Folding Bikes - Dahon Speed P8 handlepost won't click in while unfolding

Hi guys, I'm new to folding bikes. I just bought a Dahon Speed P8 from someone on Craigslist and it worked perfectly fine when I demo'd it but when I took it home to unfold, the handlepost doesn't seem to want to unfold all the way.

Is there something that it is missing? Or someway I need to adjust it to make it able to click? Please let me know if further clarification is needed, thanks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/p8-3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/p8-1-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/p8-2.jpg

Speaking for myself, I think more photos of the hinge when it is unfolded are needed. Hard to tell otherwise if something is missing.

You do know the latch has to be pointing all the way down and then when the handle bar is straight you bring it up and then secure it.

I can't see the latch position in your photo so I'm thinking maybe you're not operating it right. Sorry if that assumption is wrong.

Did you download the manual and look at it?

John

Yeah the latch is all the way down. I think the latch just needs adjustment as the white rectangular piece that's inside falls out when the handlepost is unfolded. I remember seeing the seller holding this piece in (wasn't sure what he was doing at the time) to ensure it didn't fall out.

Here are more pictures. I did look at the manual but it wasn't very helpful.

Basically, the silver plate that is bolted down by 2 screws doesn't go in far enough so it's not allowing clearance to "snap" into the other part of the bike. Let me know if that makes sense, thanks guys.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/IMG00020-20081231-2030.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/IMG00021-20081231-2030.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/IMG00022-20081231-2030.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/IMG00023-20081231-2031.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/IMG00024-20081231-2031.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/SRd240SX/IMG00025-20081231-2031.jpg

turn that bolt that is up against the white plastic cube. The cube appears to just be a spacer and it needs to be wedged in by that bold head and the pivot point. (I have a P8 and am looking at my latch as I type this). By tightening that bolt up against the plastic cube, the plate should travel inward and then have the clearance so it can be lipped by the other side of the fold and snugged into place once the latch handle is swung to its upright position. Good luck, hope this helps!

I think that you only need to adjust the latch.
The plate with two slots must be able to slide, and so the two socket screws must not be too tight, so first check that plate is free to slide.
Then adjust the plate position by turning the nut adjacent to the white plastic spacer, until (a) you can close the latch and (b) it will lock without play.
The adjustment is quite critical.

got it

most likely the two screws whichhold the plate are too tight

thor

Here's the problem guys. When I back the adjustment nut for the plastic spacer all the way in so that it's against the silver plate, the plastic spacer will fall out when I try to unfold the handlepost. In addition, there still doesn't seem to be enough clearance still.

Also, I have left the two screws just loose enough for this plate to be able to slide back and forth so that's not the issue.

The only way I can get enough plate clearance is if I take out the spacer, but that won't work since it's a necessary piece of this mechanism.

Is there another adjustment that I'm not aware of? Or perhaps I'm doing something incorrectly. Thanks for the help so far guys.

Ok the problem is fixed guys, the springs were in from the wrong side, I can't believe nobody with this bike caught that!!

wow u right ..lol
are you testing us ?

of course such a thing would be easy to "see" if you have the bike in your hands..... lol
it would be obvious right away ..lol This seems to again proof one point.... despite the abslutely stellar help one can receive on this board ..sometimes it needs to see a dealer who knows what he is doing to find a problem like that ... wonder who actually swaped those springs ?

thor

Yeah, looking at some of the first pics I saw the springs which must be on the other side. I figure the first owner had trouble, dismantled the whole thing and then put it back together incorrectly. Like that, the springs will push the sliding latch plate to the closed position.

Make sure the latch plate can slide easily and symmetrically when operating the latch handle. If it binds on one screw and goes skew, it may crack that plastic block when you tighten the handle.

wow u right ..lol
are you testing us ?

of course such a thing would be easy to "see" if you have the bike in your hands..... lol
it would be obvious right away ..lol This seems to again proof one point.... despite the abslutely stellar help one can receive on this board ..sometimes it needs to see a dealer who knows what he is doing to find a problem like that ... wonder who actually swaped those springs ?

thor

Not really... this is my first folding bike and the owner's manual wasn't clear at all. Also I assumed it was pieced together correctly since nobody had said anything when I snapped the pictures. Good going guys! Jk but I'm glad to be up and running again, thanks all.