Fork alignment

[Edwood]

I'm having one bitch of a time trying to get my forks to line up with the rear. Never had so much trouble doing this job with other bikes. No matter how careful I am, once I tighten everything back up and recheck its moved out of alignment.
Has anyone else had this trouble with a Fazer or am I having a senior moment ??

[b1k3rdude]

Someone will correct me if Im wrong, but this potentially sounds like one of the forks is ever so slighty bent. I have it you have tried the followign method..?

• nip up the top yoke just enough to stop the fork stancions(chrome tube) moving up through the yoke.
• leave the bottom yoke loose.
• nip up the wheel axel just enough to remove any slack between the wheel and the forks.
• with the bike perpendiclular to a wall or high kerb, and holding both handle bars bump the front wheel of the wall/kerb a few times.
• tighten lower and uppper yoke bolts and wheel axel.
• put on center stand and check alignment.

If the alignment is still off then the above will confirm a fork is bent. One trick I have used in the past as an short term work around, is to rotate for the stancion in the fork tube untill the 'bend' is facing outward and inline with the wheel axcel. That way when tightening up axel it pulls the bend in, but this only works if the bend is slight, and is only a short term fix. The stancion should either be properly straightened or replaced when finances and time allow.

[Gnasher]

I'm having one bitch of a time trying to get my forks to line up with the rear. Never had so much trouble doing this job with other bikes. No matter how careful I am, once I tighten everything back up and recheck its moved out of alignment.
Has anyone else had this trouble with a Fazer or am I having a senior moment ??

Line up with the rear, what do you mean exactly?  Are you saying looking from the front of the bike the wheels are out of alignment?  Or the left/right forks aren't parallel and you can't get the spindle in? 

[Edwood]

Alignment between front and rear. Spindle seems to go in ok. I will have a look at it again as bik3rdude suggested and see if it possibly is a bent form problem.

[Gnasher]

Alignment between front and rear. Spindle seems to go in ok. I will have a look at it again as bik3rdude suggested and see if it possibly is a bent form problem.

Ok, if the spindle is going in as it should the forks shouldn't be bent.  The wheel centres should be in alignment, remember the rear is wider the the front so when looking front to rear there should be an equal proportion of tyre down each side of the front tyre. Best way is a long straight edge clamped to the rear, with the front wheel straight the distance between the rear/front edge of the tyre should be the same from the straight edge.  Don't use the handle bars as a guide as the top yoke, the bars or both could be twisted or bent.   

Start at the back, is the rear axle set to the same length each side?  The marks are a guide but aren't always correct, measure from the centre of the spindle to the end of the swing arm, the line where the end cap which holds the adjusting nut.  Once correct then check front to back and unless the rear swing arm or frame is bent (more on this later) the problems at the front. 

It's possible the top/bottom yokes are twisted, the fork stanchions should side up through the bottom yoke and into the top without any problem, if there's any resistance or they require any force, the yokes are twisted and will need realigning.  This would suggest some kind of front impact, have you hot anything or dropped the bike? 

If the wheels are aligned but the handle bars are no longer square either they're bent or the top yoke is twisted.

If the yokes are fine and the rear is fine and the wheels are still not aligned something is bent.  This could be, the head stock, frame or swing arm, has the bike had any frontal or rear impacts that you know of?       


 

[Edwood]

I have set lines from rear tyre edges along to the front and have set up a bar in a vice to hold it and set the front lines at 160 which is the rear tyre widith. form here I can measure the offset.I adjust everything as you should, top yoke measured equal side to side. With top yoke pinch bolt tight, centre yoke nut lose and bottom home pinch bolt loose, I have bounced the forks several times to try and centralize the front end. I am doing this job on the main stand and not a rear paddock stand but I can't see it interfering with things.
The back end has be adjusted and checked with a caliper and is spot on.
I'll have a go at it again this afternoon.

[Edwood]

After another wasted four hours trying to align my forks using string etc and having no luck. I eventually resorted to the old method I used years ago, slackened both yokes off just enough, line up top yoke by measuring to centre, then checking by eye by laying down behind the bike and sighting through to the front tyre. I used some white market to highlight the front and rear edges of front tyre and by tweeking bars in the direction I needed, to align the front wheel. Three goes at it and half an hour later I've got it right. Torqued every thing to spec. Went for a quick run to check and all feels good.Thanks to all for advice.

