Stand best used for front end alignment?

Nickds7 · May 18th, 2009, 03:57 PM

I need a stand that will let me free float my front wheel so I can get full compression on the front fork with some tie-downs.

When messing with my front wheel adjustment I loosened the big center bolt on the handlebars and I accidentally compressed the front forks... so now that bolt cant be put back in place without some heavy compression.

I don't really want to spend much money on a stand. Would I be off just fine if I did the full compression using tie downs without a stand?

Why I want to do it myself instead of pay the $45 at the dealership (which from all (7 I think) reviews on this place all say the dealership is fine but the service center is a rip)
I'm just getting pissed at the local mdx motorsports here in folsom. I made an appointment to have my front end aligned on my bike (recently crashed), I canceled it and he said in a pretty a$hole tone "Well I wont take you in for 2 weeks if you cancel now" So long story short I'm not going to give them my money.

kkim · May 18th, 2009, 04:04 PM

try loosening the only the top pinch bolts on the triple tree and leave the bottom bolts tightened. If I'm understanding your problem, I think, this will allow you to put that center bolt/nut back on.

Nickds7 · May 18th, 2009, 05:04 PM

No luck, maybe I'm not doing it right. Heres a pic:

I think my messing with it has bent the clamps that go around the legs of the forks on the triple tree (not the handlebar clamps but the lower ones) so that the bolts don't go right through, its only by a very small ammount (shouldn't have taken the bolts out) so I think a clamp will easily fix the problem.

kkim · May 18th, 2009, 05:08 PM

have you tried leaving the bottom clamps loose, putting a hydraulic jack under the engine with a piece of wood in between and lifting the bike into position so the bolt can be aligned?

Nickds7 · May 19th, 2009, 12:54 AM

I will attempt that tomorrow night hopefully.

kkim · May 19th, 2009, 01:01 AM

just be careful when you position the piece of wood under the engine to lift. make sure you are clear of things that can get damaged.

Nickds7 · May 19th, 2009, 11:31 PM

Thanks kkim, I used a hydralic floor jack and a thick piece of cardboard and it worked perfectly. A piece of wood wouldn't fit the clearance but a piece of cardboard worked great to protect against metal on metal.

The bottom clamps bolt holes don't match up perfectly, It is barely off enough to prevent the bolts from going through. Should I just get a few c clamps and make it work? I know its a touchy topic so I wont hold you to your answer, just an opinion.

kkim · May 19th, 2009, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickds7

The bottom clamps bolt holes don't match up perfectly, It is barely off enough to prevent the bolts from going through.

mind explaining that a bit more? not quite sure exactly what you're talking about. A pic would help.

Nickds7 · May 20th, 2009, 12:02 AM

I think I did a good job;

kkim · May 20th, 2009, 12:17 AM

yeah, do what you need to do to get the holes aligned so you can thread the bolt through to the other side.

why is it off?? was there lots of damage done to the front end? if not, I don't think you'll have a problem getting the bolt to thread. if you have had a significant front end collision, you may want to check carefully why there is an alignment problem and what else could be bent.

when you start to thread the bolt into the triple clamp when you tweak it to get it to line up, be very careful you don't cross thread it going in. If it does not go in easily, tweak the front with whatever you are using to get the pieces to line up better before you thread the bolt in. Be absolutely sure you don't cross thread it.

Nickds7 · May 20th, 2009, 12:35 AM

Not lots of damage to the front end... when I went off the side of the road my front tire hit a cement rock that was flat and 3in high, and was thrown from the bike. That just threw off the steering considering I was carrying a good amount of speed(40-45mph).

Do you think C clamps will be my best option? Any other option? Either way I'm going to have to buy it.

kkim · May 20th, 2009, 12:44 AM

Do you have a rear stand? how is the bike being supported now with the jack under the engine?

Nickds7 · May 20th, 2009, 01:11 AM

It is being supported with the help from a friend. No rear stand (no money for one at the moment)

Those clamps are probably off from my own doing though.

kkim · May 20th, 2009, 01:19 AM

okay... the c-clamp idea might work to get the triple clamp aligned, but what you should do is pull the forks and triple clap off to make sure everything is straight. without a rear stand to keep the bike stable that's almost impossible. Do you know if your forks tubes are straight? You already know something is up with the top portion of the triple clamp with the bolts not lining up.

It depends on how much work you are willing to put into this and how close to perfect you want the repair to be.

hitting a rock at 40mph is not a small impact.

do you have some car jackstands? you can make a rear stand using those if you have some.

kobachi · July 22nd, 2010, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickds7

Not lots of damage to the front end... when I went off the side of the road my front tire hit a cement rock that was flat and 3in high, and was thrown from the bike. That just threw off the steering considering I was carrying a good amount of speed(40-45mph).

Do you think C clamps will be my best option? Any other option? Either way I'm going to have to buy it.

I recently replaced my triple clamp (repairing damage from theft) and had a similar issue. I had marked the previous tube position with a red sharpie, but when I tried to put the new clamp on, it wasn't lining up with the bottom hole. Loosened the left bottom clamp and that did the trick...but then the left tube was not aligned correctly. One of my red lines was lining up with the new clamp, one wasn't, in a way that is similar to your problem.

Anyway I was able to make it work by having someone hold the bike up by the front frame and actually twisting the left tube back and forth until it lined up in both places correctly. Had to torque both the top and bottom clamp bolts before the bike was released, otherwise it would just go wonky again.

tl;dr: raise the front end of the bike by the frame and twist the tube till it lines up. Check against your old grime lines to be sure.

