Fork Twist?
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,398
Likes: 34
From: Newport news, Virginia
Fork Twist?
2016 FXSB
From day one there has been a visible twist in my forks. When driving down a flat and level road, the handle bars appear to be slightly turned to the right. It has been bothering me since I got the bike and the dealer has tried twice to rectify but effected no change. It is like when your steering wheel is not centered when driving in a straight line on a flat surface with no crown in the road.
How can I fix this on my own without damaging anything or making things worse?
TIA
From day one there has been a visible twist in my forks. When driving down a flat and level road, the handle bars appear to be slightly turned to the right. It has been bothering me since I got the bike and the dealer has tried twice to rectify but effected no change. It is like when your steering wheel is not centered when driving in a straight line on a flat surface with no crown in the road.
How can I fix this on my own without damaging anything or making things worse?
TIA
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,970
Likes: 900
From: Omaha
2016 FXSB
From day one there has been a visible twist in my forks. When driving down a flat and level road, the handle bars appear to be slightly turned to the right. It has been bothering me since I got the bike and the dealer has tried twice to rectify but effected no change. It is like when your steering wheel is not centered when driving in a straight line on a flat surface with no crown in the road.
How can I fix this on my own without damaging anything or making things worse?
TIA
From day one there has been a visible twist in my forks. When driving down a flat and level road, the handle bars appear to be slightly turned to the right. It has been bothering me since I got the bike and the dealer has tried twice to rectify but effected no change. It is like when your steering wheel is not centered when driving in a straight line on a flat surface with no crown in the road.
How can I fix this on my own without damaging anything or making things worse?
TIA
I spent an afternoon stripping everything down and loosening all the fasteners.
After I put everything back together the alignment was better but still a bit off.
I forgot to place a plate under the front tire so perhaps that why everything didn't align all the way.
Anyway likely this winter when there's 12" of snow on the ground I'll attempt this alignment again.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,453
Likes: 249
Just wondering if either of you guys have an eye squint or had an operation to correct one. I ask because Ive been treated for one and when I ride with both eyes open or with my right eye closed my bars look very slightly off, I close my left eye and the bars look straight, as they actually are. My squint was in my left eye.
Thread Starter
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,398
Likes: 34
From: Newport news, Virginia
No, not me. I am a hobbyist and have a keen eye when it comes to alignment of parts and such. Mine is a measured twist. When bringing the bike upright with both tires straight, the end of the left handgrip is about 2" further fwd than the right handgrip. The bike has always been like this since day one. When it was under warranty they tried to fix but made no changes.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 5,811
Likes: 11,075
From: NE Ohio
2016 FXSB
From day one there has been a visible twist in my forks. When driving down a flat and level road, the handle bars appear to be slightly turned to the right. It has been bothering me since I got the bike and the dealer has tried twice to rectify but effected no change. It is like when your steering wheel is not centered when driving in a straight line on a flat surface with no crown in the road.
How can I fix this on my own without damaging anything or making things worse?
TIA
From day one there has been a visible twist in my forks. When driving down a flat and level road, the handle bars appear to be slightly turned to the right. It has been bothering me since I got the bike and the dealer has tried twice to rectify but effected no change. It is like when your steering wheel is not centered when driving in a straight line on a flat surface with no crown in the road.
How can I fix this on my own without damaging anything or making things worse?
TIA
dumb question...was the bike ever dropped?
( son bent his handlebar enough I noticed when he dropped his...drunk)
if don't mind sharing, I'm curious what the dealership did/charged for and told you
..LT.A.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,970
Likes: 900
From: Omaha
The fairing is mounted to the top of the triple tree which I can clearly see isn't bent.
I think where mine got out of alignment is my left highway peg clipped a gas island concrete barrier.
Shortly after that I noticed that the right and left sides of my handlebar didn't line up with my fairing the same.
The bike rides straight with my hands off the handlebar.
So I think what happen is when I clipped the barrier on the left highway peg it threw my weight against the right side of the handlebar.
This caused my front tire to turn left against the barrier which in turn "tweaked" my forks a bit.
At least that's my theory.
After I did the alignment like in the previous posted video it did correct most of the misalignment but it's still slightly off.
I think if I didn't have a fairing I likely wouldn't even notice it.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Newport news, Virginia
I have not dropped the bike since I have had it. The service tech may have forgotten about doing it.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 10,659
Likes: 7,249
From: OH
Perhaps the "twist" is not in the forks but in the handle bar riser bushings ?
Stand in front with legs on each side of wheel, grab the hand grips and push to correct the "tweak"
Easy enough to try
Stand in front with legs on each side of wheel, grab the hand grips and push to correct the "tweak"
Easy enough to try
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,970
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From: Omaha