Rim offset. Specific to CB/CL450's

Whitey80

You're all idiots.
Have a question here that I cannot find the real answer to after serious searching all over the place.
I have had quite a number of 450's. Every one has had the rim noticably offset to the left side in relation to the forks.
The problem I'm working out currently is on a '68 CL450. I have been running a 3.50" trials tire on the front for about 5 years now. It has always come withing a couple of millimeters of the left side of the fender. This time around, with a new tire, it's actually touching it. Have always had a slight variance in the tires when I buy a new one, so I expect it. But if the rim offset (again, in relation to being centered in the forks) were 0, then I'd never be dealing with this.

All my other classsic Honda bikes (160s, 175s, 350s, 360s) have had 0 offset in relation to the hub, and results in being nearly centered in the fork. Every 450 I've had has 0 offset to the hub, and been offcenter in the forks to varying degrees (drum brake bikes have been from 8-10mm to the left, and disc bikes 5-7mm) EVERY one. The CL450 I'm dealing with at the moment, I know the complete history of, and the front has never been redone, never even needed a rim truing.

These cannot be changed by axle spacers, due to the speedo drive gearbox and the lip on the drum plate.

So this leads me to the real question. Why are they set from the factory to be so offset (which they are most certainly)? I would assume this would negatively affect handling, and also find it tremendously annoying when fitting tires. Secondly, would it be acceptable to rebuild the wheel with about 8mm offest to the right, to center the rim in the forks?
 
Just shooting in the dark here, but could the axle be in backwards (Left/Right Swapped?

FSM Shows axle nut on the right side, "plain side on the left. If the axle was installed reversed, that would change the offset. I've noticed that on the 350/360. Reversing the axle changes the position of the clamping surface on some....

I could be wrong, but worth a double check. Axle Nut goes on right side, Screwdriver hole goes on left.
 
Mydlyfkryzis said:
Just shooting in the dark here, but could the axle be in backwards (Left/Right Swapped?

FSM Shows axle nut on the right side, "plain side on the left. If the axle was installed reversed, that would change the offset. I've noticed that on the 350/360. Reversing the axle changes the position of the clamping surface on some....

I could be wrong, but worth a double check. Axle Nut goes on right side, Screwdriver hole goes on left.
Thanks for the input, it is in correctly. (On the drum hub 450, you couldn't put it in backwards anyways, as the speedo gear wouldn't clear the notch in the bottom of the fork if it were)
 
Haven't worked on a 450 since 1980. Hard to remember details from 35 years ago.....

My recollection is still that the wheels are centered in the fork. I have done aligments. They were centered. It is possible the dealer assembled it wrong when new and has been wrong from first sale.......

Check over in the 450 section of hondatwins. Someone over there will know more.
 
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