Girder Fork Maintenance and Repairs
In this section you'll discover practical guidance on inspecting, adjusting, maintaining and repairing girder forks on vintage and classic motorcycles. These articles cover everything from routine servicing and set-up through to replacing worn bushes, boring yokes where bushes were not originally fitted, manufacturing and fitting bronze bushes, repairing stripped damper threads and addressing worn spindles using the correct materials and engineering techniques.
This guide explains how to adjust Webb-type girder fork spindles to remove side play while maintaining smooth movement on Norton, Triumph, Velocette and other classic motorcycles.
On this page you'll learn how to fit girder fork bushes on vintage and post-vintage motorcycles with this step-by-step technical guide. We explain how to prepare the forks, make and fit bronze bushes, check alignment and ream to size — essential skills for restoring Webb, Norton and other period fork sets.
On this page you'll find step-by-step guidance on repairing worn or stripped damper threads on girder fork links for vintage and classic motorcycles. This technical article explains how to remove old thread, fit threaded sleeves, build up female threads with Sifbronze, re-tap and restore correct suspension function on period girder forks.
This article explains how to approach making new girder fork spindles for vintage motorcycle suspension, focusing on correct material selection (EN16T or EN24T) and why unsuitable steels like free-cutting mild steel, silver steel or stainless should be avoided. It also highlights why it’s preferable to source ready-made spindles if available.