Originally Posted by
tds101
The LBS screwed up by not installing an entirely new handlepost, and tried to save parts, so Dahon was right in this instance.
I'm not sure if that is true or not. Did you have one of the posts replaced under recall, and did they do the whole post, bottom and top? Certainly it would have been a lot more effort to pull off the grips, brake levers and shifter. But evidently the lower part was the part that needed replacing from recall, and that's the part that is off. There's nothing wrong with the upper post (this is a telescoping post), although now they don't match, the top post is kinda a cross between copper and black color. The clamp for the handlebars is not off, I can see the bars are canting because the whole post is canting, starting from the base. I had to check this carefully because the post bottom is tapered, but yeah, the bore for the steering tube clamp is out of square laterally with the housing, which also means the bottom doesn't sit flat on the headset, a dead giveaway, no way to correct that. Now, I've also seen them out of square fore/aft (on a different bike of mine, also recall replacement), so the bottom doesn't sit flat on the headset, but that means the post is perhaps a degree or two off tilt fore/aft, but I could correct the headset face by detaching the base, clamp around round stock in a lathe, and face the bottom with a skin-pass until level across it, reassemble. The fore/aft tilt would still be out of spec, but that's a bit less critical than canting left. I just haven't needed to use that bike yet, and I no longer have access to a great Hardinge toolroom lathe. Plus I shouldn't have to do that. All production bikes I have seen are perfect there. The recall/service parts are out of tolerance.
It's good to hear your positive experiences with the other brands, as I have no knowledge there. I was kinda enthusiastic for the Origami Bull, with discs and an FD mount, but I'm kinda wanting to stay with a 4130 steel frame if I can.