOT be necessary!!! You could use a huffy headset (as we poor people did BITD) and it works fine. Not sure about a tange 125LP headset, is it some new-school type????? Try an old headset out of an old donor bike like an old kids bike or the like.

email me the pictures of the forks and the headset.
send them to mark@crashonmyhead.com
I may be able to see the problem right off by seeing what you are trying to fit together.

Sounds like the fork may have come from a PK or mini Ripper. Is that possible?

thanks for the replies so far everyone.

Since the frame is 1984, I can only assume that the forks (threaded) are as well. I am not the original owner of the bike so the possiblility exists that the Landing Gears could be from another SE bike.

If it helps, I had a really hard time removing the original headset where it attaches to the fork, but I really don't want to reuse that old, beat up headset if I don't have to. I really like the Tange and don't think its the problem as the bike shop tech told me its a standard size headset from bitd, (and I am trying to stay within the time era for the build). Therefore, I'm leaning more toward the shim idea rather than hunting down another headset in black (which are not too easy to find) or reusing the original.

I welcome any and all suggestions - thanks again.

There are several SE GURUS on this site. Many were involved in the factory back in the 80's. Wait and see what other SE guys chime in BEFORE you hack up a good set of landing gear. Retro Dave on here can get you in touch with some of the SE guys, including Todd Lyons. JUST DONT HACK YOUR FORKS YET!!!!

Appreciate the response fatold - I'm in no hurry, just trying to assess what my options are. I'll try and get a photo of it tomorrow as the bike is sitting in the bike shop at this point. Thanks again.

I have a Tange 125 on my unstamped LG forks. Do you have stamped LG?

Some people have been known to use JB weld .

[ April 15, 2006, 02:31 AM: Message edited by: ROLLER ]

akcuda

how do I know if they are stamped? Do you mean the actual SE stamp on the forks? If so, mine do not have the stamp. The problem isn't the threaded part, its the where the tube meets the fork, or the bottom of the headset. The tube is straight all the way up to the threads - is that normal?

Roller - what is a JB weld?

I had the same problem with the lower mx 125 bearing race. It was too big for the LG's. I Just used a race from another headset that did fit. Problem solved and runs super smooth.

You Know that two part epoxy at the auto parts store. I have had a few NOS forks that were over sized that I had to be turned down to size. It would take a real thin shim and it would press on all the way from the top, you would need an installation tool that you might also have to fabricate. I have used a few lp125 headsets and they are the standard size for regular LG forks.I think a new set of forks would be cheaper.

Ack! I just got the frame set chromed so replacing the forks would suck and not be an option to pursue. I guess I could use the bottom of another headset as suggested by Region, or another headset altogether but if the headset is standard size, what headset can I use that will fit these oddball forks? Plus, I need a black headset so I'm leaning more toward having the bike tech make a custom shim for it. Thanks for the responses thus far.

Ralph