Hawk Front end alignment...What did I do?

[Bird Fish]

OK so I dropped the hawk in my driveway after a ride. Minimal damage, some scrapes, bent shift lever, cracked mirror. However the handlebars were then slightly twisted. I could not find anything that was obviously bent so I just rode it like that for a couple of weeks. Finally I decided to do what I did with bicycles where this happened when I ws a kid, and put the front wheel between my knees and jerked the handlebars back into place. They easily popped back into place and all is good.

SO...What did I do?

[JerryHawk250]

You twisted the forks in the triple tree. Easy fix is to loosen the bolts on the lower triple tree, alien and retighten. Check to make sure they a tight on lower and upper triple tree. It shouldn't twist that easy from dropping.

[OUTERLIMITS]

OK so I dropped the hawk in my driveway after a ride. Minimal damage, some scrapes, bent shift lever, cracked mirror. However the handlebars were then slightly twisted. I could not find anything that was obviously bent so I just rode it like that for a couple of weeks. Finally I decided to do what I did with bicycles where this happened when I ws a kid, and put the front wheel between my knees and jerked the handlebars back into place. They easily popped back into place and all is good.

SO...What did I do?

As noted, you just twisted them a bit. This can happen to any motorcycle, but far more easily to one with relatively skinny diameter front forks like the Hawk. My son did this on his '04 KDX200 and we twisted them back, but there is still something off in there. I thought it was the bars, but as it turns out the handlebar clamps bent just a little bit as well.

[Megadan]

My experience woth this is to loosen the lower triple.clamps as Jerry mentioned. Also loosen the axle bolt and brake caliper mount bolts. You can straighten the forks the bicycle way, and then with the bike upright put your weigt forward on the bars to compress the forks up and down a few times. If you have a buddy handy, keep the bike upright, tighten the lower clamps, then you can tighten the front axle and caliper.

[Bird Fish]

Thanks for all the help and advice! Going to check everything out and make sure those bolts are tight.

[KillerHack]

@jerryhawk250, no they really do bend that easy

[JerryHawk250]

@jerryhawk250, no they really do bend that easy

THe forks don't bent but can twist in the triple tree.

[Bob Kelly]

Yah ! that's no big deal at all ... I just grunt them back when they get twisted... best not to ride it long when their twisted like that as it just puts more wear on the fork seals.
....
I've not twisted the forks on the TT250 yet and I flopped off the side of a logging road one time fairly hard,..... it's forks seem fairly big in diameter ....
.... I did Twist the forks on my 1977 Triumph 750cc last year trying to move the handle bars a bit.... but they are small in diameter ! that caught me as kind'a strange !
....
Bob......