Chassis diag.

[BA80]

Yeah, it's a piece of a heavy shelf from an old entertainment center. It's pretty perfectly flat.

[motoman]

Yeah, it's a piece of a heavy shelf from an old entertainment center. It's pretty perfectly flat.

Then it's a (definite posssibility), it's pretty perfectly flat?.

[BA80]

Then it's a (definite posssibility), it's pretty perfectly flat?.

Smart azz. It ain't broken on the garage floor like piece of glass would.

The more I think about it, it's probably the shaft on the lower part of the triple tree. The part the steering head bearings go on. It would be pretty tough to make that top piece spin on there with the big bolt in the middle and a pinch bolt to boot

[motoman]

All jokin' aside Greg, may first try lossening fender, fork brace, axle and pinch bolts. Re-tighen axle/pinch bolts,(however u do that on a Special), then fork brace and fender last just cause the occasional fitment of the fender if it has to be 'tweaked' a bit for all the mount holes to line up perfectly.
Is JAT as i had a similar reaction from my ST when I didn't follow a tightening sequence OR exact torque spec. on the front double pinch bolts after a front wheel removal. So, I had to undo all my work and re-do. Problem solved in THAT particualr case anyways.

[BA80]

Yeah, did all that when I loosened everything up to straighten it out. I found it difficult to get the fork tubes to line up when I did it though. Should have been my first clue. Every time I have taken them apart before the just sort of fell into place as I reassembled it.

[motoman]

Yeah, did all that when I loosened everything up to straighten it out. I found it difficult to get the fork tubes to line up when I did it though. Should have been my first clue. Every time I have taken them apart before the just sort of fell into place as I reassembled it.

.....meaning tube alignment to top portion of tripple clamp once up through lower portion?.

[skids]

You might as well check the adjustment on the t'r'ailing arm bearings.

**The "e" and "r" keys are next to each other..must have been a typo?**T.C.

[BA80]

You might as well check the adjustment on the t'r'ailing arm bearings.

OK, I gotta ask........WTF are you talking about?

Greg, I editted it above, T.C.

[JeffH]

I thought of that too TC but I don't think that it was that much of force.

If you look at this pic that Tod took you can see a big plowed spot, right where whoever that is left leg is, where the front wheel grabbed on to the left bank of the ditch and tried to tear the bars out of my hands. I'm pretty sure that's where the forks got tweaked.



The bars were off to the right and the wheel to the left when the dust settled. Basically it was that force and me fighting back that did it.

Greg,
Possible frame or axle or steering head or fork damage??
A little more info / facts might be helpful.

From what I counted at the scene the bike hit that dirt bank three times. That was the right side and the fairing took the brunt of that impact all three hard hits. And the fairing is attached to the??? After the last slap into the dirt bank the evidence sure points to the fact that bike was crashed on the left side as it came out of the ditch and onto the road. And the crash bar is attached to the??? I don't recall any "road rash" on the left lower fork or axle but they were for sure in the dirt as the bike slid out of the ditch back onto the pavement.

I took a couple pics when I picked up your bike and loaded on my trailer.


It seems it could be a couple of things and hopefully its just an alignment problem that can be lessened or eliminated.
If you were still 'holding on' at this point it was too late. Although you were trying you were not getting much traction off the brake rotor and the wheel rim.

Jeff

[BA80]

Greg,

From what I counted at the scene the bike hit that dirt bank three times. That was the right side and the fairing took the brunt of that impact all three hard hits. And the fairing is attached to the??? After the last slap into the dirt bank the evidence sure points to the fact that bike was crashed on the left side as it came out of the ditch and onto the road. And the crash bar is attached to the??? I don't recall any "road rash" on the left lower fork or axle but they were for sure in the dirt as the bike slid out of the ditch back onto the pavement.

Jeff

Yeah Jeff, the engine guards and that left fork lower are what did all the plowing. The fairing just folded up and the mount bracket was bent a little but I straightened it out and I'm still using it. The engine guards mount on the engine mount bolts.

The crazy thing is that the bike unloaded me off the left side (that last divot on the left bank) but landed on it's right side.

I don't believe the frame is bent but as stated probably the lower triple tree and/or the axle is the issue. I have extra of both and I'll get into it and see soon. I'll probably just swap them both out just because I can and check those fork tubes closer. When I straightened it up I didn't take anything off but the front wheel and the fender to facilitate getting the bent fork brace off. I just loosened all the pinch bolts on the triple trees and that big bolt in the center and just worked everything back into place.

As I said before, those tubes didn't want to line up again easily which points directly at some component in the steering assembly. However, I didn't think to check the axle when I had it out and I should have.

[BA80]

Here's a wonderment for y'all. I pulled out the front axle today and checked it and couldn't detect that it's bent at all but I had an extra and stuck it in anyway just for the halibut. It seems fine now.

Rode a mile or so a couple times on the way home with no hands and it worked great. Steering head bearings are a little stiff but I could steer with just weight transfer.

I'm gonna order some new bearings and swap out the lower triple tree and I think I'll be golden

[motoman]

Here's a wonderment for y'all. I pulled out the front axle today and checked it and couldn't detect that it's bent at all but I had an extra and stuck it in anyway just for the halibut. It seems fine now.

Rode a mile or so a couple times on the way home with no hands and it worked great. Steering head bearings are a little stiff but I could steer with just weight transfer.

I'm gonna order some new bearings and swap out the lower triple tree and I think I'll be golden

Since you were aware of an issue, definitely a possibility() that more attention was given to alignment and tightening sequence/torque.

[BA80]

All I did was swap out the axle shaft. Just slid the old one out and the new (used) one back in.

[motoman]

All I did was swap out the axle shaft. Just slid the old one out and the new (used) one back in.

Occassional easy fixes are always good to throw in the mix.