I feel like my Valk doesn't track straight

[Scottrtho]

Seem to me like the triple clamps are pointed to the right a bit when cruising straight down the road. Bike has 50k miles , new tires and steering bearings, and wheel bearings. All work done by a 25 year Goldwing shop of good repute.

Bike was like this before the new tires and bearings, and I hoped things would straighten up after this work, but no such result. Bike has never been down. I bought 3 years ago from first owner and it has always seemed like this to me. It rides and handles beautifully.

Is it in my head,?.... or is it possible to loosen the triple clamps and twist the front wheel one direction and the handle bars in the opposite direction and expect any subtle change?

[Pete]

Slight alignment issues - you can twist without loosening anything  - if it is just the left and right fork not aligned.

Hold the wheel with you legs and twist the handle bars.

If it is something more serious....................................humm

[WintrSol]

Depending on how much twist there is, you may need to take some torque off the pinch bolts holding the forks, but you don't need to run them completely loose. It could also just be the risers holding the bars askew, so check that before picking up a wrench.

If you are really anal about it, you can measure any twist in the forks. Roll the front wheel against a flat wall, maybe put a brick under the side stand, and measure the distance from the center of the axle to the wall on both sides. Adjust the wheel until the measurements match. Then measure from the centers of the fork caps to the wall; if the forks are perfect, the measurements will also match. If the match is close enough, look more closely at the risers.

[Bighead]

Does the bike pull to one side or the other?

[Scottrtho]

if i let go of the bars the bike goes straight. I used to 'straighten' the alignment of the forks on my dirt bike by holding the wheel between my knees and turning the handlebars... just didn't know if the same trick was possible with forks as beefy as a Valks ... I will try it.

[gordonv]

You didn't say what model bike.

Can you get something flat onto the 2 forks? I had one shop use a piece of iron C-beam, and another used a 1/4" thick piece of glass. You lay it flat on the forks, and there should be 4 points of contact. If you can rock the plate, then your forks aren't aligned, and they need adjusting.

If they do, take it back to the shop, you paid them to do the job, they need to do the job right. This is basic mc repair, GW or Valk mech isn't required.

As for alignment, there should be info in the service manual. I remember my ACE T alignment, loosen one side of the triple tree and the fork, along with the axle pinch bolt. Roll and bounce the forks using the brake. Maybe not explained well enough, but something like that.

[..]

if i let go of the bars the bike goes straight. I used to 'straighten' the alignment of the forks on my dirt bike by holding the wheel between my knees and turning the handlebars... just didn't know if the same trick was possible with forks as beefy as a Valks ... I will try it.

If the bike goes straight what is the problem?

[RonW]

I used to 'straighten' the alignment of the forks on my dirt bike by holding the wheel between my knees and turning the handlebars... just didn't know if the same trick was possible with forks as beefy as a Valks ... I will try it.

and I thought dirtbikers bang the front wheel against the nearest tree.

Seem to me like the triple clamps are pointed to the right a bit when cruising straight down the road. Bike has 50k miles , new tires and steering bearings, and wheel bearings. All work done by a 25 year Goldwing shop of good repute.

If your handlebars point to the right on a straight road (A, below), the front wheel is misaligned to the left if you were to hold the handlebars square to the length of the bike (B). To re-adjust handlebars pointed to the right, hit the front wheel to the right. Sounds counter-intuitive. Keep looking at B (below), and to square the wheel straight, you have to bang the wheel to the right to re-square a left pointed wheel, so on. Just bang the front wheel against a concrete column or a wall (bike angled to the wall). Gently and perhaps rotating the wheel, and avoid banging the rim. Might take several tries, or several road tests. [edit] I wouldn't loosen any bolts. You want to replicate things as they were when the wheel was misaligned.

[Bighead]

if i let go of the bars the bike goes straight. I used to 'straighten' the alignment of the forks on my dirt bike by holding the wheel between my knees and turning the handlebars... just didn't know if the same trick was possible with forks as beefy as a Valks ... I will try it.

If the bike goes straight what is the problem?

Exactly. This would seem to indicate that it isnt the forks at all but maybe a bent riser?

[Scottrtho]

In my first post i mention the upper triple clamp is what is not 'square' with  the bike frame, not simply the handlebars. I will try the 'bang the wheel' idea....very simple.