Frame Bent?

[Bruce Frey]

I am almost 100% sure that the back of the Earles fork will interfere with the engine given the amount of deflection in the tubes. The rearward displacement of the fork will be 2 or 3 times the top tube deflection, which appears to be about an inch.

My last frame job, which was extensive, was around $500 about 6 or 7 years ago.

Bruce

[515PHOTO]

I'm betting you are right. Plus there is the possibility of issues with the earles. The good news is I just scored a wheel so there will be less guessing and more head shaking soon.
Thanks all.

[GearHeadDiver]

I had the same issue with my R25/3 frame....the backbone and downtubes were bent so nicely that I thought it was stock.
Vern is THE man to send your frame to, excellent work and VERY good to deal with. Did take a while, but the perfect job (and cost) were WELL worth it! Highly recommend him!
Richard was kind enough to send a "known" straight frame to Vern to check measurements.....so Vern would be your best bet!

Good luck.

[c.d.iesel]

many many miles are riden at flat out speeds during the MOTOGIRO's
on-dirt and 2-lane blacktop roads - your machine better track dead
straight coming off the many mountain top roads - your brakes
better be like 'new' also. It's a F A S T event ridden on well
prepared machines, maybe riden by 50% active or retired licensed
road racers. Hope you make it out there soon.
c.d.

[515PHOTO]

Oh, you saw me out there.--3rd in 125 class at the Catskills on a S90--Just feels wrong to be on a Honda as a 30 year BMW rider...
Thanks for the frame fixing reccomendations. I'll call around to see who can take this in to make it right. I see wildly varying estimates for shipping a frame. Anyone have actual presonal recent experience with the shrink wrap and take to USPS plan for inexpensive shipping? Will they really take it? They seem to have gotten picky. I remember putting an address and stamp on balloons back in the day--they had a sense of humor then. Amazing how many made it intact!
Larry

[miller6997]

I don't know about USPS, but Fedex and UPS rates go ballistic when you exceed their standard dimensions.

I have had good luck with Greyhound Freight. I shipped four vintage Mercedes doors (in separate packages) and a complete bumper from coast to coast, and they arrived intact in less than a week. Shipping charges are very competitive and they will take large, odd-shaped items. It may fit into a bicycle shipping carton of the sort that riders use when they take their bikes on airplanes. If this doesn't work, you can cover the frame in a couple of layers of bubble-wrap and then wrap the thick stretch plastic that looks like Saran-wrap over the whole thing. Drop it off at the nearest Greyhound freight depot, listed on their website. The person you are sending it to has to agree to pick it up at the local depot on their end.

[schrader7032]

Check with your frame fixers...they likely have recommendations on how to ship and how to protect the frames.