Steering Alignment

[Motormed]

I have a slight misalignment between the handlebars and front wheel.
Not much but enough to niggle me.

Travelling in a straight line, the left hand bar feels slightly closer.
I've sorted this before on bikes with forks but never a Telelever setup.
What's the recommended process?

(I haven't taken the bars off but I've done a few checks and measurements, I don't think they're bent.)

 

[Steptoe]

Loosen lower fork leg bolts, and front wheel spindle and pinch bolts.
Straighten steering, just slightly nip up all the bolts you’ve loosened.
Roll off the stand and bounce suspension up and down a few times to release any trapped tensions, then tighten all the bolts up to the torque specified

 

[Pukmeister]

I found with the two lower fork leg clamping bolts in each side of the bottom yoke, as you tighten the upper one (25Nm as I recall but check the specs) the lower one went slack and vice-versa.

I had to keep nipping them up together as a pair (eg top-bottom-top-bottom etc) until the torque wrench would immediately break out on attempting to tighten both, thus they were then set at equal torque.

 

[Motormed]

Thanks for that fellas, top advice on here as always, much appreciated.

 

[Slipperyeel]

I had precisely this. So much so, the spindle was never happy toward the end of screwing to final torque.

The solution for me was a little like Steptoe's but I'd go a bit further, take the front wheel off completely. Put the spindle back in, without the wheel, barely even hand tighten it. Then loosen ALL the yoke bolts, upper and lower yokes.

From there - I'm trying to remember the sequence - tighten the spindle a little more, then move to the top yokes, which you gently begin tightening. Then toward the lower yoke. All the time eyeball the alignment.

It is actually laid out in the service DVD, but I guess the intention is to avoid building up any twist/stress between all the fixing points (spindle lower yoke upper yoke), eventually getting everything to the correct torque (don't final torque the spindle without the wheel in!!)


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[Motormed]

Cheers for those extra nuggets, Slipperyeel.
Looks like I'll be busy after getting home from work later, I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[botus]

its a faff there is no sensible reference - you can spend an age going back and forth - its most noticeable when you ride one that's normal then get back on one that's wrong - and the lower yoke bolts are stretchy madness - you'll need a decent torx (40 I think) and the bolts have no depth to the fastening, so need to keep things square or they slip out and mangle them (helps if someone holds the bars as you play on the bolts)

 

[Motormed]

It was certainly a faff.
Did as instructed then test ride up the road.....shit, bars gone too far!
Stop, slacken, nudge handlebars, tighten, ride, repeat.
I think I've sorted it now, the ride to work and back tomorrow will confirm .

 

[botus]

when its been wrong for years it can feel very weird when you correct it - it can be a long way out - ride a normal one and its glaringly obvious when you swap back and forth

(my recently acquired) 2011 TC - was a long way wrong and clearly been that way for 14 years since assembled - you can try and judge by bringing the bars back in the clamps and seeing how it gets close to the body work each side - but the body work can be forced to sit 1" out of alignment if you undo enough of it - so its not a good reference

 

[Slipperyeel]

It was certainly a faff.
Did as instructed then test ride up the road.....shit, bars gone too far!
Stop, slacken, nudge handlebars, tighten, ride, repeat.
I think I've sorted it now, the ride to work and back tomorrow will confirm .

The axel is hollow. If you have a long piece of dowel/tubing that you know is pretty straight, you could thread this in so it sticks out a lot either side - it might help eyeball the bars and spindle part the fairing more easily.

Not tried it, just thinking it aloud. Might help?

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[Motormed]

Good idea that with a rod through the axle.
That's the pain in the arse about this job is that you can't simply eye things up at a standstill.
I'll see if I can find a suitable shaft!

 

[Steptoe]

Good idea that with a rod through the axle.
That's the pain in the arse about this job is that you can't simply eye things up at a standstill.
I'll see if I can find a suitable shaft!

Sit on the bike with the front wheel against a lampost .. then you can adjust it while sitting on the bike
Always worked perfectly for me

 

[Motormed]

I did use something similar Steptoe, shall we say a more rustic version.
Used farmer's field gateposts, more of them on my road than lamp posts.
Anyway, after a half day at work yesterday I had a nice long test-ride and am happy with the alignment.

Next week's job is machining some handlebar risers at work .