Align steering bar; Straightening steering

[.]

Hello there,
After tip over I have an issue with steering bar off alignment for about 15 degrees (quite noticeable).
Have anybody aligned the bar? For which bracket should I loosen the bolts, upper bolts (green A) or lower bolts (green B) on the picture below?

 

[Squibb]

Here is a Youtube vid that takes you through the usual process ..................

15 degrees sounds a lot though, so you will need to check the fork legs & bars are straight if you have had an 'off' & that there is no damage to the yokes. Just bouncing the forks is good for a small deflecton - you may need a buddy to hold the wheel, or a clamp if using a lift, to apply a little more 'persuasion'.

 

[AdvToorer]

Upper pinch bolts, only because they are easier to access. Also the steering stem nut (7). The upper and lower triple clamps are essentially locked together because of this nut.

 

[.]

Upper pinch bolts, only because they are easier to access. Also the steering stem nut (7). The upper and lower triple clamps are essentially locked together because of this nut.

Thanks, this one really contradicts what is being instructed in the video from @Squibb (Thank you!) The Video instructions make more sense to me so far.

 

[WJBertrand]

I knocked my bars out of alignment when I fell doing some off roading. I just turned the front wheel against the steering stop and straightened it that way. Seemed to work OK. No weird handling or tire wear since.

 

[AdvToorer]

I like Delboy's approach; release all tension on fork tubes and re-tighten. As he mentions the fork tube bores in the triple trees (yokes ) are machined true and thus the tubes should self-align upon tightening as long as there isn't anything acting on them otherwise. But here's where I disagree. The triple trees don't move independently of each other after the stem nut has been torque'd to 94 fl/lb! If the bike has experienced a tip-over, it's likely the triple trees were tweaked out of alignment and releasing only the hardware supporting the fork tubes is unlikely to bring the triple trees back into alignment.

 

[Tenman]

I've been kiicking them back straight against the stops for years

 

[Don in Lodi]

Put the wheel against a door jam and give it a shove till straight. I've never done it against the stops, I like the leverage I get against the jam. Once straight again go over all the clamps, it shouldn't twist when you're picking the bike up. Mine hasn't twisted again since the first time I picked her up. And it was the lift that twisted mine, not the tip-over.

 

[ballisticexchris]

There is only one correct way to get the forks perfectly straight. I have used this tool for years and it works like a charm:

https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0412

You will be amazed how accurate this tool is. I can almost guarantee if you buy this and put it on your forks, they will be slightly out of true. I have not put it on my ST yet. I'm waiting to do my first tire change. I'm not sure if it will even work on the ST due to the brakes.

 

[ocgeek]

I thought that tool was mainly to ensure the tubes are Parallel (from top to bottom) or that's how the tool is mainly pitched
...but yeah thinking bettwer you shade some additional light..
as the tool has its own pretty good height iw will also provide an indication of twisted tubes if it does not lay properly and flush on the tubes surface
Thanks man for this bit !... i have the same tool incoming in my garage btw (on its way). That's very good news

cheers

P.S. You could remove the calipers when you do the check, i would assume...

 

[ballisticexchris]

ocgeek, yes that is what I did. I checked mine when I did my tire change before reinstalling the calipers. Yamaha did it right!! I greased the axle and followed the manuals procedure. It was dead balls on with no readjustment. On my KTM/Beta I always had to loosen and readjust the pinch bolts to get the forks straight.