Bent Forks?

[jafi_fink]

I crunched my FJR in a slow speed left turn. Front wheel hit a patch of gravel and the front end went out. Now, the handle bars and the front wheel are out of alignment. Had some other damage like a scrape on the upper front cowling, mirror, slider puck and carbon fiber alternator cover. I don't remember hitting the handle bar on anything and the handle bars don't show any damage. But now, when the bike is going straight down the road, the handle bars are cocked at about 10 degrees turned towards the right.

I don't know how but I am thinking the Inner Tubes are bent in between the upper and lower triple tree. I have "eyeballed" the tubes but can't see a significant bend. I haven't taken them out of the upper and lower triple tree yet to be sure they are bent. I plan to take the forks out in the next couple days and check for straightness. Any advice for things I should check beyond the inner tubes?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Rogue]

Most likely the tubes are fine. The most common is the upper and lower triple trees got knocked out of alignment. loosen the clamp bolts holding the fork tubes and have someone hold the front wheel and you turn the bars.

 

[tyronewildman]

Most likely the tubes are fine. The most common is the upper and lower triple trees got knocked out of alignment. loosen the clamp bolts holding the fork tubes and have someone hold the front wheel and you turn the bars.

Good advise there. U might want to only loosen either the upper or lower clamp bolts(to keep the forks from sliding up in the clamps. Sometimes U can turn the bars all way against the stop & then bump the bars to twist the trees back into alignment. It'll be easy to realign & then ride it & do it again if it doesn't look perfectly streight to U. This happens all the time to training bikes & is easy to fix...Later,,, De

 

[Sherman]

Check this out. This too.

The glass plate thing is on my to do list.

 

[jafi_fink]

Thanks for the sage advice. I went out today with a hammer and wrench (not really but figuratively) and followed the advice provided. Worked like a champ, the FJR follows exactly as it should. It makes me feel a whole lot better today then I did yesterday. Youse Guys are the bestest!

Joe

 

[huk finn]

Check This out too.The glass plate thing is on my to do list.

thats some good reading,,, will have to save those. thanx

 

[tyronewildman]

Check this out. This too.The glass plate thing is on my to do list.

Good for you, Joe. Nothing like getting down to it & fixin something.

Sherman, I did read both (glass plate, "Y" alignement). Kinda, sorta, looking down while riding (other that checking for alignment, I never almost look down) is good enough for me to see that it's tracking streight. I'm not sure what I'd do if I rode a perfect bike. I guess it's that I've grown lazy or the fact that I "let sleeping dogs lie"...Later,,, De