Crashed, front end still tweaked

[78sharpshooter]

06 YZ450, was at the Pala vet track and came over a table top and another bike was laying down exactly where I was going to land. Braced for impact and pretty sure I cartwheeled, leatt saved me but cut my lower lip, broke my right foot, hurt shoulder. The handlebars were bent and the silencer was folded. Put new silencer and bars on and the front end isn't straight, so I have to have the bars every so slightly angled to run straight. I have ridden it a few times like this but now notice it more and want to fix this (I think the bike turns worse on right versus left turns). I am hoping the forks are not tweaked. Any ideas as to what may be the issue?

[123devinzz1]

Your clamps might be tweeked where they have a bit of rubber where they mount. give her the ol hit the wheel off something technique. There is a good possibility that your forks are bent though. take them off and check them before any internals are damaged i would suggest.

[J_YZ2fittyX]

Really, ive seldom heard of forks actually getting bent. Have you tried to make sure the alignment of the front end is ok? Like, loosen the axle nut (finger snug tight is ok, meaning you dont need to take it OFF), loosen the toe bolts on the left fork leg, and try to pump the front end holding the front brake (i roll it forward a lil and slam on the brake, repeat a few times. I do that anytime I take the front end apart...and never have alignment issues. I mean if you twisted somethin up, it is stuck that way, and needs to be relieved. Shouldn't just jump to forks being bent, especially when this is seldom the case in these scenarios.

 

Seen some guys use similar "racking" methods of holding knees on front tire and pulling on the bars to "straighten" them. Also pulling up to something and slamming their wheel against it. Also with my above, some loosen the lower triple bolts. I dont usually do that, but i suppose it cant hurt during pumping if the tops are still torqued.  Then, of course, re-torque everything properly. Forks are one area outside of the engine that I use a torque wrench every time.

 

if it makes ya feel better, just follow w/e the manual says on that topic, lol.

Edited August 11, 2013 by J_WR2fitty

[CG118]

Possibly bent triple clamps.  I once hit a log while racing a hare scramble and tweaked the front end.  I had a hard time getting everything lined up right, then it would easily go eskew with simple tip-overs.  Dealer said it couldn't be the clamps.  But, I got tired of constantly realigning everything and purchased new clamps, then I never had another problem. 

 

The damage must have been slight, as I could not visualize any deformation in the old clamps.

 

Good luck.

[78sharpshooter]

I pulled the forks, loosened the nut on the top clamp and realigned the triple clamps by inserting one fork and tightening  the nut. The other fork went in without issue and I then did what J_WR2fitty said and it seems that it is fixed (took it for a trip on the dirt roads) but will know for sure after taking it to the track. The forks were more difficult to remove than I remember so I am thinking that the triple clamp got out of alignment. Also noticed a 3" break in the sidewall of the front tire from when I crashed and rim slightly flared out. Can I gently hammer the rim back in or is doing that a bad idea? (I would use a block of oak against the rim to hit that with a hammer, not the rim directly)

[NitrousR1]

Ideally you would want to replace the rim, I'd do that personally but have heard of people bending a flared out rim inwards. Just go very slow with small hits. You might be ok depending how bent it is

[mike_dean]

I pulled the forks, loosened the nut on the top clamp and realigned the triple clamps by inserting one fork and tightening  the nut. The other fork went in without issue and I then did what J_WR2fitty said and it seems that it is fixed (took it for a trip on the dirt roads) but will know for sure after taking it to the track. The forks were more difficult to remove than I remember so I am thinking that the triple clamp got out of alignment. Also noticed a 3" break in the sidewall of the front tire from when I crashed and rim slightly flared out. Can I gently hammer the rim back in or is doing that a bad idea? (I would use a block of oak against the rim to hit that with a hammer, not the rim directly)

I've straightened many Excel rims with no problem. I even have a curved piece of oak from an old table that fits good inside the rim when I'm hammering. Go for it.