Front end misaligned

[Conall T]

Having a nightmare of a time trying to get my front tire, triple tree, and handle bars aligned.

I have a 1993 nighthawk, and the fork seals were leaking so I took the forks out, replaced the seals, and then tried to put them back in but then nothing was aligned. The front wheel was way off to the right when the bars are held straight (yes everything appeared straight before I took them out the first time).

I watched all the video’s related to “ motorcycle front end alignment” “ triple tree alignment” etc. none of these helped.

I took the forks into a local shop who said that the tubes were bent, so I got him to straighten them. When I went to reinstall them it didn’t solve the issue. Still the wheel would face off to the left.

When everything is loose: triple tree bolts, axel & axel pinch bolts, the calliper bolts, and that big nut underneath the handle bars (not sure what it’s called) I can bend everything into alignment and it looks straight. Then I start to tighten anything and it pulls it back out of alignment and accomplishes nothing. I tried loosening everything then tightening the top tree bolts, then I tried starting with the bottom ones, then I tried starting with the axel bolts. Nothing changed, same results everytime. I’m completely stumped and just want to get it straight so I can sell the piece of shit because I’m totally fed up.

Id really appreciate anything you guys can offer, I’m sure someone has dealt with this crap before.

Below are some images of what I’m looking at.

 

[capt42104]

Hello! Just from the pics, do you have the spacers (if any) installed correctly on the axle? If you don't have a good shop manual, look at parts diagrams on the OEM parts sites to see what is supposed to be there. I recently had a customer bike (2005 Honda CRF450F) in for a front rim re-lace due to concerns the rim was "off-center". After looking at the bike I discovered a previous shop had installed the wrong axle spacer entirely so the rim was off to the one side. Anyways, for my much older Nighthawks S, Honda calls for me to actually measure the distance from the left fork brake caliper mounting and the left rotor to ensure it falls with their spec before I tighten the axle camp fasteners. AGAIN-I am only going off your pics.

 

[Conall T]

Hello! Just from the pics, do you have the spacers (if any) installed correctly on the axle? If you don't have a good shop manual, look at parts diagrams on the OEM parts sites to see what is supposed to be there. I recently had a customer bike (2005 Honda CRF450F) in for a front rim re-lace due to concerns the rim was "off-center". After looking at the bike I discovered a previous shop had installed the wrong axle spacer entirely so the rim was off to the one side. Anyways, for my much older Nighthawks S, Honda calls for me to actually measure the distance from the left fork brake caliper mounting and the left rotor to ensure it falls with their spec before I tighten the axle camp fasteners. AGAIN-I am only going off your pics.

Interesting okay thanks.

So I’m pretty sure eveything is assembled correctly however that’s a good point, I should try and find an assembly guide just in case.

The spacer is in where I presume it belongs, but I could be wrong.

Thanks for you input.

 

[capt42104]

ur welcome. I should've asked, but do the front brake calipers line up?

 

[Conall T]

ur welcome. I should've asked, but do the front brake calipers line up?

I’m not too sure what you mean by that.

It’s a single calliper only, so I mean it bolts on nice, looks okay I’d say. Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[capt42104]

Ok, so the disc fits nicely between the pads or does it seem off to one side or the other? With the caliper bolted to the fork leg and the rim on the bike, it is real good indicator if the wheel is in the right place.

 

[Conall T]

Another photo for reference.

As you can see both forks go into the trees, however when the bars are held straight it looks like this… sooo ya it’s pretty messed up

 

[Conall T]

Ok, so the disc fits nicely between the pads or does it seem off to one side or the other? With the caliper bolted to the fork leg and the rim on the bike, it is real good indicator if the wheel is in the right place.

Ya the calliper is fine, no issue there. Looks good, goes on nicely, when I squeeze the break it’s very squishy and I can easily pull the lever all the way to the grip but that’s another problem I assume.

 

[dirtdigger]

take a picture from the side

 

[capt42104]

Another photo for reference.

As you can see both forks go into the trees, however when the bars are held straight it looks like this… sooo ya it’s pretty messed up

WHOA!

Ok, assuming the tubes are NOT bent, try this: Remove the wheel completely, remove the fender and fork brace/bracket(if there is one). Loosen the top clamp steering stem nut (the one in the middle), loosen the lower and upper clamps and pull the forks out. make sure the top triple clamp can move independently from the bottom triple clamp. Now, make sure the top nut is sinched just enough to still move it then install the forks and sinch up just the lower clamps, like close to torque spec. Now sinch up the top clamps THEN the top nut. With all this, are the forks still tweaked? If not, torque the bottom clamps, then the top nut. Now loosen the top clamps then retorque.

Of course, follow the factory service manual over this!

I also PM'd you as well.

 

[RobG]

All the above is good information. Check that the front axle has slid through solidly to its stops in the forks. Clean the spacers, speedo drive, where the axle fits through the forks, and the axle, then apply a small amount of grease to the axle to help it slide home right to the stops. I saw the same thing with a VTR250 (single front disc and very similar 41mm forks) and the axle wasn't seated properly although it appeared to be. There are also some fork alignment tips on YouTube.

 

[capt42104]

Cool video!

 

[Conall T]

Thanks everyone who replied...

Ended up being that the triple trees were bent. Both the top and bottom needed replacing, bikes on the road now!