I'm at my wits end with my bars being crooked! Please help! My fe350 decided it didn't need a rider one day and proceeded to drop me off at high speed! It was a hard crash that really tweeked the front end hard twisting everything, to the point I had to get new bar mounts because the base of the mounts were bent! My bars were crooked from my forks (not my clamp) and I could see this using a reference point on both forks vs my bar, at this point I had new bars and mounts put on. We then checked the steering stem to find it was a little off vs a new one, problem solved or so I thought! Now the bars, top clamp, and forks all lined up on top but the wheel wasn't. I loosened everything up got it all centered tightened the front axle as you should and it was straight! Now after riding for a few minutes snap! Back it goes! Fund a tree tap the wheel over ride a few minutes, snap, back it goes and so on and so on!!! Ahh! The throttle side of the bars always ends up closer to me every time! Now since this has happened the forks have been opened up and checked twice by two different people who both said forks are straight. I've also given the wheel a spin sighting down it and it doesn't have a wobble or anything. So what is it???? I'm down to triple clamps, axle bolt, or voodo magic????
When you replaced the top clamps did you also replace the bolt that bolts the clamps to the triples? I have seen those bend and cause twisted bars. Have you placed the triples on a flat surface to check they didn't get twisted?
I would pull the front end and take the forks apart and check. Years ago when I crashed hard on the track a few times, forks and triples always got distorted, They were spindly thin forks but still, bike never handled good again. I swore off buying used bikes, anything that has been down, etc... or trusting my mechanic to "fix/straighten" (if I planned to race it). New tubes, new triples, and even checking the frame for any distortion. Nothing worse than a wobbling sack of shit at 85+
Yup replaced bar mount bolts! I will end up pulling everything off and recheck it all. Might chuck up the front axle and check for straight as well.
Nothing wobles or feels weird other than those stupid bars always being a little tweeked to the one side! I'm not one who likes to ride with bent bars so call it OCD but it bugs the daylights out of me Lol.
As Colo Moto mentioned, I'd be checking the triple clamps for trueness. It won't take much to put it out. Is the fork action still the same? Rotate the lower leg, then try the upper to see if there is any oscillating. See if there is any binding in their action through compression (with springs removed). I had a front on collision with another bike on my KX500 and the front end was never the same again no matter what we tried
Forks feel the same with no catch or binding but I'll be having them serviced again soon and will double check everything. I thought if I rotated the forks in the clamps 180 degrees that should show me if the upper tubes are bent if it gets better?? When I get the clamps off I'll give those a check again as well!
