Mooney78865
New member
I'd like to share a little bit of wisdom I have picked up over the years regarding alignment of the forks.
Whenever I remove the fork legs. or when I initially buy a new bike, one of the first things I do is align the front axle in the forks. Street bike, dirt bike, trials bike, it doesn't matter. They all get the same alignment procedure.
The reason for the fork alignment is to get the two fork legs parallel to one another. While this seems like a no brainer and the axle will automatically align the forks, it isn't the case. Most modern bikes have a "floating" fork leg. This is the fork leg with the pinch bolts. The axle will have a shouldered area that allows the floating leg to find it's center if you will. However, if the forks are not aligned height wise to allow the axle to "float" through both legs with no resistance the ability of the floating leg to center itself will be minimized. Fork misalignment is the single most common chassis set up problem in bikes with suspected fork problems. Most KYB, Showa and WP forks are manufactured using the floating design. Harshness and poor square edge bump absorption common with stock valving is further magnified by misalignment. Uneven bushing wear. discoloration of the chrome legs will be evident if the problem has been ongoing.
First get the bike so the front wheel is off the ground and the bike is stable. Then remove the front wheel, caliper(s), fender (if it is a low fender) and tidy things up for reinstallation. Scotch Brite the axle if needed and clean the muck and mess you've been neglecting.
Now, try installing the axle without the wheel and brakes. You want the axle to pass through the fork legs without having to "massage" it. If the bike is equipped with an actual axle nut you should be able to push the axle through both legs with virtually no resistance. If the axle is threaded into the fork leg you should be able to thread it in by hand.
If the axle is reluctant to go through both legs, you will need to loosen the triple tree pinch bolts on one fork leg or the other to allow the leg to be moved up or down to facilitate an easy axle install. Once you have the axle to a point it will slide through both legs retighten the triple tree pinch bolts to the proper torque value.
Now, reinstall the front wheel, brakes and fender if removed. Do not tighten the fork leg with the pinch bolts at this time and leave the fender attachment bolts loose as well. The axle will need to be tightened to the proper torque if threaded into the fork, or the axle nut needs to be installed and torqued if it is a pass-through style.
Once this is accomplished, squeeze the front brake lever to get the brakes back to the proper feel. Once you are satisfied with the lever feel, and the bike still with the wheel off the ground, have someone (or yourself) spin the front wheel vigorously. While the wheel is spinning, (remember, vigorously) GRAB the front brake. Do this a few times. At the last spin and grab, hold the front brake and tighten the fork pinch bolts.
Now, tighten the front fender if required and torque the axle pinch bolts.
There are other schools of thought of placing the wheel on the ground, holding the front brake, and rocking the bike on its suspension. I personally think that puts pressure on the floating leg making it more difficult to slide along the axle to find its center, but to each their own.
Once done, you should not have to do it again unless the fork legs are removed for whatever reason.
I do this on all of my bikes prior to any real suspension setup.
Before running out and buying new springs, or re valving the forks, give it a try. You may be surprised.
Whenever I remove the fork legs. or when I initially buy a new bike, one of the first things I do is align the front axle in the forks. Street bike, dirt bike, trials bike, it doesn't matter. They all get the same alignment procedure.
The reason for the fork alignment is to get the two fork legs parallel to one another. While this seems like a no brainer and the axle will automatically align the forks, it isn't the case. Most modern bikes have a "floating" fork leg. This is the fork leg with the pinch bolts. The axle will have a shouldered area that allows the floating leg to find it's center if you will. However, if the forks are not aligned height wise to allow the axle to "float" through both legs with no resistance the ability of the floating leg to center itself will be minimized. Fork misalignment is the single most common chassis set up problem in bikes with suspected fork problems. Most KYB, Showa and WP forks are manufactured using the floating design. Harshness and poor square edge bump absorption common with stock valving is further magnified by misalignment. Uneven bushing wear. discoloration of the chrome legs will be evident if the problem has been ongoing.
First get the bike so the front wheel is off the ground and the bike is stable. Then remove the front wheel, caliper(s), fender (if it is a low fender) and tidy things up for reinstallation. Scotch Brite the axle if needed and clean the muck and mess you've been neglecting.
Now, try installing the axle without the wheel and brakes. You want the axle to pass through the fork legs without having to "massage" it. If the bike is equipped with an actual axle nut you should be able to push the axle through both legs with virtually no resistance. If the axle is threaded into the fork leg you should be able to thread it in by hand.
If the axle is reluctant to go through both legs, you will need to loosen the triple tree pinch bolts on one fork leg or the other to allow the leg to be moved up or down to facilitate an easy axle install. Once you have the axle to a point it will slide through both legs retighten the triple tree pinch bolts to the proper torque value.
Now, reinstall the front wheel, brakes and fender if removed. Do not tighten the fork leg with the pinch bolts at this time and leave the fender attachment bolts loose as well. The axle will need to be tightened to the proper torque if threaded into the fork, or the axle nut needs to be installed and torqued if it is a pass-through style.
Once this is accomplished, squeeze the front brake lever to get the brakes back to the proper feel. Once you are satisfied with the lever feel, and the bike still with the wheel off the ground, have someone (or yourself) spin the front wheel vigorously. While the wheel is spinning, (remember, vigorously) GRAB the front brake. Do this a few times. At the last spin and grab, hold the front brake and tighten the fork pinch bolts.
Now, tighten the front fender if required and torque the axle pinch bolts.
There are other schools of thought of placing the wheel on the ground, holding the front brake, and rocking the bike on its suspension. I personally think that puts pressure on the floating leg making it more difficult to slide along the axle to find its center, but to each their own.
Once done, you should not have to do it again unless the fork legs are removed for whatever reason.
I do this on all of my bikes prior to any real suspension setup.
Before running out and buying new springs, or re valving the forks, give it a try. You may be surprised.
