Help! Fork Alignment / Front Wheel Alignment

[AresROC]

My front wheel has been off-center for a bit since it was new. It has gotten worse and worse to a point now the handle bar is turned noticeably right while the bike is going straight.

Last week I dumped the bike on a small rocky uphill climb, (I got pinned under the bike! ) and the front wheel was bent to the left. I got up and did the pinch front wheels between legs and turned the handle bars to align with wheel. It was OK to ride afterwards but the front wheel never seemed straight. We turned handle bar to right where it hits the stop, and then gave the front wheel a kick to get it back to center. After a few bumps on the fork the wheel drifts back to point to left.

I searched up for some alignment instructions and all that is written is align and then tighten the triple tree top nut. I noticed the top nut wasn't tight and I could turn it by hand with a socket on it.

I tried to loosen the fork clamps (2 in the middle and 1 on top), pull the right folk with a tie-strap, and pull the top clamp with another strap so the wheel points to as far right as it will go. I then proceeded to tighten the top 30mm nut to 50 ft-lbs. I then tighten the forks.

The front wheel, again, would not stay center for long.

Looking down the forks from top, I can see they are not parallel enough. However, other then tightening the top nut on the triple, I am out of ways to align them. (Maybe a fork brace?)

I also compared my wheel speed sensor from the digital gauge to the old unit, and they are identical in size.

Please let me know any other methods I can try to align the front wheel. I am wondering if my forks are damaged! (They look straight to me)...

[JerryHawk250]

Invest in a fork brace. Make a world of difference. No more twist after that. Check out this thread. http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...t=19349&page=3

[AresROC]

Fork Brace ordered. Any installation tips? Sure would like to get wheel back to center. Thanks!

[Megadan]

Basice how to align: you may want a helper.

Loosen the lower triple clamps on the fork. Loosen the nrake caliper bolts, loosen the axle bolt. By loosen, I mean just crack them free, dont spin the nut or bolt out very far.

Stand over the bike with it vertical make sure the front wheel is fairly straight (helper) and then cycle the front suspension up and down a few times. Then holding it straight and steady have said helper tighten the lower clamps first, then the axle bolt, then the caliper.

[AresROC]

Thanks! I think this means install the fork brace first, and then align the forks with lower clamps? Without the fork brace my front wheel can currently tilt an inch or so to each side.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by AresROC

Thanks! I think this means install the fork brace first, and then align the forks with lower clamps? Without the fork brace my front wheel can currently tilt an inch or so to each side.

You might want to make sure the lower or upper clamps are actually clamping the fork tubes if that is the case. Sounds like one or the other isn't tight enough. Look to make sure the threads for the clamps or the bolts themselves arent damaged or stripped. If that looks ok then you can experiment with a soda/beer can and make shims for the clamps around the tubes and tighten them down to see if the problem goes away.

[AresROC]

Well. Fork brace fail. It was way too thick and wide, I couldn't get it compliant enough to fit between the forks.

The fork clamps were tight, 15 ft-lbs. Shims on upper clamps would be the next step, but there aren't much room there.

I did the following and wheel is still pointing left:

• Torqued down triple top nut while wheel is pointing as far right as possible.
• Torqued down fork clamps with wheel pointing far right
• Loosen wheel spokes to shift wheel as far to the right as possible.
• Twisted front fender to point left (to help rider perspective)
• Checked handle bar and bar clamps, to see if it is perpendicular to bike center line.

I might shim the handle bar clamps at this point...

[OneLeggedRider]

Originally Posted by AresROC

Well. Fork brace fail. It was way too thick and wide, I couldn't get it compliant enough to fit between the forks.

The fork clamps were tight, 15 ft-lbs. Shims on upper clamps would be the next step, but there aren't much room there.

I did the following and wheel is still pointing left:

• Torqued down triple top nut while wheel is pointing as far right as possible.
• Torqued down fork clamps with wheel pointing far right
• Loosen wheel spokes to shift wheel as far to the right as possible.
• Twisted front fender to point left (to help rider perspective)
• Checked handle bar and bar clamps, to see if it is perpendicular to bike center line.

I might shim the handle bar clamps at this point...

"Loosened the wheel spokes"? Try spinning the tubes in the triple tree 45° at a time to correct it. You might have an ever so slightly bent fork.

[AresROC]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

"Loosened the wheel spokes"? Try spinning the tubes in the triple tree 45° at a time to correct it. You might have an ever so slightly bent fork.

Haha I should have worded it a little better. Loosen one side of the spokes on the hub and tighten the other side, shift the rim relative to the hub then re-tighten all the way around.

I don't have any experience with non-USD forks. The bottom outside tubes freely rotates 180 degrees, I assume that is normal. I don't see how spinning upper tubes in the triple can affect the lower tubes where the wheel mounts to, unless I misunderstood something.

The way I see it the lower triple is the pivot and its relation to upper triple clamp determine the two fork angles. Change the fork angle (make them parallel) and it will center the wheel direction.

I will rotate the upper tubes and see if that makes a difference. If it does then they are bent! (Edit, I rotated the forks each Ever-way. Slided them up and down too, no difference. So either live with it, new front end, or another bike!)

[OneLeggedRider]

This is what I was referring to. I got my last ATC 200X relatively cheap because the previous owner had crashed it into the back of car and bent the forks. The front tire was noticeably closer to the engine.

So when I got it home I loosened the triple tree clamps and using a pipe wrench I turned the right fork 45° counterclockwise and the left 45° clockwise, and retightened the clamps. It put them on a bit of a bind but it worked itself out in a couple days of riding and I had straight forks.

[AresROC]

Pipe wrench... yes I have one of those never thought of using it on the fork haha.
Now with my tank off the bike I can see the frame line better from behind the bike. Looks the rear wheel is pointed to the right (to align with front sprocket) and front wheel is crab walking to the right to compensate... Just can't win will have to align rear wheel left at the expense of chain/sprocket wear... Also the rear frame is shifted right from factory it's not like I did wheelies and dropped it or anything