Just out of curiosity, a friend of mine bought some Indian girder forks (Enfield type) for his Rudge special project. I warned him about the potential dangers of using them, so he tried to destroy the links in the vice with a lump hammer on the theory that if they broke they weren't safe in the first place (he really did try to break them!) much to his surprise the links only bent slightly with a real beating, so I guess that they were safe and made from the correct materials- unless they used original Enfield links. I'm still not convinced, I'd like someone try to do this to a set of Norton girders. Has anyone got a set that they'd try this with in the interests of their own safety?

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Funny you should say that Dave. One of the guys in our Indian Riders Club works as an engineer for one of the water-board sites in London, which gives him access to some metal testing equipment (of which I know nothing).
His friend bought a set of Indian made forks from Dean the Bean at Kempton last year. Aware of the possible problems and rumours, he took them to work and did a stringent test on them. He informed us that the cast parts were made from good quality steel and advised his friend to fit them.
I've forgotten what bike they were for. Also it's no guarantee that all Indian made forks are as good or even if they are jigged correctly on assembly.
Best to do some checks if you buy them. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I've said this before on this topic, with all the scaremongering about Indian made forks, does anyone know of a set that's failed? The silence would suggest the answer's no.
Some of the casting are roughly finished, but this can be fixed. However, we do no cases where original forks have cracked or snapped, so they can't be any worse.
I'm not a fan of this Indian made stuff, but their roads are worse than ours, so what better testing ground, and what other choice have we got? At least someone's. bothering to make these parts.

email (option): horror@blueypnder.co.uk

The parts that look "cast" should be drop forged as far as i'm aware, all of those parts should bend when struck hard, if I was testing a set to destruction I would want to see the bottom yoke & the part the wheel mounts to. Bend when struck.

I have never seen BSA girders that have cracked at the forgings ....
Anyone can cheaply set up for casting (church bell makers used to cast on site) but drop forging calls for heavy outlay & is way way less likely in India, the recent side stands are a good example of cast iron being confused with drop forging.

Castings was just a figure of speech, they may be drop forged, who knows

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

didnt india end up with all the british leyland presses so maybe they are using them to make them

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

Hi, horror, I wasn't correcting you there, ron also said castings, & I use "casting" aswell when referring to drop forged parts, but as it was mentioned I included that to make my point about my concerns of the techniques used.
Roger, the parts aren't event the same shape so I doubt it, I think there's a tendancy to over estimate that countries production capabilities, basically I think everything they make for vintage motorcycles is shite.

Fred I used the word casting because I doubt that any of these parts are forged in India. But a good quality steel casting will be a lot better than a grainy cast iron part. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

If the Indian side stands are grainy cast iron instead of forged then until proven otherwise im going to assume so are the forks.

They don't mind our bikes falling over, why should they mind the forks failing.

The original fork parts were definitely not cast iron...that we know. However, they could have been malleable iron castings..which will bend..steel castings or steel forgings.
I wouldn't imagine any of these methods were 'universal' in the old days...BSA, for example, had sufficient scale and resources to use more expensive methods on occasion than a smaller manufacturer could afford (though not neccessarily in this case)..and there were the fork manufacturers like Druid in the market as well...And nobody produced without consideration of cost to some degree.
However, even if you decide to accept, based only on the fact the fork parts bend and don't snap under load (a ridiculously crude test of material specification), that the main fork components are to a correct specification and made under controlled conditions it is a massive and unproven leap to then deduce that the fork assemblies as a whole must be OK...There are the material specs of the other parts such as spindles, bushes and springs (and the correct heat treatment of the latter), the accurate application of assembly and brazing techniques (which if incorrectly carried out can weaken even the correct materials) and the accurate machining of all the components....
I would suggest that there is nothing currently available on the market today and sourced from India that indicates the Indians are ready to, or have, carried out accurate batch manufacture of 'stressed components'..or can be relied upon to do so. That sort of system requires a tightly controlled manufacturing environment, a skilled workforce, oversight by highly skilled designers and production engineers, a fully functioning test and quality control function and a manufacturing facility suitably equipped with machinery of all types capable of consistently achieving the desired tolerances....
If anyone thinks a siesmic change in Indian attitudes has taken place and this has now come to pass, I'd like to see the evidence...Anyone fancy an Indian made crankpin?...I doubt it...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

....errrr Indian crankpin.....been down that route!!!

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com