Harb67 Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 So the top of my triple tree and my front wheel are out of alignment. Not by much, but when I'm riding in a straight line with the front wheel going straight ahead, my handlebars are pointed maybe 2 to 4 degrees to the right.This is not from a crash, as far as I know. Last season someone tried to steal my bike (i think). It looks like they tried to turn the front wheel so hard that they would be able to break the steering stop/lock mechanism and ride off, but they clearly failed as I still have the bike. After that, I noticed the steering was off ever so slightly. I recently had the forks off the bike and I tried to straighten things back out while I was reassembling it, but if anything it's unchanged or a bit worse.I don't think the fork tubes are bent; I didn't notice any damage to them when I had them off. I think what might have happened was they twisted in the triple a bit and now the upper and lower triples are out of alignment? Does anyone have any idea what may be up and how to fix it? If anyone around Columbus would want to take a look at it and maybe get things straightened out, I could pay in the typical college student fashion: beer and/or smallish amounts of money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidgetTodd Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Put the front tire up against a wall and twist as hard as you can the other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harb67 Posted April 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Put the front tire up against a wall and twist as hard as you can the other way.Tried that with my dad actually. I loosened the upper triple and kept the lower tightened, and i wrenched on the bars and he pushed on the wheel. No improvement :\ I might try it again with both the upper and lower very loose. I don't know much about the internals of the steering stem and triple tree; is it even possible for the upper and lower to go out of alignment or is it all one solid piece that should always be straight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siggywiggy Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 you could try loosening up the axle bolt as well. When you do it, hit the front brakes real hard and push down, it helps realign naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Are you sure its the triple and not that your clipons have turned?If its actually the triple then you need to eitherA) Replace itB) Have it inspected/straightened by a pro. C) Keep doing what your doing and potentially make it worse and it breaks while your riding and you crash. If you need it straightened, I would suggest sending it to Reuben at 35 Motorsports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Have to ask, are the handle bars bent? I come from the cruiser world but the handle bars and the risers are the weakest point of that whole setup on a cruiser, they would bend or twist first..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd#43 Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Its entirely possible for the triples to be twisted out of alignment. You can also bend a top or bottom triple with a little bit of effort. Christ, even hitting a big enough bump can knock everything out of whack.Alignment isnt a big deal unless something is bent. You've got to loosen the steering stem, loosen pinch bolts for the forks (on the triples) and remove the front axle. Use a straight edge to line everything back up and tighten everything you loosened. Install the front axle last, and you should be good to go.If you can't correct it that way you've bent something and it'll either need to be straightened by a professional or replaced.Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harb67 Posted April 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) I'm fairly sure the handlebars (I don't have clip-ons) aren't bent. I'm using an aftermarket bar that is really heavy and thick...i'd wager that these bars are one of the toughest parts of my bike. Plus, these bars have never hit the ground or anything hard. Edited April 30, 2010 by Harb67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harb67 Posted April 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Alignment isnt a big deal unless something is bent. You've got to loosen the steering stem, loosen pinch bolts for the forks (on the triples) and remove the front axle. Use a straight edge to line everything back up and tighten everything you loosened. Install the front axle last, and you should be good to go.I'll give that a try. I never loosened the steering stem when I was trying to straighten it back out, so maybe that will help. I'll grab my service manual and see if I can't get things back to normal sometime this week.*edit*Argh, I meant to post this as an edit to the last post... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 loosen it all up and bounce it up and down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jermattak Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 It happens on dirtbikes alot, sometimes the clamps turn a little bit, or the rubber inside them get bunched up, loosen the clamps and wiggle the bars around a little bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rad_x_boarder Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Nice. Lots of good info. Gonna have to check back when I start putting the bike back together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Setting a flat plate of metal or glass on the matching flat parts of the forks, can determine if they are parallel and straight. Another weird way I've tried, is to get a long straight rod, and run it up and down the two fork tubes, and watch the end of the rod. It can make it easier to see if it's twisted up. But the Mark One eyeball works pretty well. I agree that loosening and bouncing the front end will pretty much line things up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APCh8r Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Try loosing the lower triples and seeing if that helps. Here is a video that kinda explains why and what you need to do.http://www.onthethrottle.com/content/view/584/73/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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