wilson@convex.UUCP (07/04/85)
It's quite likely that nothing is "bent." It usually takes a collision involving the front tire and a suitably massive object to bend anything. If this is the case, all you need to do is get your fork tubes back in the same plane. Examine the pair of metal castings which connect the fork tubes to the frame (these are known as "triple trees"). Each side of both the to and bottom trees will have a bolt which clamps the repective fork tube in the tree. Having located these bolts, put something underneath the bike to hold it up (a center stand will do). AFTER giving the bike something besides its front tire to hold it up, loosen (but do not remove) the clamp bolts in the triple trees. Next, place the front tire in line with the back one and hold it there. (If you're doing this unassisted, face the bike from the front and secure the front tire between your knees.) Grab the handlebars and smartly twist them back into the correct position. Tighten the clamp bolts and you're back in business. If your spill was severe enough to bend anything in the front end, it is probably the fork tubes (the upper portion of the telescoping fork leg assemblies). These can be straightened in a press but replacement is better since the straightening will leave enough distorton in the surface of the tube to make life very tough on the oil seals. Examine the triple trees for fractures and the portion of the frame (called the "neck") where the triple trees attach for wrinkled paint. (wrinkled paint means bent steel underneath and will usually flake off -- don't be confused by paint on sloppy welds) Needless to say, if you find either of these, straightening the forks isn't going to help.