Topic: Front end misalignment - driving me bonkers

[valleycb]

Hey, I'm just putting my bike back together after a fuel restoration and I'm having a really hard time with a misalignment in the front end.  I recognize that this will be a tough one for anyone to weigh in on without being able to see it in the flesh...but I thought I'd try in case I'm missing something.  My front wheel, handlebars and triple tree are just perpetually out of alignment.  My fork tubes WERE bent, but I straightened them to within 0.003".  I thought maybe my front axle was bent.  Doesn't seem like it.  I've loosened off all of the bolts on the triple clamps and the big stem nut and the nuts at the end of the forks until everything wiggled around like a noodle.  There just doesn't seem to be a way to make it not screwed up.  If the front end was bumped enough to bend the forks, could my triple tree be screwed?  One of the hard stops on the triple tree for the turning stop was mashed up when I got the bike.  So ya, it was evidently through something in it's history.  Any ideas what to check or what could be wrong?

[BomberMann650]

How exactly are you determining you have an alignment issue?

[754]

If your lower triple was bent, you would see it when you slide the second fork into top tree.

[valleycb]

The misalignment is very evident visually.  When the front wheel is straight with respect to the frame, the bars are turned and vice versa.

[754]

 I assume that you held the front wheels between your knees and twisted ifvthe way it needed to go ?
 Not sure how you straightened the tubes, I use 3 blocks made up for the job.
And when you said to within .003, did that mean checked across the entire tube.?

[valleycb]

Yes, I've held the front wheel between my knees and twisted the bars a whole bunch of times (each time hoping for a different result).  It springs back enthusiastically to the screwed up state.

When I feed the forks through the triple tree, they both line up well.

I checked for straightness of the fork tubes by turning them on v-blocks (brass, one at each end of the tube) and using a dial indicator at a number of points.  They really do seem straight now.  When I turn the tube in the triple tree, to bottom end would wobble previously.  After straightening, they don't.

The frame and triple tree was recently powder coated.  I'm going to take it all apart again tomorrow and check (again) for any paint in the bores of the triple tree.

I also just replaced the steering bearings to the all balls tapered type.  I can't imagine that causing this issue...

[dave500]

apart from looking out of square do the front and rear wheels sort of look in line,or are they out of line?hope the steering stem at the frame isn't cranked?

[scottly]

Are the handlebars bent?

[seanbarney41]

Steering stem is certainly suspect.I have found bent ones, broken ones, broken and then welded ones...

[seanbarney41]

should be able to see bends in triple clamps...set the clamps on a flat surface and check for wobble or empty space.

[754]

Springing back seems like bent or you are not pushing far enough. .. you ave to bend it past where you want to go, because it can spring back.
First check for tree, get the tubes just below the upper, then clamp the lower to hold the tube.. then sight accross them for bend. Sometimes easier if you hold two rulers against the forks far apart, and eyeball the edge of ruler.
 If its hard to see hold a white sheet of paper or cardstock for a background.

[valleycb]

Thanks for all of the input folks.  Handlebars are new and not bent.  I'm strongly suspecting that the stem is bent with respect to the lower clamp, but it's tricky to measure.  Any suggestions?  If it's bent, can it be straightened?   I mentioned that one of the hard stops was mashed up.  I had welded it up to fix it...maybe too much heat was applied and something got distorted at the root of the stem?  Or maybe it was bent all along.

[valleycb]

Ok, 754...you were right, it's the lower clamp.  Here's a picture (on the dining room table...because winter is happening outside) with the shocks clamped into the lower clamps only.  The yellow level is levelled.  The other one is far from it.  So I've got a twisted up clamp.  Can this be repaired?

[przjohn]

Maybe I missed it in the thread but what bike is it? I would just go on Ebay and get a good used one. The Honda Fours get parted out all the time. If there isn't one on there now just be patient it will turn up.

[754]

They bend pretty easy..grip the stem in a big vise with a piece of 1x4 or 3/4 plywood either side of the stem to protect it.
 Then put the whole fork tube or leg in just a bit and clamp with triple tree clamp bolt. Now you can pull or push the fork leg and bend the tree back. Remember it should be  Parallel  to the stem.