Fork Question?

1325 Views 8 Replies 2 Participants Last post by spankydahamstr, May 5, 2008

spankydahamstr

Discussion Starter · May 4, 2008 (Edited)

How to I verify if my forks are bent? If I take them out would it be very obvious or is there some kinda test I need to do. At first I thought just my triple clamp had gone out of alignment and maybe twisted the forks a little but now im not sure.

Thanks,

--
Daniel

Also for some reason it won't start in first even with kickstand up. I have to shift into N to get it to start. No running issues just weird start.
Thanks again.

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Noleman

· #2 · May 4, 2008

As for your starting issue, are you pulling in the clutch when you try to start in first gear? LOL

As for the forks, unless it is a very very very slight bend, it will be obvious to the eye. I had to do this on my 02. I asked the same question, but didn't get an answer. I just took them out and I could tell right away that they were bent. They weren't bent a lot, but I could tell they were bent.

What makes you think they are bent? Did you crash, or is it just because the bike feels like it's pulling, or both. Triple trees going out of alignment is not likely. As long as everything is tight then the forks should keep the triples in line, unless they are bent lol.

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spankydahamstr

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 4, 2008

Noleman said:
As for your starting issue, are you pulling in the clutch when you try to start in first gear? LOL

As for the forks, unless it is a very very very slight bend, it will be obvious to the eye. I had to do this on my 02. I asked the same question, but didn't get an answer. I just took them out and I could tell right away that they were bent. They weren't bent a lot, but I could tell they were bent.

What makes you think they are bent? Did you crash, or is it just because the bike feels like it's pulling, or both. Triple trees going out of alignment is not likely. As long as everything is tight then the forks should keep the triples in line, unless they are bent lol.

Yes I pull the clutch!!!!
And yes Bike went down 3 days ago about 10 mph got rearended by a van and slide about 10 feet into the curb. seemed like small fall. I picked up the bike and drove her home but noticed the handle bars are not center when im going staight the are like 10 degrees or so to the right when the wheel is staight.

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Noleman

· #4 · May 4, 2008

spankydahamstr said:
Yes I pull the clutch!!!!
And yes Bike went down 3 days ago about 10 mph got rearended by a van and slide about 10 feet into the curb. seemed like small fall. I picked up the bike and drove her home but noticed the handle bars are not center when im going staight the are like 10 degrees or so to the right when the wheel is staight.

Ahhh, well before you go taking everything off, try loosening the triple bolts and aligning it back up, then tighten everything back down. Go for a short SLOW ride to see if that worked. If that doesn't fix it then I would say remove the forks to check if they are bent.

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spankydahamstr

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 4, 2008

Noleman said:
Ahhh, well before you go taking everything off, try loosening the triple bolts and aligning it back up, then tighten everything back down. Go for a short SLOW ride to see if that worked. If that doesn't fix it then I would say remove the forks to check if they are bent.

Sorry but to be specific which bolts do I loosen in order to line it back up?
I already tried a little and I think I loosened to many things hopefully not but we'll c.

Thanks
--
Daniel

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Noleman

· #6 · May 4, 2008

spankydahamstr said:
Sorry but to be specific which bolts do I loosen in order to line it back up?
I already tried a little and I think I loosened to many things hopefully not but we'll c.

Thanks
--
Daniel

Okay, there is two bolts on the top triple(one on each side) that face outward, then there are two bolts that face down, lining up with the clip on hold it in place. There are four bolts on the lower triple(two on each side) that face foward and out.

When I am trouble shooting something, I always try to do as little as possible, step by step. So first try loosening the two bolts on the upper triple and if that doesn't line it up, work your way down.

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spankydahamstr

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 4, 2008

Noleman said:
Okay, there is two bolts on the top triple(one on each side) that face outward, then there are two bolts that face down, lining up with the clip on hold it in place. There are four bolts on the lower triple(two on each side) that face foward and out.

When I am trouble shooting something, I always try to do as little as possible, step by step. So first try loosening the two bolts on the upper triple and if that doesn't line it up, work your way down.

Eek ok I tried that and no easy line up the forks slide freely through the triples and no line up. I even loosened the big nut on top of the upper triple and still not really lining up as far as I can tell. I think i'm screwed. It seems like it will all move ok so maybe I just need an extra set of hands. Im still pretty banged up so its kinda hard balancing and all.

Thanks for all your help I'm gonna try again tuesday with my roomate.

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Noleman

· #8 · May 4, 2008

spankydahamstr said:
Eek ok I tried that and no easy line up the forks slide freely through the triples and no line up. I even loosened the big nut on top of the upper triple and still not really lining up as far as I can tell. I think i'm screwed. It seems like it will all move ok so maybe I just need an extra set of hands. Im still pretty banged up so its kinda hard balancing and all.

Thanks for all your help I'm gonna try again tuesday with my roomate.

Okay, well there is a problem if the forks slid that easily all the way up, because the clip ons should have stopped the forks after about 2-3mm of movement. If it slid up more than that then the clip ons were loosened. You do not need to loosen the head nut. The triple should be able to move side to side with it tightened down. What stan are you using? Is it a fork stand or a stem stand. If you're using a fork stand you're going to get pressure from the forks when trying to align them up. It is so hard trying to help someone over the forum. Best to take them off (with a stem stand!) and check them. If straight, re-install. The re-intall should line them back up if you do it correctly. Make sure that the clip ons are in the right place (there is a notch on the fork) and line them up with the top triple and bolt everything together after they are lined up. Something must be off, because I did not have these problems when I sent my forks in to get ohlins internals installed.

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spankydahamstr

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 5, 2008

Noleman said:
Okay, well there is a problem if the forks slid that easily all the way up, because the clip ons should have stopped the forks after about 2-3mm of movement. If it slid up more than that then the clip ons were loosened. You do not need to loosen the head nut. The triple should be able to move side to side with it tightened down. What stan are you using? Is it a fork stand or a stem stand. If you're using a fork stand you're going to get pressure from the forks when trying to align them up. It is so hard trying to help someone over the forum. Best to take them off (with a stem stand!) and check them. If straight, re-install. The re-intall should line them back up if you do it correctly. Make sure that the clip ons are in the right place (there is a notch on the fork) and line them up with the top triple and bolt everything together after they are lined up. Something must be off, because I did not have these problems when I sent my forks in to get ohlins internals installed.

Thanks man I'll give it a try and yes the clip ons were loosened as well thanks for your help i'll let ya know how it goes wish me luck peace.

--
Daniel

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