Front Wheel Alignment Issues????

[Peteg]

So I just put a new front tire on my 98 standard. I also replaced the 2 6204 wheel bearings with Timkens. Everything looked and went perfectly as far as I could tell. I wasn't happy when I removed and installed the axle. The axle need a ton of hard mallet taps both out and in like there's a front end alignment problem. I got 16,000 miles out of the front tire without any riding feedback that there might be an alignment issue. Everything was spinning freely as was installing the axle with only the left caliper in place. Once I got everything torqued and back together I noticed the left caliper bracket was rubbing on the disk rivets. There is a 1/4" clear between the rivets and the right caliper bracket. The tube heights are perfect at the top of the upper fork bridge. I'm assuming it's time to take everything loose and do an alignment. I suppose I could pull the wheel at the same time and check the depth of the new bearings. I can't imagine they are short???

Anyway I just figured I'd put this up there as someone might see something I'm missing.

[Peteg]

Sorry for the waste of time, as you guys answered this years ago. I could have sworn I had the axle fully seated. It just needed an 1/8" more. At least my new bearings aren't an 1/8 too short LOL.

Thanks for good pass posts!

[98valk]

my current procedure keeps everything lined up

I  loosen the fender bolts attached to the lower forks. for mine they twist them slightly without the axle installed.
Torqued down the axle without pinch bolts and fender bolts tighten. Then tighten caliper and right side pinch bolts. This put the guide line on the axle just touching alignment with the speedo housing

https://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,116905.0.html

[Peteg]

Great info, thanks. I think mine is good now. Looked and spun well when I put it back together and the test ride was good. My VTX manual says to check that the disk is centered between caliper and bracket. I think I'll check to see if both calipers are centered with the same clearance tomorrow. If I don't like what I see I'll take it loose again and closely follow the expert advise. Looking at the axle alignment marks on my VTX and the Valk and the pictures in my Valk manual everything looks the same. The last time I had the VTX apart I did a full alignment as I serviced the forks and did headstock bearings. I wish I would have looked at the axle mark on the Valk (left side floating fork) before I pulled the wheel. It would have been obvious I still had about an 1/8" to go on axle install.

[Peteg]

Thanks again 98valk. I got back into bikes in 2016 when I bought a little Triumph street twin to stick in the bed of the pickup pulling a trailer. During Covid I bought a VTX1300 to use taking more local motel vacations with the wife. I bought the valk for the ride as Triumph says. Thinking about it I probably only did 5 or 6 front wheel pulls on the first 2 bikes and the last one on the VTX got fully aligned due to front end rebuild.

So I guess ignorance is bliss. I was not reading my procedures in full and I was assuming as long as the top was in alignment, I was pulling the forks back in alignment when I did the inner race pinch up  with axle torque. I just checked all my bikes, and sure enough even after a pretty good test drive the Valk is still badly out. The Triumph is no where near as bad, but it's out too. It seems like both the Triumph and the VTX go back together somewhere in the range without even doing the alignment, not that I'll ever skip it in the future.

To quote Chris it's really good if you understand what your doing. The contrary is it can be bad if you think you understand but don't.

[Chrisj CMA]

To quote Chris it's really good if you understand what you’re doing.

If you’re quoting me,  what I actually said  was to learn WHY you are doing it. As opposed to just the what (random steps). Once you understand why, the steps won’t be hard to remember.

[Peteg]

  For sure next time it will be much easier to remember! I don't have time to play with it today. I'm too small, so I'm thinking I'll get it if I take the seat off and put a pad on the frame. If not I'll tie it off in the back so I can really jump on it. Worst comes to worst I'll get my neighbor to jump on it.