How can you tell what's bent?

[motelbob]

Had a very low speed drop into dirt and now somethings not quite right on my rf 900. Is there a way of telling whats bent. The bars seem a few mill out. I.E the bikes going straight but Im pointing sopmewhere else. N ot sure if one bar is bent, nosecone isnt quite on straight or the whole front end is out. Is there some sort of test that can be done to identify the problem. Please pardon my ignorance but when it comes to mechanical shit Im hopeless. Cheers

[MidnightMike]

Take it to a bike shop and get a quick inspection, wont cost much, theyll tell you whats wrong.

[NighthawkNZ]

Please pardon my ignorance but when it comes to mechanical shit Im hopeless. Cheers

me too... :(

[riffer]

You're unlikely to have bent your frame - they're pretty tough

But just in case have a look here:

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnuts/chassis.html
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnuts/chassis2.html

[sAsLEX]

Bars/clipons might have twisted on the forks, or might just be twisted levers making it feel funny

[Shadows]

Bars/clipons might have twisted on the forks, or might just be twisted levers making it feel funny

Yep, what he said. Just loosen the clipons and reposition them and I reckon it'll be sweet.

[jade]

I second that ^^

[riffer]

Yep, what he said. Just loosen the clipons and reposition them and I reckon it'll be sweet.

All very well but RF900s don't have clip-ons.

[Shadows]

All very well but RF900s don't have clip-ons.

LOL. Must be a bent bar end then. No big deal either way.

[LilSel]

How can you tell what's bent?

Ask for a shag.... :dodge:

[riffer]

LOL. Must be a bent bar end then. No big deal either way.

Yeah - a piece of piss to fix as it's just a bit of 7/8" tube about 12" long IIRC.

[Coyote]

All very well but RF900s don't have clip-ons.
So it has a dirt bike style handlebar?

In that case, get some bling Renthals or Pro Taper bars :D

[riffer]

You saw my bike the other day so now you know, but for the benefit of others, here's an exploded diagram of RF900 handlebars.

If you are going to replace your bars with some pipe, ensure you drill the indentation at the inside bottom of the bar where the bolt (D) goes in at the handlebar clamp - otherwise you'll never be able to do them up. Have a look at your old bar when you take it off.

[crazybigal]

if its not a bent bar, undo the forks and the brace and give it a tweek, its kinda hard to know if you have it right so its a bit of trial and error. good thing is you can take the lower fairng off and the black inside plastics off to get at the 4 bolts. you prob going to have to lift the front end off the ground, these suckers are heavy!. if you undo the tripple clamps the bike will sink down the forks!
once its all in line again, take it for a ride. see if it rides without pulling to the left or right. then see how it feels turning into left and right corners. if the frame is bent sideways it will have trouble going one way or the other as well as it should. you will feel the bike fighting you.
this is a fairly crude way to tell if its out of line and it wont tell you if the rake is out by a few deg either. (you need a protractor device for that)
another way is to run two steel bars down the length of the bike. srtap them to the rear wheel and measure the distance from the centre of the front out to the bars, should be the same (as long as your rear is lined up properly in your swing arm!(i never trust the factory marks)
also you can make a laser alignment tool (attached pdf file)
The rf frame is strong but remember its quite thin, looks more solid than it is.
But they can be fixed, they put them in a jig like they do for cars and give them a tug. (frame stays on the bike so its not to hard or expensive)
if your not too worried about it and can live with it just keep an eye on the front tyre for uneven wear that will soon tell you.
good luck with it.



Had a very low speed drop into dirt and now somethings not quite right on my rf 900. Is there a way of telling whats bent. The bars seem a few mill out. I.E the bikes going straight but Im pointing sopmewhere else. N ot sure if one bar is bent, nosecone isnt quite on straight or the whole front end is out. Is there some sort of test that can be done to identify the problem. Please pardon my ignorance but when it comes to mechanical shit Im hopeless. Cheers