front fender alignment

[RuFfRiDeR005]

just put a new front fender on and couldnt help to notice it wasnt close to the middle of my tire, loosened the triple clamp bolts incase it was in a bind, also loosened the axel clamp bolts and compressed the front end to make sure everything was inline. anyone help?

[tye1138]

Huh, thats odd isn't it? Did you see if the fender is straight to begin with? Sometimes they get bend up in shipping.

If the fender is screwed in all the way to the bottom clamp like its suppose to be, then there is no way the front wheel would be crooked.

Edited January 17, 2013 by tye1138

[RuFfRiDeR005]

Huh, thats odd isn't it? Did you see if the fender is straight to begin with? Sometimes they get bend up in shipping.

If the fender is screwed in all the way to the bottom clamp like its suppose to be, then there is no way the front wheel would be crooked.

fender is mounted correctly, im stumped

[moparmiller]

Is your rim true to the hub?

[RuFfRiDeR005]

rims true

[twhit1]

But is the new fender straight? How about the old fender, was it straight? Maybe over the years you aligned the front wheel to the out of true old one, now that the new fender is on there it looks out of true. You might try loosening everything up a bit and "re-aligning" everything using your favorite tree (like you did back on your bmx bike) then re-torque everything,

[RuFfRiDeR005]

i would assume the new fenders straight, ill have to take it off and inspect it. i do think it is straight though being new. but my old fender sat the same way, crooked to the same side

Edited January 17, 2013 by RuFfRiDeR005

[twhit1]

Ok, if they are both crooked to the same side then you need to "re-align" the front end, (see instructions above) this is nothing to worry about.

[modifier]

You do mean crooked right? Not "not in the middle of the tire". Not in the middle implies that the whole fender is off center but still straight in reference to the tire. I don't see how that is possible.

If you mean crooked, loosen your triple clamps slightly but not enough to let them drop, sit on the bike with the appropriate side of the front tire against an immovable object and turn the bars hitting the side on the object until the tire is straight. You might have to switch sides a few times until you get it right. Tighten triple clamps. Ride.

[RuFfRiDeR005]

You do mean crooked right? Not "not in the middle of the tire". Not in the middle implies that the whole fender is off center but still straight in reference to the tire. I don't see how that is possible.

If you mean crooked, loosen your triple clamps slightly but not enough to let them drop, sit on the bike with the appropriate side of the front tire against an immovable object and turn the bars hitting the side on the object until the tire is straight. You might have to switch sides a few times until you get it right. Tighten triple clamps. Ride.

im not sure what you mean by your 2 different approches as in crooked and not in the middle. i just put the new fender on and noticed the middle of the fender is not close to the middle of the knobs on my tire. when i take my wheel off i always leave the axel clamp bolts loose then compress the forks to get them aligned.

[twhit1]

it sounds like your triple clamps are not aligned properly, this is not uncommon and is very simple to fix. as modifier stated loosen the 8 bolts that hold the top of your forks slightly -meaning not all the way loose and roll the front tire up next to a solid object while sitting on the bike and holding the handlebars, bump the top/side portion of the tire against said solid object until it aligns the center nobbies with the tip of the fender, you might have to do it from both sides of the tire until you get it perfect, then make sure to tighten all bolts up to their proper torqe spec.

[timmyp8823]

I'm with the others. You probably had a get off at some point that twisted your fork tubes in the clamps. If the center of the fender is on the left side of center,loosen the bolts a little,put the right side of your front wheel against a tree or a stair and turn the bars to the right. The bars will turn while the wheel does not,allowing you to get things lined up.

[Shhhh]

I had the same issue on one of my old bikes. I would tweak and twist, but I swear there was a ghost or something not letting that thing get straight. I never got it on that bike, hope you can get yours.

[modifier]

im not sure what you mean by your 2 different approches as in crooked and not in the middle. i just put the new fender on and noticed the middle of the fender is not close to the middle of the knobs on my tire. when i take my wheel off i always leave the axel clamp bolts loose then compress the forks to get them aligned.

I understood what you meant but for it to be "not in the middle" implies that the fender is straight but off center, and crocked means, well crooked. Actually the fender is probably straight but the wheel is crooked. I've crabbed in a corner before and hit my handlebars hard on the way to the ground and come up with a crooked front wheel. Even without loosening the bolts you can ride over to a tree and straighten it by hitting the side of the wheel on the tree. If the fender is indeed crooked in reference to the number plate/triple clamps/bars, then there is something wrong with the fender. I'm sure you will work it out.