fork and bars

[eddie50clarke]

hi all.dont know if this is in the right group but here goes.been tickin off jobs on my gs550 1982 ta do list,and just thought id get a fresh brain on this one.when my front wheel is pointing straight ahead,my handle bars are slightly turned to the right?is this a simple case of headstock?(suppose i should check tthe front wheel is on straight aswell lol)
cheers
ady

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What's the history of your bike? Has it ever been down? Maybe it's just the handlebars that are bent? Are the inner fork tubes straight?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[DanTheMan]

I'll help out here (personal experience). It usually happens because the bike has been dropped at one point or another.
This warps the bars to the right or the left in the triple tree. What you need to do is loosen up the clamps on the triple (top ones), loosen the center nut, either brace the front wheel yourself, or have a helper do it to hold it straight ahead, then twist the bars the direction they need to go. Once you've got them aligned with the wheel, hold it tight with one hand and tighten the clamps (a third person helps out here, but it can be done with two).