I have looked around and not really making too much sense of what I have found. Maybe I just dont know what I am looking at. I have a friend that has something bent in the front of their bike. When the bars are straight the tire goes to the right slightly.

I thought that it might be the right fork slightly pushed back. But ordered new fork and I helped change it. Nothing improved, still has the same tweek. We completely removed the front fairings to get a better look and I cannot see anything bent. So I am thinking its the left fork and the bend is so small that you just cant see it.

My question is now that we have 2 right forks. Can I take the inner tube (which is more than likely what is bent if anything is)... and switch it off with the left fork? Or are they side specific? Thanks guys

 

Do the triple clamps look bent?

 

nothing looks bent.... you can look down the forks and everythign looks good. but the bars have to be at an angle to have the forks straight at the bottom. And when you straighten the bars the left fork is about 1/4 inch more forward than the right. I thought the right was pushed back. But changed it out and it made no difference. Now I am looking at doing the same to the left side. I am at a loss right now.

 

possible the upper and lower triple clamps out of alignment? Not bent but ones just slightly rotated.

Hell I dont even know if thats possible just a thought.

 

could be:

bent triple(s)
mis-aligned forks/trees

or the obvious, a bent handlebar.

if you have some way of locking the front wheel straight (like a bike lift) lock it down, make sure the forks are both even in the upper triple, loosen the LOWER triple pinch bolts, and yank the front end straight by pulling the bars the way they need to go. Once it's centered, tighten the lower triple pinch bolts back down. If you tighten them after straightening the front end and it moves back to being crooked, you probably have a bent triple clamp.

 

well.. the handle bar is not bent. I am keeping the top of the forks straight. Not really the bars. When the top are the forks are straight. The clip ons have even gaps on both sides. The top triple tree measures the same from the tank on both sides. But when you look down the forks. You can see the left fork slightly forward.. or the right fork slightly back. Which ever way you want to look at it. Can you bend an axle bolt? I mean. It is really killing me here. I will see about trying to get some pictures to illistrate my delema.

 

Seems like the lower portion of the triple is cocked a little.

 

even if the distance between the upper and lower triple tree measure the same? I just took the forks off and they both look straight with no damage at all. Before I did that though I measured from the fork seal to the lower tree, the fork seal to the upper tree, bottom of the fork to the lower tree, bottom of the fork to the upper tree, from lower tree to upper tree and they all measured out the same. I think I am going to just replace the triple tree and see if that fixes it. Thanks to everybody for all your help. I will let everybody know the outcome.

 

The distance wouldnt change between the right and left sides.

Say your on the bike, looking straight down at the triple. the upper will be right on, while the lower one is just ever so cocked to the right. Although its very minor at the triple tree it will throw off the end of the forks at the wheel.

It happened on my 6R when I wrecked. Had a friend (whos dad owned a bike shop) fix it.

 

I will give it a shot... Thanks alot for the info.