front wheel alingment

[mikeled86]

I did a search and found a rear wheel but no front wheel. I wrecked my bike a couple of weeks back and I have got it all put back together with the new handle bars (they were bent from the wreck) and now my front wheel is cocked to the right a little. It has not been lowered so i am think that maybe i bent my triple tree and sure if it would be the lower and upper. I don't know if I bent the forks they look straight. is there a way to fix alingment or do i just have to replace everything until problem is fixed?

 

[roadthing]

You sound like you are already on the right track. Possible tweaked fork leg(s), or clamps, or both.

Try to loosen the clamp bolts that secure the clamps to the legs with the wheel off the ground, and see if the forks "flex" back into alignment. You might also want to check the axle mounting hardware the same way. Sometimes things are torqued out of true, and can be coaxed back to true with a little judicious bolt un-tightening, and re-tightening.

If that does not do the trick, remove the fork legs, and have them checked for trueness. One other thing: Are you gauging alignment by the position of the front wheel to the bars? It's possible that your upper clamp is simply twisted on the rubber isolators. Check the upper clamp for excessive play on the rubber isolators.

Hope this helps you out!

 

[Powers739]

What he said...

 

[mikeled86]

yes i am going by the postion of my bars they have to cocked a little to the right for the wheel to be straight which is why i am thinking that maybe i bent my triple tree bc the right handle bar was bent almost back to the tank the left was bent a little but you would have to remove it before you noticed it. the front wheel/ bottom of forks didn't hit anything only the right handle bar i added a pic.

 

[roadthing]

Pull your top clamp and inspect the bolts/rubber bushings. If there is nothing wrong there, perform some of the checks I mentioned previously. If you are not comfortable with them, get it to a reputable shop. If you end up stripping the entire front end, you can check the clamps on a granite surface plate, or maybe a piece of plate glass. I really do hope it's nothing major. Even if it is, you can replace the damaged component by yourself.

It does not take much to throw off the true of your fork legs, and that's going to really have a detrimental effect on the bike's handling (and your safety). It's a good thing that you noticed the position of the wheel to the bars!

 

[SANDFLEA85]

I had the same situation when i went down last yr,lossen up the top clamp,stand in front of the bike with front wheel squeezed between your legs and grab handle bars and straighten it out,this worked for me,it popped right back into place.if nothing is bent it should also work for you.goodlick

 

[mikeled86]

I had the same situation when i went down last yr,lossen up the top clamp,stand in front of the bike with front wheel squeezed between your legs and grab handle bars and straighten it out,this worked for me,it popped right back into place.if nothing is bent it should also work for you.goodlick

by top clamp do you mean the grey piece on top or the black piece under that or both?

 

[bigoltool]

If you really want to rest well at night I would suggest taking your bike to somebody like GMD Computrack or someone similar. They can shine a laser (OK so it is a little more involved than that but you get the idea) on it and tell you exactly what is wrong and how to fix it.

 

[tinmann840]

I had the same problem. It's best to check everything out. Forks, triple trees ...everything. It could be the forks or the triple tree is tweaked or both. I replaced everything to be safe. You can get another set of forks and triple trees upper and lower for $200.00 - $300.00 bucks if you search the forums.