> Maybe I've got the history wrong, but I thought the
> "death forks" were in the early years, when the
> bikes were still branded Lambert. I thougt the
> fork failures were one factor that forced an
> ownership change and the name
> change to Viscount.
Adopting for a moment the credo, "It ain't online, it's bunk," ('cause after all, pretty much all I really know of Lambert/Viscount and Yamaha-Viscount I learned online) I quote Tim McNamara and Sheldon "Bikes? No Comment..." Brown:
"The bikes (both Lamberts and Viscounts) came with a cast aluminium (aluminum) fork which was pinned to a steel steerer tube. Early production didn't even have the pin. This fork was the main problem as it had a tendency to snap off the steerer tube with predictably unfortunate consequences to the rider....
"Yamaha purchased the Viscount in 1978 or so and promptly recalled every cast aluminum fork ever sold on a Viscount or Lambert, replacing them with a chromed steel Tange fork."
This info, and the sworn blood oath that attests to its sincerity if
not accuracy, found at:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
Me, I dunno. I just got a Viscount, and a magnet sticks to the fork, and the fork paint is an exact match to the frame paint. As a blind man feeling the elephant's toe, I believe the death fork to be X-Games marketing hype and feel completely ripped off. Okay, didn't pay diddly for the bike, so let's amend that to "righteous dissatisfaction and a nagging cough."
Dan (I'll believe it's a death fork when I tumble from it at 30 or 40 m.p.h.) Kehew Davis (like I could ever get going that fast around here) CA