possible bent frame or tripples need some advise

[asway]

I bought my first xr 650l this pass fall a 93 with 10k for 900 bucks I was told it been siting a wile and needed a crab clean so it didn't run so no test ride. So I cleaned the crab and it was a mess but fired right off. Started down the road and noticed the the bars were off no big deal just tweaked I thought went back to fix it, and it was off a bit. So I head down the road again but the still wanted to pull to the right to drive straight. Back again to the garage and noticed the wheels are true with each other but the front rides out about 2 1/2 inches to the left and after looking better I can see it off center of the frame my question is could this problem be in the triples or does the neck of the frame have a twist in it? It seems to me that it would take a lot to twist the frame so I'm hoping it just the triples any advise on how to properly check this would be great thanks.

[ThumpNRed]

The best way to make sure is to loosen the axle and all of the clamp bolts on the triples. Then snug it all back up. If it still is off-kilter, you either have bent bars (quite common with the stock bars) or a tweaked frame. Heck... go ahead and pull the forks out of the triples and drain the black, smelly, nasty, snot out of them. You know it in there! While you are at it, check the legs to make sure they aren't bent.

 

Oh... leave that darned crab alone and go ahead and clean the carb! They'll run with a crusty crab.

Edited February 17, 2014 by ThumpNRed

[asway]

Ha didn't even realize It was auto correcting me seam it won't let me write crab so carburetor have to do it the long way

Anyhow I have had the entire front apart fork legs off triples off and apart they seemed straight didn't have a square to measure with so going by eyeball the neck did seam like it was a little crooked but this was going by eye don't know how to measure the neck to see if its twisted. There was no noticeable bends or kinks anywhere else in the frame I could see indicating were the twist is coming from but its sounding like it got a crap frame I was hoping the triples could make them sit off to the side like that. There a lot cheaper to replace, darn.

[not_again]

Bent forks, bent frame, ehhh... for 900 bux you still got a good deal. Forks are only a few $ on 'ol ebay and frames also.

Most likely bent forks, frames are STRONG! Pull the forks out and you'll probably see where they're bent. Don't try and fix e'm, just get a matching pair on ebay and send them straight to a fork guy for service unless you are cheap like 99% of us here. Then search TT for fork service instructions. 

Best of luck

[not_again]

You can map the frame right there on your garage floor. All you need is a chalk line, a plumb bob and a tape measure. Plumb bob from one solid point to another off the bottom of the frame, with the points symmetrical from one side of the fame to another, and extend them past the steering neck. Now, with the triple removed, run your plumb bob down the steering neck and measure the distance between the lines coming from your points off the frame sides. It should be the same on each side.

[asway]

Cheap I am but ambitious I am not so if it's  in the forks I think I will just get a new set.

And to top it off I live in MN so the 3 1/2 feet of snow slows my ambition to work on something I can't even use at the moment way way down

[asway]

_{That is so simple it makes to much sense thanks I will give that a try when it get a little warmer out.}

[notoriousE-R-I-C]

I got 95 xr600 forks. Freshly rebuilt all seals and bushings. New shock sox. All oem parts w/ receipts. They were going on ebay soon, pm me if youre interested. All ebay stuff is parts bikes. Take offs. I own this bike and serviced the forks numerous times over time. I went to USDs. Sold my front wheel, so i dont use these. Plus I work at honda so its not hard for me to get stock parts.

Good luck with the issue.

EZ

Edited February 17, 2014 by notoriousE-R-I-C

[B.S. Proof]

The fork tubes are twisted in the triple trees.very easy fix. Just takes a 12mm socket and a good eye.

Frames don't bend on these bikes they break.

[reduceus]

May also pay to check the rear wheel is set up correctly... if it is out it will affect the directional stability

[ThumpNRed]

The fork tubes are twisted in the triple trees.very easy fix. Just takes a 12mm socket and a good eye.

Frames don't bend on these bikes they break.

Frames on these bikes do bend (actually quite easily). It is typically from the footpegs back that bends though. It may very well be a bent rear frame that is throwing things out of whack.

 

Silly question, but are you sure the handlebars aren't tweaked?

 

Watch the first two minutes of this video to see how easy it is to bend the crap out of an XRL frame.

Edited February 17, 2014 by ThumpNRed

[asway]

Yeah back wheel is straight I actually went as far to level the bike measured from axle to the ground swing arm pivot engine mounts an other point that are symmetrical  from side to side all the way to the triples and that is were I had a 3/4 inch difference fork don't seam bent I can turn the legs in the triples and the offset does not change. It not like your typical tweaked forks were I can just loosen it up and straighten out the are perfect and straight. They don't track together meaning the front wheel rides out to the side of the rear I can also see the the wheel is off to the side of the down tube on the frame when I got the bike all leveled out and jam talking like 2 1/2 - 3 inches off to the side

[not_again]

Yeah back wheel is straight I actually went as far to level the bike measured from axle to the ground swing arm pivot engine mounts an other point that are symmetrical  from side to side all the way to the triples and that is were I had a 3/4 inch difference fork don't seam bent I can turn the legs in the triples and the offset does not change. It not like your typical tweaked forks were I can just loosen it up and straighten out the are perfect and straight. They don't track together meaning the front wheel rides out to the side of the rear I can also see the the wheel is off to the side of the down tube on the frame when I got the bike all leveled out and jam talking like 2 1/2 - 3 inches off to the side

If you can spin the fork tubes in the triples and they are obviously straight... and there isn't a front wheel spacer missing... then you have a bent frame.

[not_again]

 

Watch the first two minutes of this video to see how easy it is to bend the crap out of an XRL frame.

I would never ride with that guy again.

[ThumpNRed]

I would never ride with that guy again.

A pair of quality guys and I would ride with either of them any day. Stuff happens.

[asway]

Well looks like I will be keeping an eye out for a new frame deal was to good to be true I guess just wish I had noticed it when I first looked at it

[natey]

I had a problem with my front wheel not being centered between the forks, not 2.5", but maybe less than an inch, if forget. There is a thread on here somewhere about it.

 

Anyway, I bought my bike new and years later discovered it went off to one side with no hands on the bars. I never met anyone around here that has an XRL but a friend has a KLR and said his front wheel was off center too and told me it was normal. A while later, I found out the local honda shop had a new one and so i went to find out for myself....rot roh, perfectly centered. 

 

I couldn't find anything out of kilter except that the wheel was dished to the left......the spacers were correct and I went thru the proper sequence for installing the front wheel. I couldn't believe it since all the spokes were tight and had never been disturbed since I bought it new. I had to remove the tire, construct a stand, loosen all the spokes, and move the wheel toward the other side by redoing all the spokes............PIA, but i had respoked once back in the sixties, so I had the general idea. Anyway, walaa.....wheel back to center. Must have been screwed up from the factory is all i could figure.