Rexbo · July 22nd, 2010, 09:39 PM

am I the only one who thinks that the guide on your steering head looks completely broken?

lotusseven · November 27th, 2010, 11:01 PM

I'm with him . That stem looks like it was beat on. Shouldn't it be perfectly square shouldered to fit under the upper tree??
BTW I think I see your point though , I had the same problem on another bike . I lucked out and had a longer bolt - Using a big washer and the longer bolt I cinched things together then propping up the forks for support I carefully removed the longer bolt and reinstalled and torqued down the stock one - done

May 18th, 2009, 03:57 PM	#1
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	Stand best used for front end alignment? I need a stand that will let me free float my front wheel so I can get full compression on the front fork with some tie-downs. When messing with my front wheel adjustment I loosened the big center bolt on the handlebars and I accidentally compressed the front forks... so now that bolt cant be put back in place without some heavy compression. I don't really want to spend much money on a stand. Would I be off just fine if I did the full compression using tie downs without a stand? Why I want to do it myself instead of pay the $45 at the dealership (which from all (7 I think) reviews on this place all say the dealership is fine but the service center is a rip) I'm just getting pissed at the local mdx motorsports here in folsom. I made an appointment to have my front end aligned on my bike (recently crashed), I canceled it and he said in a pretty a$hole tone "Well I wont take you in for 2 weeks if you cancel now" So long story short I'm not going to give them my money.

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May 18th, 2009, 04:04 PM	#2
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	try loosening the only the top pinch bolts on the triple tree and leave the bottom bolts tightened. If I'm understanding your problem, I think, this will allow you to put that center bolt/nut back on.

May 18th, 2009, 05:04 PM	#3
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	No luck, maybe I'm not doing it right. Heres a pic: I think my messing with it has bent the clamps that go around the legs of the forks on the triple tree (not the handlebar clamps but the lower ones) so that the bolts don't go right through, its only by a very small ammount (shouldn't have taken the bolts out) so I think a clamp will easily fix the problem.

May 18th, 2009, 05:08 PM	#4
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	have you tried leaving the bottom clamps loose, putting a hydraulic jack under the engine with a piece of wood in between and lifting the bike into position so the bolt can be aligned?

May 19th, 2009, 12:54 AM	#5
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	I will attempt that tomorrow night hopefully.

May 19th, 2009, 01:01 AM	#6
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	just be careful when you position the piece of wood under the engine to lift. make sure you are clear of things that can get damaged.

May 19th, 2009, 11:31 PM	#7
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	Thanks kkim, I used a hydralic floor jack and a thick piece of cardboard and it worked perfectly. A piece of wood wouldn't fit the clearance but a piece of cardboard worked great to protect against metal on metal. The bottom clamps bolt holes don't match up perfectly, It is barely off enough to prevent the bolts from going through. Should I just get a few c clamps and make it work? I know its a touchy topic so I wont hold you to your answer, just an opinion.

May 20th, 2009, 12:02 AM	#9
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	I think I did a good job;

May 20th, 2009, 12:17 AM	#10
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	yeah, do what you need to do to get the holes aligned so you can thread the bolt through to the other side. why is it off?? was there lots of damage done to the front end? if not, I don't think you'll have a problem getting the bolt to thread. if you have had a significant front end collision, you may want to check carefully why there is an alignment problem and what else could be bent. when you start to thread the bolt into the triple clamp when you tweak it to get it to line up, be very careful you don't cross thread it going in. If it does not go in easily, tweak the front with whatever you are using to get the pieces to line up better before you thread the bolt in. Be absolutely sure you don't cross thread it.

May 20th, 2009, 12:35 AM	#11
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	Not lots of damage to the front end... when I went off the side of the road my front tire hit a cement rock that was flat and 3in high, and was thrown from the bike. That just threw off the steering considering I was carrying a good amount of speed(40-45mph). Do you think C clamps will be my best option? Any other option? Either way I'm going to have to buy it.

May 20th, 2009, 12:44 AM	#12
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Do you have a rear stand? how is the bike being supported now with the jack under the engine?

May 20th, 2009, 01:11 AM	#13
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	It is being supported with the help from a friend. No rear stand (no money for one at the moment) Those clamps are probably off from my own doing though.

May 20th, 2009, 01:19 AM	#14
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	okay... the c-clamp idea might work to get the triple clamp aligned, but what you should do is pull the forks and triple clap off to make sure everything is straight. without a rear stand to keep the bike stable that's almost impossible. Do you know if your forks tubes are straight? You already know something is up with the top portion of the triple clamp with the bolts not lining up. It depends on how much work you are willing to put into this and how close to perfect you want the repair to be. hitting a rock at 40mph is not a small impact. do you have some car jackstands? you can make a rear stand using those if you have some.

July 22nd, 2010, 09:39 PM	#16
Rexbo CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250 Name: Steve Location: Los Angeles Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.	am I the only one who thinks that the guide on your steering head looks completely broken?

November 27th, 2010, 11:01 PM	#17
lotusseven ninjette.org member Name: Ken Location: Texas Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 81 Yamaha 550 Maxim , 52 Allstate , 81 Kawasaki AR50, Kawasaki Ninja 250 , Honda 250 Nighthawk Posts: 11	I'm with him . That stem looks like it was beat on. Shouldn't it be perfectly square shouldered to fit under the upper tree?? BTW I think I see your point though , I had the same problem on another bike . I lucked out and had a longer bolt - Using a big washer and the longer bolt I cinched things together then propping up the forks for support I carefully removed the longer bolt and reinstalled and torqued down the stock one - done