Front alignment off, bent forks/axle, what to do

[indywar360]

Had a crash last week. Now, when I let off the handlebars at speed it veers to the right. The guy at local shop EDR ($150 estimate! Facking Christ!) failed to notice anything regarding the front end. I even showed them the handlebars don't lock now, and told them the bike lists to the right, and they said it was just the handlebars. I replaced the handlebars today, and the front still veers right so they are obviously wrong, and/or not wanting to fix this problem.

Looking down the forks from riding position it looks like the right fork is back and left one forward. \ /  |  / 

Looking at the forks from the front, they cant to the right ever so slightly, maybe like 1-2mm in total.  -->  | |  | | 

Looking at the wheel from the front, it looks slightly canted in the same direction, maybe 2mm. \ \ 

I read a lot of "bent forks" posts, but theres' no consensus on what to do. i.e., bend with 2x4, rotate tubes, replace, send to shop, etc.

Tomorrow I'll prop my bike up and then go for it. What do you guys think of simply turning each tube 90 degrees to the right, so that the bend in them faces forward? This wouldn't fix any axle problems, but if it was just the forks, would that be kosher?

And if I tried to bend the forks back myself with a 2x4 as suggested in the BMW guy's how-to, how would I do that on a sideways axis?
Would I rotate them 90 degrees to point forward, then check for alignment with a glass plate?

Looking at other ppl's pics I feel thankful they aren't majorly bent, however, this is still a problem.

So far I know to: prop bike with centerstand + blocks, remove wheel and axle, but then what?  Will post pics in the afternoon hopefully.

[hmmmnz]

before you assume they are bent, loosen all the tripple clamp bolts and twist your wheel while holding the bars(like what you used to do when you were a kid and crashed off your bmx)
some times it turns out that its the fork that are twisted and just need realligning.
good luck
hmmmnz

[middlem2]

Sounds similiar to what I have right now.  Let us know what you find.  I'm guessing mine is either triple bent and/or fork(s).

[indywar360]

Got the forks loosened up and the wheel off, found out that:

1) The forks are bent. Visually it's very slight, but if you feel the tubes below the 2nd spacer they both go off to the left.

2) The axle was bent very slightly, with dark marks (metal particles?) and pitting on one side (opposite side of impact).

Unfortunately when I put it all back together again, the metal plate the brake hugs now audibly scrapes the outer brakepad, so its probably best not to ride it til I get new forks/axle. This might be because the forks are now straighter after having been loosened, and now the bent axle opposes their angle more.

I didn't take pictures cause it's all barely visible to the eye anyhow.

Somebody's warning about brake calipers closing up when removed was for real. Had some trouble getting em back on.

Questions:

Besides purchasing new forks and axle, what other supplies do I need when reinstalling? I assume fork oil would be a good choice, but what about other lubricants, etc.

Considering this is my only vehicle I'm going to order these parts immediately from the stealership.

[indywar360]

Holy crap those fork tubes are friggin expensive. Anyone know a better place/way to do this? Does anyone have 2 straight ones for sale? Any compatible tubes labeled for use on different bikes?


Also, for minor bending, is it necessary to replace the inner parts of the tubes, or usually just the tube itself?

And no, I'm not prepared to put some weird front end on my bike. Just want it back to normal.

[sledge]

depending on how severe the deformation, bent tubes can be straightened by specialists for much less than the cost of new ones. You need to start websearching or look in the yellow pages for "Motorcycle Frame/Fork straightening"......and yeah brake pads can and do close up as you have found, the weight of the fluid in the pipework and reservoir does it. An old pro`s trick is to place a thin wooden wedge between them as soon as the disc is removed.

[Jared]

Sent you a PM , Indy.

[indywar360]

About to purchase fork seals off ebay. Advertised as "Fork Seals for GS500 E, 89-2002". Pyramid brand. These should fit a 2004, unless they totally have different fork sizes, am I right?

Edit: btw the "BMX wrench" move made my bike rideable enough to get to work without the brake scraping against the brake plate. Still scrapes, but not as much. Thanks hmmmz.