Adjust front steering alignment?

[Jayhawk]

One to the last thing in rebuilding my wrecked GS500F, and i'm completely lost on how to do this.

My steering is off alignment. If I hold the handlebars straight my wheel point to the left (11 o'clock). I'm kind lost on exactly how to do this. Any help would be amazing.

Thanks.

[Big Rich]

You need to find out what's not straight.

1: Handlebars? When in doubt, replace them.
2: Forks/ triple tree. Lift the front of the bike and secure it. Loosen the fork pinch bolts on the right side along with anything clamped to the fork. Leave the axle/wheel/fender tight. Then grab the top fork tube and try to spin it by hand - it should spin 360° with the same amount of resistance the whole way around. The tighten everything and go to the left fork.
3: Wheel/axle/fender. Pull the fender off first since it can hold everything else out of line (actually, this should have been #1).

Also, you could loosen the forks and fender, pinch the wheel between your legs, and try to straighten you bars. Only works if the front end is "tweaked".

[Jayhawk]

Don't think its the handle bars because when holding the wheel to where it lines up straight with the body the upper triple tree is not straight.

I had purshaced new forks (well used but new for my bike)
, the forks tubes are spinning no problem.

and because of the wreck I currently have no fender.

Pics of the wreck - http://imgur.com/a/u1TXD

In the wreck I damaged all the left side plastics, front axle bent, both forks were bent, front brake rotor bent, and the windshield. So far I have replaced everything (besides the plastics. Going for the street fighter look now with just an upper fairing I picked up for 20 dollars on ebay.)

This is my first major repair on a bike, and i'm enjoying the hell out of it! So any help would be amazing.

[adidasguy]

Did you put on a new triple tree? By the looks of your forks, your triple lower part might have a slight bend. That would prevent you from having the forks exactly parallel.
Eyeball the forks. Are they perfectly parallel?
based on your fork damage, I'd put on a new lower triple.
One other possibility is a slightly bent frame. Looks like that was a pretty hard hit. Frame and/or lower triple is bent.

OH, also be sure things are straight and in alignment before you tighten down the fork brace and triple bolts. Then do it slowly, a little at a time to be sure things are in alignment. Yea, bent fork brace or tightened when things were not in alignment could also be a source of your problem.

PS: I'll take the black plastic fork protectors if you're going to throw away the ones on your old forks.

[Jayhawk]

No I didn't put on a new triple tree, guess it's back to ebay. And any part you want that I've replaced PM me, I'll get rid of them for just the shipping cost.

[adidasguy]

How does the alignment of the forks when you eyeball them from the side.
Do they look in line? Or do they look crooked?
You might be able to loosen things up and get everything in-line then slowly tighten things up, insuring everything stays in-line. Get the weight off of the front. Loosen the axle, triple bolts and steering stem bolt. Align everything. Tighten each a little at a time.
If you go for a used triple, get as new a one as possible so the bearings are good. Those are a beiatch to replace. All triples are compatible so go for 2009 if you can, and low mileage.

[Jayhawk]

I just removed the lower triple and it doesn't look bent. Both of the forks are lining up correctly. My handlebar looks a little bent with a closer inspection I don't think that should affect the fact that when i make the upper triple straight (i'm not looking at the handle bars) that the wheel is still pointing to the 11 o'clock.

Here are all the symptoms that I have noticed. 

• To get the steering column to lock I have to turn the handle bars to far left that the brake lever hits the fairing
• Wheel points to the 11 o'clock when I make the triple straight in relation to the bike(not judging off handlebars.
• Dont know what they are called, so I'm going to explain it like i'm 5, the little bumps on the lower triple that hit the the half circle thing that keeps the wheel from turn to far in one direction. Well The left bump will hit that no problem but the right one will only hit it if I turn it so far that the brake lever is fully engaged against the fairing.
• Left side of the handle bar does seem to be a little bent back.

That's about all I can think off.
Also asked the local bike shop they were at a loss to.

[twinrat]

you have taken a big hit and i would suspect that your frame is bent out of line . you need to get that checked before you go any further . check visualy around steering head to see if paint is cracked in any way ,or hairline cracks ,

[Jayhawk]

I had checked the frame before I started repairs.


I took it up to a local suzuki dealer, and the happened to have a regional Suzuki mechanic/rep in. He looked at it, told me to hold the handle bars straight and he just snapped in back straight like a chiropractor working on a neck. Said he see's that a lot in dirt bikes after crashes. So all is good!