[darrsi]

Four hours 


If the front spindle slides in easily the front should be good, and i just spin the rear wheel and listen after initially using the notches. You can hear if it's right or not. Once it starts purring on spinning with no clunkiness whatsoever, it's all good. If the chain isn't perfectly aligned with the rear sprocket you will undoubtedly hear unwanted noise, similar to if the chain or sprockets are on their way out.
Stick the bike on the centre stand and spin the wheel backwards and you'll hear exactly what i mean.
The sound is also a telltale sign if the slack is too tight as well.

[Edwood]

Darrsi, if the forks are inline the spindle will go home no problem. The issues I was having was, as I said in my earlier post, was aligning the front wheel with rear. And as I stated in another earlier post I ditched the bouncing the front end, measuring, tightening up, remeasuring, then going back once again  and starting over method, yep, it takes lots of time. However, when I resorted to the old method and what I have done for the past fourty odd years on bike wheel alignment, I completed it in half an hour !. Old ways good, new ways crap. !👍

[Disorderlypunk]

put the front wheel the other way round with all spacers speedo etc and see if the allignment goes the other way
so if it was 10mm to the right is it now 10mm to the left
im gonna guess you have had a new tyre fitted the wrong way and your going off the arrow on the tyre


if someone can check i am sure the speedo sensor is ment to be on the left hand side, and also make sure that is located niceley in the lug on the fork
(im gonna have to buy another fazer just to use for referance and photos [size=78%])[/size]

[b1k3rdude]

Afaik, speedo sensors can always only on most bike go in one side. This is because there is usually a notch or spigot on one of the forks.

[darrsi]

put the front wheel the other way round with all spacers speedo etc and see if the allignment goes the other way
so if it was 10mm to the right is it now 10mm to the left
im gonna guess you have had a new tyre fitted the wrong way and your going off the arrow on the tyre


if someone can check i am sure the speedo sensor is ment to be on the left hand side, and also make sure that is located niceley in the lug on the fork
(im gonna have to buy another fazer just to use for referance and photos [size=78%])[/size]

Can't just go swapping the wheel round, it doesn't work like that.
The speed sensor fits in to a much bigger gap on the left side of the wheel, in comparison to a small spacer on the right side.

[Disorderlypunk]

put the front wheel the other way round with all spacers speedo etc and see if the allignment goes the other way
so if it was 10mm to the right is it now 10mm to the left
im gonna guess you have had a new tyre fitted the wrong way and your going off the arrow on the tyre


if someone can check i am sure the speedo sensor is ment to be on the left hand side, and also make sure that is located niceley in the lug on the fork
(im gonna have to buy another fazer just to use for referance and photos [size=78%])[/size]

Can't just go swapping the wheel round, it doesn't work like that.
The speed sensor fits in to a much bigger gap on the left side of the wheel, in comparison to a small spacer on the right side.

wording wasnt great - it was more about the speedo being in the right place but it was first thing in morning :-)
i was meaning have is the speedo on the correct side and tyre not being on wrong or spacer being wrong, hell ive even seen forks been put on the wrong way round - im prob not making sense now as this is first break ive had since just after 7, i need another holiday

[darrsi]

put the front wheel the other way round with all spacers speedo etc and see if the allignment goes the other way
so if it was 10mm to the right is it now 10mm to the left
im gonna guess you have had a new tyre fitted the wrong way and your going off the arrow on the tyre


if someone can check i am sure the speedo sensor is ment to be on the left hand side, and also make sure that is located niceley in the lug on the fork
(im gonna have to buy another fazer just to use for referance and photos [size=78%])[/size]

Can't just go swapping the wheel round, it doesn't work like that.
The speed sensor fits in to a much bigger gap on the left side of the wheel, in comparison to a small spacer on the right side.

wording wasnt great - it was more about the speedo being in the right place but it was first thing in morning :-)
i was meaning have is the speedo on the correct side and tyre not being on wrong or spacer being wrong, hell ive even seen forks been put on the wrong way round - im prob not making sense now as this is first break ive had since just after 7, i need another holiday

Go and lie down